Moto Morini Corsaro ZT

The Moto Morini Corsaro 1200ZT is a proper neo-retro roadster, which is evident in the way it looks. It is still very much an old-school flagship roadster with a minimalist fascia with a rounded headlamp, while the rest of the motorcycle has the design of a usual sports bike from the last decade. It is this reason, which makes it look quite dated in the current scenario, especially with the advent of much-flashier roadsters in its segment.

The front profile of the Moto Morini Corzaro 1200ZT has a conventional round halogen headlamp, flanked by clear lens turn indicators on both sides. The lack of any modern LED lights here further makes the Corsaro look dated. There is a tiny windscreen above the headlamp, which is positioned ahead of the instrument console, though it is not very effective in protecting the rider from oncoming windblasts.

The fuel tank of the Moto Morini Corsaro 1200ZT looks beefy and does give the motorcycle the muscular appeal of a traditional sports bike from the early 2000s. The trellis frame of the motorcycle and its engine are finished in a theme of black, though the lack of underbelly protection to the lower part of the engine and exhausts can be concerning for many riders.

The beautifully-sculpted dual exhaust pipes flow upwards, and like in some of the old-school sports bikes, are positioned below the pillion seat. The upward-rising tail section of the Moto Morini Corsaro 1200ZT has a pointy appeal towards the rear while having a slightly inclined pillion seat which might not be comfortable to be seated on during longer journeys.

The halogen tail lamp of the Moto Morini Corsaro 1200ZT is neatly positioned below the tail section of the motorcycle between the twin exhaust pipes, while the motorcycle also gets an additional rear tyre hugger on which the turn indicators are mounted. The only modern-day element of the Moto Morini Corsaro 1200ZT is its 5-inch TFT instrument console, which has gloss surrounds while also displaying real-time riding data.

The Moto Morini Corsaro 1200ZT has the modernity of the new-age flagship roadsters in its mechanical setup, if not more. Sitting over a steel trellis frame, the Moto Morini Corsaro 1200ZT gets 46mm inverted telescopic forks at the front and a mono-shock at the rear, with both of them offering full adjustment for compression, rebound and preload settings. The motorcycle has 120/70 ZR17 front and 190/55 ZR17 rear Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres, while getting dual 320mm discs at the front and a single 220mm disc at the rear.

The Moto Morini Corsaro 1200ZT is powered by a traditional liquid-cooled, longitudinally-placed, 87-degree V-twin 1187cc engine, which is one of the largest engines for production-spec naked roadsters in terms of size. However, this engine doesn’t feel peaky in its character, and returns rather modest performance figures – 140 PS of maximum power and 125 Nm of maximum torque. The engine is paired with a 6-speed gearbox and is quite refined and torquey in lower RPMs.

The Moto Morini Corsaro 1200ZT lacks many of the sophisticated riding aids offered in other range-topping naked roadsters but gets the essentials like dual channel ABS, quick-shifter and an assist and slipper clutch. We would have loved to see more riding aids on offer, but considering that the Moto Morini Corsaro 1200ZT is already in the final stages of its production, we might not see any update in this regard.

The Moto Morini Corsaro 1200ZT is too old-school for the modern generation riders, with the absence of many crucial new-age riding aids further denting its overall appeal, given its premium positioning as a range-topping naked roadster. However, those who love old-school motorcycles will appreciate its modest performance and friendly riding dynamics.