The MCN Test: Italian charisma for less cash...

While the revival of historic British brands, most notably Norton and BSA, continues – but now with Indian ownership– a similar thing is happening in Italy, with Benelli and Moto Morini undergoing a revival, although here the brands are under Chinese ownership.

Both have recently launched their most mass-market and credible rivals to the established Italian manufacturers – namely Morini’s new Seiemmezzo 650 twins, the STR and SCR, and Benelli’s new Leoncino 800, which also comes in street and scrambler forms.

Both are Italian-designed but Chinese built; use 650-800cc parallel twins derived from Kawasaki’s old ER6 and boast decent spec including a TFT dash, Brembo/radial brakes, stylish details and budget prices.

But how do they compare to a proven, established, Italian-built 800-odd twin like, say, Moto Guzzi’s much-loved V7? We took all three on a lap of British B-roads and more to find out.