With yet another midsized adventure motorcycle hitting the market, the options available from different manufacturers are quite plentiful these days in what was once a barren segment just a handful of years ago. While being spoiled with choice may seem like a good thing, it’s a confusing place to be for riders who are shopping for their first adventure bike. And that’s exactly who Moto Morini is targeting with their budget-friendly X-Cape 650. 

Many here in the states may not be familiar with the Italian-born brand but Moto Morini has been around since 1937 with a long heritage of building both dirt and street bikes. While the company has had its share of struggles financially over the years, their purchase by the Chinese manufacturing giant Zhongneng Vehicle Group put the company on solid footing and fueled a new range of value-priced midsized models. According to Moto Morini, the X-Cape 650 has been one of its most successful in the current lineup, even becoming the 8th best-selling motorcycle in Italy after its release in 2021. With a new global push from the Milan-based brand, the X-Cape finally landed on U.S. shores in 2023 and there are around 60 Moto Morini dealers spread across the country.

What You Get

At the heart of the X-Cape is a 649cc 8-valve DOHC parallel-twin engine, a design borrowed from the Versys 650 under license from Kawasaki. This tried and tested powerplant has been around since 2008 and still puts out a respectable, yet new rider-friendly 60 horsepower and 42.5 ft-lbs of torque in the X-Cape. 

Starting at $7,999 ($6,999 for a ‘23 model), the price may be on the budget side but the X-Cape comes with a range of premium equipment like fully-adjustable Marzocchi USD forks with stout 50mm tubes and a KYB rear shock with preload and rebound damping. Brakes are by Brembo, which utilize steel braided lines on 298mm discs with twin-piston floating calipers up front and a single 255mm disc with a twin piston caliper in the rear to stop its tubeless cross-spoke wheels. With design remaining in Italy, styling was not ignored either, and there are a range of unique color schemes to choose from.

As far as the electronics, it comes equipped with Bosch ABS and EFI, plus a power management system that features two ride modes, all monitored through a large 7” color-TFT display that allows you to hook up your phone with Bluetooth for on-screen GPS navigation, maps, music, and calls. Other electronics gizmos provided standard are on-dash tire pressure monitoring, dual USB charging ports and full LED lighting.

To get you from the showroom to your first adventure, the bike includes a 4.8-gallon fuel tank offering a range over 200 miles, plus a rear rack to strap down a duffle bag full of gear. There’s also a height-adjustable windscreen that can be configured by hand, and a set of serrated foot pegs with removable rubber covers that offer a decent-sized platform for standing in the dirt. What’s not so adventure ready is the plastic sump protection and there are no hand guards, but these items can be upgraded with optional equipment before rolling out of the dealer doors. The X-Cape does come with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR semi-knobby tires that are ready for the trail and the turn signals have flexible stalks to help them survive any unintended dirt naps.

A unique feature on the X-Cape 650 is the configurable ergos, with three positions to move the oversized 1-⅛” handlebars forward or backward to your liking. The front brake and clutch levers are also adjustable for different hand sizes. Seat height is an approachable 32.3” in the low setting and can be raised to 33.3” for longer-legged riders. Although that low seat height does come at the cost of suspension travel, which is 6.9” in front and 6.5” in the rear. The weight is on the heavy side too for a midsized adventure bike coming in at 470 pounds dry, but a 19” front / 17” rear wheel combo, along with a short 58.7” wheelbase, offer some added maneuverability.

So is the X-Cape a good bike for someone new to Adventure riding? Does it offer enough performance to keep an experienced rider happy behind the bars? We clocked a couple of thousand miles on several different local ‘escapes’ to find out. Read on to see how it performed.

First Impressions

Picking up the X-Cape 650 from the Moto Morini U.S. headquarters in Irvine, California, we got our first look at the bike up close. The paint finish and other graphic details were quite nice for a budget-oriented bike. The chassis looks almost overbuilt with big frame rails, a beefy swing arm and massive 50mm fork tubes. Even the welds looked clean and precisely laid down.

There are lots of nice touches too like the iconic flying eagle with double ‘M’ logo embedded in the fuel cap, the double stitching on the seat, or the Italian Tricolor flag accents tastefully infused into the black and red color scheme. Another thing I noticed is the fuel tank has a plastic cover over it, which means if it ever gets damaged you’ll just have to replace a piece of plastic rather than repair a fuel tank.

Our test bike also came with the optional aluminum skid plate installed for some improved trail protection during our evaluation. Although, I didn’t like that the front of the exhaust manifold remains somewhat exposed. While we intended to add a set of wraparound enduro handguards once we got back to our office, the large front brake master cylinder didn’t play nice with anything we had on the shelf, so we had to do without. But we did install a set of DoubleTake mirrors to save the more street-oriented stock mirrors in case of a fall.

On-Road Performance

Starting up the bike for the first ride, it has a mellow exhaust note in the lower RPMs but gets a more throaty tone in the upper revs. Heading out in city traffic, the power feels fairly subdued but there’s a steady flow of even torque throughout the rev range. It’s the kind of engine that wouldn’t be intimidating for a newer rider with smooth fueling and no surprise acceleration. This isn’t a bike you are able to pop wheelies on unless you are a pro at that sort of thing. It’s not slow though, it just seems mild under acceleration. Although, the revs keep building until you look down and notice how fast you are going.

Around town, the compact design of the bike makes it feel much smaller than you’d expect from a 500-pounder. Those 19”/17” hoops, a shorter wheelbase, along with the steep 25.5° steering rake give it flickability in traffic that would make it a fun commuter bike. The only time you really notice the weight of the bike is when it’s at a stop or you are maneuvering it around to park it. The weight is there and it can seem a bit top heavy at times, especially on a full tank, but the lower seat height makes it controllable. Once rolling though, the bike becomes easy to manage. One quirk I did encounter driving in the city was difficulty finding neutral at stop lights. Although, this can be one of those things that can vary with individual bikes.

On the highway, the windscreen was effective in the highest position. Adjustments are made using a slider mechanism. If you get buffeting at a certain height, you can fine tune the position to get it where the airflow is clean. At 6’2” tall, I found it to be plenty tall enough to shoot wind over my head, although it’s on the skinny side so it doesn’t block a lot of wind around your shoulders. 

Overall, the windscreen worked fine for me on longer highway journeys but adjusting the initial tension on the hand tightener can be a little tricky. If you set the tension screw too tight, it’s hard to make any adjustments one handed while riding. If it’s too loose, the windscreen can rattle. After a few trips on the bike, I finally found the goldilocks tension setting.

Ergos were good with a comfortable reach to the bars with the bar clamps set up in the standard ‘middle’ position. With the seat in the high position, my long legs were only slightly cramped. As for the seating comfort, it offered good support and wasn’t too mushy. Only at the end of a long day of riding did I find myself doing the hot seat dance. This is primarily because the scooped-out pilot saddle locks you into one position, making it hard to avoid hot spots. I did get a chance to try out the optional flat one-piece ‘ADV-R seat’ which allows the rider to slide your weight backward or forward on the seat to keep from getting sore. The seat height is increased slightly over the standard but it does give taller riders a little more leg room. I highly recommend the upgrade.

Passing cars, you need to have the revs above 5500 RPMs to get good passing power. Stay on the throttle and the bike will take you all the way up to a claimed 106 mph top speed. There’s enough torque on tap to carry a heavily-loaded bike (I’m 200 pounds) up big hills, even in the lower RPMs. Although without the rubber covers installed, I did notice a hint of vibration in the pegs around 75-85 mph. This seemed to smooth out after reaching 90 mph, and the bike has no problem sustaining that pace on the open highway if you aren’t worried about speeding tickets.

Fuel consumption during our travels averaged around 48 MPG with a mix of riding conditions and up to 50 MPG when just cruising casually. With a potential range of 240 miles, I was a bit surprised when the fuel light came on at around 170 miles. When I finally reached a gas station and filled up another 30 miles later, the bike still had 0.5 gallons left in the tank. So the fuel gauge definitely seems to be on the pessimistic side. 

Getting into the twisty bends, the X-Cape 650 really feels like it’s in its happy place. When leaned over hard, it didn’t scrape the pegs prematurely and would hold a clean line on rough asphalt. With its stiff frame and oversized forks, it gives a lot of feedback to the rider on what’s happening at the rubber end. Even with the suspension settings configured for off-road, the bike had excellent turn-in characteristics and you could jam on the throttle early coming out of turns without fear of upsetting the handling. The bike’s smooth torque means you can leave it in a higher gear and enjoy the ride without a lot of gear changes. Or if you want to squeeze it for all it’s worth, you can keep it in the higher RPMs. 

There’s good flickability when switching directions in a chicane too. It’s the kind of bike you can ride all day in the twisties and it won’t wear you out. The Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires offer excellent grip forgiveness on asphalt for an adventure tire too, allowing you to push your speed without punishing you if you get it wrong. 

Slowing down the bike, the big Brembo brakes with steel braided lines offer plenty of bite and feel. They aren’t 4-piston Monoblocs but they can get you stopped in a hurry with a single finger pull. I’ve heard some reports of brake squeal on the X-Cape 650 but I didn’t experience that myself. The ABS worked flawlessly as well without any abrupt initial lockup or chattering when pushed hard.

As far as the TFT dash, it had a nice simple design and was easy to manage with the simple handlebar thumb controls (Up, Down, Set, Back). All the usual readings are available on the screen like engine temp, battery voltage, date/time, fuel gauge, tripmeter, ODO, current gear, speed and RPMs. The TPMS works great but it only reads in Kpa measurement, not Psi, so that required some Google converting.

There are two ride modes to choose from: Ride and Off-road. The Ride mode is the ‘street’ mode, which felt like it offered a bit crisper throttle response than Off-Road. The ABS can only be turned off in the Off-Road mode. The dash theme changes depending on your mode, so it’s easy to tell at a glance which mode you are in. Moto Morini didn’t include traction control in the electronics package but with its mellow power hit, the X-Cape doesn’t really need it.

The one thing I would have liked to see on the dash is an outside temp reading which can be useful when you’re traveling through extreme weather conditions. I didn’t get a chance to try out the Bluetooth phone integration features (e.g. maps, navigation, phone calls, music), which does require an app purchase, but the fact that you can even get this on a bike in the 7 grand range is pretty impressive.

Off-Road Performance

Once out on the trail, the X-Cape 650 retains its smaller bike feel. It has the weight of some bikes in the 800cc+ range but its compact proportions help hide it. It feels more like a T7 in terms of its size and has quick handling side-to-side, thanks to a 19” front and 17” rear wheel combo, along with a steep rake and short wheelbase. You don’t need much space to perform a u-turn on trails, but at those slow speeds the weight does kick in and it feels kind of tippy, especially fueled up.

I was surprised the ergos felt decent for stand up riding straight out of the box, with good grip and support on the pegs with the rubbers removed. The handlebars were just a tad low and back but rolling them forward a bit got them in a much better off-road position. I decided to take advantage of the adjustable handlebar clamps to move the bars all the way to the most forward position. This really opened up the cockpit and gave the bike a more aggressive feel. While this was great for the stand up position, it was a little too far forward when seated, with a noticeable arm stretch. However, replacing the stock seat with the flat ADV-R seat allowed me to scoot to the front to get a more-natural seated position.

Rolling at a good pace down a dirt road, the handling is precise and responsive. With its limited suspension travel, it’s comfortable on semi-rough terrain but not big bumps. On your typical ‘fairly-smooth’ adventure bike trail, it can be pushed hard by a skilled rider and it’s only when the wheels get airborne or going through big dips that you feel the need to reel it in. With my 200-pound frame, it goes through the suspension travel and bottoms out on big hits a little quicker than I’d like if you try to ride it aggressively. It’s definitely more of a rally car than a trophy truck.

Where it impressed me the most was in choppy small rocks. The plush suspension soaks those bumps up like they aren’t even there. When the rocks and roots start to get a little bigger the suspension still does a good job of absorbing them, up until they get too big and it bottoms out on the skid plate or you get a thunk in the fork. In the rougher stuff, the smaller wheels also start to get bounced off line a bit more and occasionally I did hit my helmet on the tall windscreen, even when dropped down to the low setting. Also, in deep sand or soft loamy dirt, that smaller front wheel and steep steering angle can make it feel like it wants to tuck the front. 

Despite some limitations for more aggressive terrain, one advantage this bike has over its direct competitors in this price range is the adjustability of the suspension, especially on the forks. The initial settings from Moto Morini were a great start but it wasn’t quite where I wanted it. It had too much rebound on the front wheel when going into deep ruts and it would pogo out, making the bike feel unbalanced. I was able to eliminate that tendency by just adding a few clicks of rebound with the top-mounted fork clickers. Likewise, increasing the compression damping a few clicks helped give the front end more hold up in bigger bumps.

As far as the engine performance off-road, it doesn’t have much low-end pop to lighten up the front wheel. Down in the lower revs, the motor is smooth and not quick to bog. With a luggable low-end, you don’t have to worry about constantly keeping it in the right gear. In the higher revs, you get a more responsive engine feel but it still maintains good traction. It’s a bike that really doesn’t need traction control — powerslides are not something you can perform on command. It’s a great engine if you’re just out to explore and chug along at intermediate speeds.

When you need to slow things down, the X-Cape has some relatively-large front disc brakes — and these do just fine in the dirt. They aren’t grabby nor are they super precise but they do get the bike stopped with one finger. The ABS is more of a street-focused algorithm, so I did feel a bit of chatter on soft dirt or loose rocks from time to time, but it never tried to send me off a cliff. The smoother you are on the brakes, the less you feel it working. When in the Off-Road mode, you can switch off ABS completely both front and rear. The ABS-free brakes worked well on loose, steep descents with no premature lock up.

Overall, I enjoyed the X-Cape most when lazily exploring the typical fire roads we have here in the Southern California mountains with the occasional challenging section thrown in. It probably wouldn’t be the first bike I’d pick for bombing down rough trails out in the desert but it can handle it in small doses. We put it through some pretty harsh conditions during testing and no bolts loosened, nothing cracked or fell off, the exhaust manifold didn’t get dented, the rims remained round. For a new-to-intermediate dirt rider, who’s not trying to tackle more aggressive terrain on the regular, it does the job.

The Bottom Line

The Moto Morini X-Cape 650 stands out as a budget-friendly, midsized adventure bike that offers a lot of value for the price. With its 650 parallel-twin engine, it has a smooth and manageable power delivery, making it ideal for new to intermediate riders looking for a fun, affordable first adventure motorcycle. The bike’s premium features like fully-adjustable front suspension, tubeless spoke wheels, Brembo brakes, modern electronics, and adaptable ergos add to its appeal.  

While it is a little on the heavy side and lacks some suspension travel for serious off-road use, it provides plenty of comfort and versatility for both on-road and light off-road travel. Overall, the X-Cape 650 is a well-rounded machine that offers a lot of capability without feeling intimidating, making it a great choice for those looking to get out on their first adventures. There’s also a lot of aftermarket support that has developed over the last few years, allowing riders to improve the bike’s capability in different ways as their ADV tastes evolve. 

When matching it up against similarly priced midsized adventure bikes, it doesn’t have the off-road chops of the Kawasaki KLR650 or Royal Enfield Himalayan but it will take the Honda NX500 (the renamed CB500X) to task, and it’s a much more comfortable mount for longer journeys than any of those models. As far as versatility, it’s more comparable to the twin-powered Suzuki V-Strom 650XT or Honda Transalp 750 but those bikes cost $2k-3k more.

Arguably, the X-Cape 650’s starting MSRP of $7K makes it one of the best bargains in the midsized segment. A 25,900-mile valve adjustment interval, along with a 3-year warranty and relatively-affordable replacement parts make it easy to live with too.

X-Cape 650 Specs

Photos by Ely Woody and Rob Dabney

Author: Rob Dabney

Rob Dabney started a lifelong obsession with motorcycles at the age of 15 when he purchased his first bike – a 1982 Honda MB5. Through his 20’s and 30’s he competed in off-road desert races, including the Baja 250, 500 and 1000. Eventually, his proclivity for exploration led him to dual sport and adventure riding. Rob’s never-ending quest to discover what’s around the next bend has taken him on Adventures in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and throughout the American West. As a moto journalist, he enjoys inspiring others to seek adventure across horizons both near and far.