Moto Morini Corsarinos
With Phil Aynsley
I have always had a soft spot for small displacement Italian motorcycles, perhaps due to the fact that despite their modest power output and often beautiful base models, their national heritage has always demanded a sport so that young people can compete with their Grand Prix heroes.
Moto Morini is no exception to this lifestyle and here we take a look at some of their 48 cc models from the 60s and 70s.
The company launched the Corsarino (Little Pirate) in 1963 – a follow-up to the 125 cc Corsaro (Pirates) introduced in 1959.
The Corsarino was also a single-stroke four-stroke OHV and the first versions were V and Z. Both were step-framed motorcycle-like machines but had fixed footpegs rather than pedals and a three-speed manual transmission. grant.
Z has dual seats. The V was only sold until 1966 but the Z continued until 1969, using a four-speed foot changer from ’65.
A matching frame motorcycle, the ZT, was added to the lineup in 64 and discontinued in 69. In addition, various Scrambler models were produced between 1966 and 1975.
The Corsarino ZZ was a sports car and originally used a three-speed manual shifter before the four-speed footswitch was introduced in 1966.
The first bike seen here is the ’66 ZZ. A 15 mm Dell’Orto carburetor was used to help the engine produce 4.5 hp.
The second car is a later model, early 70s and has a change to have a more upright sitting position. Production of all Corsarinos ceased in 1976.
