Morbidelli is a very new motorcycle manufacturer with an Italian-sounding name. And while the company has Italian roots, as it was formerly known as Moto Bolognia Passione, it’s by no means on the same level as the likes of Ducati and Aprilia.
And that’s because it’s under the corporate umbrella of the Chinese motorcycle giant Qianjiang, which is also the parent company to brands you may be familiar with, names like QJ Motor, Benelli, and Keeway, among others.
The QJ group has been known to follow industry trends to a tee, rolling out new models that seem to mirror exactly what’s hot in the industry. And indeed, the Morbidelli brand is no exception, as it unveiled what can only be described as a direct rival to the likes of the CFMoto Ibex 450 and Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. It’s called the T502X, and it just might be a very big deal.
As a whole, the bike is exactly what the Ibex 450 and Himalayan 450 are, an entry-level adventure bike with an inclination for off-road. It’s powered by a 486cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, parallel-twin engine with a power output of about 47 ponies. It has a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheel, complete with spokes, a tubeless setup, and knobby tires. And as for suspension, it’s rocking what appear to be non-adjustable inverted front forks mated to a preload-adjustable monoshock at the back.
So yeah, overall, this thing looks like it slots itself perfectly within the entry-level adventure bike segment. And this is where things get interesting. You see, it’s common practice for Chinese motorcycle manufacturers to “share” technology among themselves. We’ve seen it in the past with bikes like the Voge 525 DSX, as well as the recently unveiled Moto Morini Alltrike which is rumored to share an engine and chassis with the CFMoto Ibex 450.
As such, it’s definitely not a far-fetched notion that the T502X platform might be used to produce a bunch of models under a whole bunch of brands. Perhaps it’ll even make its way to the US market in one form or another.
But in its Morbidelli guise, it seems like it's ready to storm into the European market head-on. In fact, Morbidelli markets it as an A2-compliant ADV bike, perfect for young riders looking for an accessible do-it-all two-wheeler. And on paper, it looks like it’ll be just that. Morbidelli’s thrown in just the right amount of tech into this thing—stuff like smartphone connectivity, USB charging ports, and a large seven-inch TFT display.
But other than that, the bike’s as simple as it gets. There’s no mention of advanced ride modes or traction control, but the bike does get dual-channel ABS, with the option to deactivate at the rear. Pretty cool.
To that end, I’m willing to bet that the T502X will be one of Morbidelli’s stronger models, especially now that it’s making its presence felt across Europe. Of course, its price tag will play a major role in its success, as aggressive pricing has always been the proverbial ace up the sleeve of these emerging Chinese manufacturers. And as of the moment, there’s no word just yet as to how many Euros this thing is asking for.
But what about you? Would you trust a bike like the Morbidelli T502X to take you both on and off the beaten path? With so many bikes now made in China, it’s clear that these manufacturers mean business. But as is the case with all things, only time itself will tell if all these bikes can go the distance.
Sources: Morbidelli, 1000PS
