Moto Morini Granpasso 1200

Engineers at the Bologna factory have concentrated on ergonomic changes and improvements to the off-road handling of the 118bhp v-twin.  The handlebars have been upgraded with risers that allow greater adjustment, complementing the adjustable screen and allowing owners to tailor the riding position to suit their size/preferred riding position. 

The redesigned seat decreases the riding height and is fitted with a moulded alloy heat shield underneath to screen the rider and the Öhlins rear shock from the single high level silencer.  Morini have homologated the Granpasso for use with knobbly enduro style tyres, giving owners the option to fit dedicated tyres for off-road riding, and fitted high strength iron alloy motocross style footpegs too.  These have removable rubber inserts, allowing riders to customise the bike for road or trail.

The Italian company’s goal was to build a smoother, much more comfortable and very exciting motorcycle that would perform significantly better off the road. So they developed new software for injection engine control and moved the lambda sensor to the front cylinder exhaust pipe. This translates into smoother power and torque across the low-to-mid rpm range, reduces fuel consumption and even makes the CorsaCorta engine more reliable. The 1187cc liquid-cooled 87° V-twin is actually a detuned version of the 140hp Corsaro engine powering the 2010 Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Veloce and it develops 118 hp at 8,500 rpm and 103.6 Nm at 7,000 rpm. Because Granpasso’s engine version doesn’t rev as high as that of the Corsaro, engineers have removed the oil cooler that you would find on the performance naked bike simply because it wasn’t needed any more.

Moto Morini then proceeded by improving the ergonomics. This means a lower seat, repositioned footpegs (made of high strength iron alloy and rubber insert, which can be removed before extensive off-road riding) and upgraded handlebar with a new release of the risers, which enhances the adjusting possibilities and is theoretically supposed to turn the 2010 Granpasso 1200 into a glove for each and every luck rider. Furthermore, they’ve added a new molded aluminum heat protection layer under the seat and this should now exclude the disadvantages of the exhaust being positioned very close to the seat on the left rider side.

The bike’s 19-inch front and 17-inch rear Excel wheels now allow riders to fit the Granpasso with knobby tires and have absolutely no retention in keeping on going strong when the asphalt ends. Also, the stiff 50mm adjustable Marzocchi fork offering 190mm travel should keep things fairly stable, while the expensive quick adjust Öhlins rear shock capable of 200mm travel will most likely allow riders to play a lot with their bike’s rear end on the dirt. This would be the fun part.

In what braking performance is concerned, the Brembo braking system – composed of 298mm discs with two-piston calipers and radial master-cylinder at the front and 255mm disc with two-piston caliper at the rear – is the enthusiastic engine’s worst nightmare both on and off the road.