2025-on Morbidelli T1002VX review: An adventure cruiser?

Throttle is ride by wire with four riding modes, but you have to come to a dead stop in order to switch between them. There are no customisable settings, and that creates limitations, such as in off-road mode where both ABS and TC are disabled completely. Fuelling is suitably smooth across the board, keeping the T1002VX’s manners mild both in town and on the open road, with just enough urgency in ‘Sport’ to add a touch of spice to the proceedings.

There’s no quickshifter to aid gear changes when it comes to it, and although the selector does need a positive shove to clunk between cogs, it’s a relatively smooth operation.

At 265kg (wet) the T1002VX is a heavy bike to manoeuvre, but the relatively low 820mm seat height doesn’t make it too much of a chore to paddle around, and any perceived mass quickly disappears when you’re up and rolling anyway. The turning circle is tight enough for tidy u-turns, and the riding position is upright and natural, with a firm, but well-padded seat that encourages big miles.

On the road, it feels comfortable and confident, thanks to softly set fully adjustable KYB suspension front and rear. The 43mm USD forks provide a pleasantly plush ride and recover quickly enough under braking to ready the chassis for tipping into a turn, where the rear shock keeps the big Morbidelli adequately balanced to track along a chosen line.

Push it hard and you start to feel its limitations, especially if you throw in a rapid change of direction, but this isn’t a bike with particularly sporty aspirations and responds best to a steady hand on the tiller and throttle.

Front brakes are twin 320mm discs with a pair of four-pot J.Juan calipers, and they’re more than capable of hauling the T1002VX to a stop without any drama. Feel and feedback at the lever is as precise as you’d expect, and Bosch ABS Pro with cornering functionality provides peace of mind should you need to slam on the stoppers in a hurry.

Although the OEM Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR rubber offers plenty of grip, not to mention off-road kudos with its blocky tread pattern, it does affect comfort and feel to a certain extent. A more road-biased tyre on a machine that’s likely to spend most of its life on the tarmac could be considered a better option, and I’d wager it would sharpen up handling.

The 997cc 80° V-twin motor is lifted directly from the firm’s C1002V cruiser, and that lineage is instantly apparent when you first twist the throttle. It spins up freely but hits the limiter before it feels like you’ve got anywhere, requiring a mental recalibration from a typical big twin adventure bike to make the most of its modest 88.5 bhp. Peak torque of 65.6lb-ft is achieved at 5250 rpm, so keeping the revs low makes for much more pleasurable progress and plays to the essence of what this bike is about.

Push it along as you would its feet-first stablemate and it pays you back with easy going smiles, jabbing through twisties on our route around the Forest of Bowland without the need to consider any gear other than third. A popping thrum through the induction system means it doesn’t sound half bad as the power comes in, but however encouraging that is, it’s merely a veil to cover the sparkle that the motor lacks.

Ultimately, the power delivery and performance leave it feeling rather bland and uninspiring, which is disappointing from a big twin. There’s not much in the way of engine braking either, so you end up feeling that you’re making do with what you’ve got, rather than tapping into something that you can explore and exploit.

There’s also a potential question over reliability. Morbidelli stipulates a 3,000 mile service interval and only offers a two-year warranty, which seems rather pessimistic. If you’ve got any aspirations for touring, commuting or generally riding the T1002VX, I’d be seeking out a dealer with a loyalty scheme to make those regular visits worthwhile.

Whichever way you look at it, the Morbidelli T1002VX is a lot of bike for the money. Even when you add the set of fully lined aluminium luggage at £499, it’ll still only set you back £8698 and with all the bells and whistles included, that’ll leave you wanting for nothing – unless you’re expecting the typical full-throated thrill associated with a big twin. The Morbidelli undercuts its Voge DS900X equivalent by a grand. If you're in the market for a new adventure bike, it would also pay to look at the Honda XL750 Transalp for £9499 and Suzuki V-strom 800DE for a little more at £10,655, for that little more oomph and refinement.

The engine’s low-powered, laid-back attitude lacks character, making it feel more like a rather sanitised, upright cruiser than an inspirational adventure bike. Yes, it’s playful enough for fun on the twisty stuff (just), and feels like it will eat motorway miles for days, but try to crack on and it simply runs out of oomph too quickly.

Equipment

In terms of standard equipment, the T1002XV packs an extremely well-weighted punch. The cockpit area includes a variable-position adjustable screen, which, although a bit stiff to operate, does manage to keep the wind blast off without instigating any buffeting. It includes a 7” TFT dash, and multiple power outlets including USB A, C, and a universal 12V socket.

The switchgear looks a bit generic, but it is backlit, which adds a nice premium touch. The cruise control rocker doubles up as navigation to access various menus and settings, but oddly, it scrolls the opposite way to that expected. Cruise mode itself is rather basic and can’t be disengaged by simply shutting the throttle, plus it seems to take an age to react when you adjust speed via the switch.

Heated grips and seat provide top-notch comfort, both with enough toastiness to make the highest setting something that should be taken in moderation. It’s worth noting that your pillion’s posterior won’t get any warmth, though, as it’s only wired for the rider. LED lighting all round, including daytime running lights, looks classy, and on top of that, you get a TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring system), centre stand, crash bars, and a bash plate.