2026 Moto Morini Vettore 450—Adventure At A Price
For most people, choosing a motorcycle is a balance between quality and quantity. How much bike do you want, and how much are you willing to pay for it?
Either way, there will probably be a compromise. Most people are willing to, or are forced to, sacrifice some quality for some quantity. They’re not looking for the best bike. They’re looking for the best bike at a price.
For certain ADV riders, that bike might be the Moto Morini Vettore 450, which enters the 2026 market at $6499.
The Italian brand was founded in Bologna in 1937 as a manufacturer of three-wheeled delivery vehicles, and in 1946 began building motorcycles. Racing and sales successes followed, but the 1970s and 1980s were not kind. Moto Morini changed hands multiple times before being acquired by China’s Zhongneng Vehicle Group.
The Vettore 450 is the company’s entry-level model, and it’s a winner. Fitted with the same 449cc parallel twin that powers the CF Moto Ibex 450, putting out 48 horsepower and 31 pound-feet of torque, it’s a lot of bike for the money. The stock set-up includes KYB fully adjustable front and rear suspension, J. Juan brakes, spoked 21- and 18-inch wheels, full LED lighting, a 6-inch TFT screen, an adjustable windscreen and a center stand. The engine uses a slipper clutch. The Bosch ABS and traction control can be switched on and off. Fuel tank capacity is 4.9 gallons, seat height is 31” and the dry weight is 419 pounds. It even has a proper tool kit!
Cruising Freeways, Carving Canyons
On the road, the Vettore is a pleasant ride. It feels lightweight and nimble around town, and purrs comfortably at 70mph on the freeway. It’s no sport bike, but it handles the curves nicely. The levers are easy to reach, and they’re adjustable, and the clutch is buttery soft. The upright seating position allows for longer rides, though for some the stiff seat would not. For touring, accessories include hard luggage, taller windshield, and heated grips and seat.
I spent some happy hours between my house in Los Angeles and the Antelope Valley, cruising some freeway miles and carving up popular twisty roads like Little Tujunga Canyon, Angeles Forest Highway, Bouquet Canyon, and Spunky Canyon. At coffee and gas stops, the bike drew looky-loos. What is that thing?
Hitting the Dirt
Off-road, I felt comfortable if not entirely confident. Adjusting the front suspension helped, as did airing down the tires a bit. The bike toggles easily to off-road mode, though it can’t be done on the fly and reverts to on-road settings whenever the bike is keyed off. I skipped along dirt roads, made my way through deep sand and rode about five miles of single track without incident.
The standing-up ergos are correct. The Vettore feels slender, and the tank is narrow at the rear, so shifting my weight around was unimpeded. The Vettore also features unique handlebar risers that can be flipped and reversed into six different handlebar positions.
But I was aware of a kind of brittleness about the bike, like it was willing to play in the dirt but didn’t really want to. The turn signals are incorporated into the lightweight bark busters. One good drop, I reckoned, would cost me a bark buster and a blinker. And I wouldn’t rule that out: the Vettore rides a bit heavy, and is top heavy, and feels more like an asphalt ADV bike that can go off-road than a dirt bike that works as well on the highway.
That won’t be a problem for most ADV riders. They’ll be able to do the light off-roading that I did without any issues.
And anyway, that may not matter. The main attraction for most potential buyers will be the price. At $6499, this is a lot of motorcycle.
Ups and Extras
Probably because the comparable CF Moto Ibex 450 made such a splash upon its arrival in the States, the Moto Morini people are eager to highlight Vettore features that don’t come stock on its almost-twin, with which it shares the same engine, frame, chassis, suspension and wheels – and MSRP. (CF MOTO also makes the engines for the KTM 790 Adventure, for what it’s worth.)
The Vettore has a center stand, a larger TFT screen, a gas tank and rear rotor, a two-piece seat (instead of one), a metal rear rack and hand-holds (instead of plastic), and a three-year warranty (instead of two). The Ibex doesn’t offer the six-way handlebar risers.
The CF Moto, though, weighs 33 pounds less dry than the Vettore. Is that about the weight of the removable center stand? No, but that’s certainly part of it.
The small- to middle-weight ADV field is becoming nicely crowded with competent machines. Priced near or below the Vettore and CF Moto Ibex are the KTM 390 ADV, Honda CRF 300 Rally, and Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. On the way are the Kawasaki KLE 500 and a BMW F 450 GS—though that last one will cost more.
American garages are full of big-bore ADV bikes that don’t get used much, or at all. A few years back I was lucky an R 1200 GS whose owner bought it new, encouraged by his buddies, then rode it a bit, dropped it once, and parked it. For a lot of people, that is the ADV experience.
So the real appeal of the Vettore is its entry-level specs and price tag. It’s easy to ride, easy to park, easy to pick up (should that be required), and it does almost everything a big ADV bike does except require a second mortgage.
Technical Specs
Distributor: Moto Morini
MSRP: $6,499
Engine: 270-degree parallel twin, liquid cooled
Displacement: 449cc
Transmission: 6-speed, slipper clutch
Rake/Trail: 24°/4.2in
Weight (Dry): 419lbs
Seat Height: 31in
Fuel Capacity: 4.9gal
Fuel Consumption: 46mpg
Fuel Grade: Premium
Colors: Pearl White