RIDING Head onto the gravel with rear wheel ABS turned off in off-road mode and the Alltrhike hauls along nicely through sweeping gravel roads. Handling is neutral and it all feels very stable and easy to ride at decent pace. It’ s not really a lightweight at around 200kg fully fuelled and puts out a modest 44hp, but the characterful twin promotes a spirited approach and there’ s enough torque there to maintain pace in high winds or up steep climbs without constant downshifts. Like the 450MT and Yamaha’ s T7, fuel is carried high, but it really doesn’ t feel top-heavy once on the move. I only really noticed it when pushing it around the garage. The KYB suspension feels fit for purpose. I left forks and shock as factory-set and found the ride nice and compliant on both seal and gravel, even through a few pot-holes and corrugations. Brakes are also perfectly adequate, the rear sporting a larger disk than that on the CF Moto. The TFT display is nicely designed and easy to read and provides all the expected mode adjustments and connectivity. The wind screen is adjustable on-the-fly, although, unlike the CF Moto, it hinges in and out( as opposed to up and down) to adjust the rake and thus angle of wind deflection. I found it most effective in a central position. Also like the CF Moto, the rims are tubeless, spoked to the outer edges. They also look of good quality and the standard fitment ADV tyres are very grippy on road and gravel. At the $ 10k price-point the Moto Morini Alltrhike 450 is a pretty attractive proposition. It’ s an easy to ride, well-balanced adventure mount with a manageable but characterful level of power. If I were signing up for one I’ d source some hand guards, an aluminium sump guard, strap on some luggage, then head out to explore. NOEL PRIESTLEY
88 KIWI RIDER