Keeway to Revive the Historic Italian Morbidelli Brand
Earlier this year, through MBP Moto (Moto Bologna Passioni), its Bologna based subsidiary, the Chinese Keeway Group has acquired the storied Italian Morbidelli brand.
The Morbidelli range will consist of road and crossover motorcycles from 125 to 1000 cc and scooters between 125 and 500 cc. The first launches will initially concern Europe, the United States and China. The product portfolio will also include an initial range of electric motorcycles and scooters starting from the first half of 2025.
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| Morbidelli began building wood working tools and then raced motorcycles as a hobby before starting to manufacture bikes for the public in the 1970s |
The investments and strategy are being described as "long-term" with "Centro Stile Morbidelli" and a new Research and Development Center being created in Bologna.
Morbidelli started making motorcycles in Pesaro in 1968. The first bike was a 50 cc GP racer. The first race win was in 1971, with Gilberto Parlotti in the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix, on a 125. In 1975, they won the 125 class World Manufacturers' and Riders' Championship, with Paolo Pileri in the saddle. Between 1975 and 1977 they won a total of seven world Riders and Constructors titles, including the 250 class in 1977 with Mario Lega.
Morbidelli made his own debut in the premier class in 1970, with a four-cylinder 500, but without particular success. The racing department ceased operations in 1982.
In their time, the Morbidellis represented the state-of-the-art of the competitions in which they took part. The success came from a meeting between Giancarlo Morbidelli and German two-engine designer Jörg Möller in 1974.
Morbidelli unveiled a prototype of the first road Morbidelli, the first eight-cylinder road motorcycle ever presented. Called simply 'V8', it was a super-tourer with an 850 cc engine, which, in design terms, derived from the Cosworth Formula 1 engine. To be produced in a limited series of 12 pieces a year and signed by Pininfarina, the definitive version appeared in 1994 and was the most expensive motorcycle in the world.
MBP Moto was founded in 2021 by Keeway Group. At EICMA 2022 and 2023, MBP Moto unveiled a line-up of prototypes that generated widespread interest.
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| Giancarlo Morbidelli |
Keeway is owned in China by Volvo, Lotus, and London black taxi manufacturer Geely Group's Benelli-owning Qianjiang subsidiary and Harley-Davidson's partner in China.
As a shareholder and global distributor of Benelli, the Keeway Group is a multinational company with operations in Italy, Spain, Hungary, Germany, the United States and China. It currently sells over 500,000 PTWs worldwide. In all-brand terms, Qianjang is active in more than 100 countries.