MBP motorcycles bring big Chinese bikes to the West
By Ben Purvis
M502N roadster
MBP isn ' t a familiar name in motorcycling , but the brand has appeared on the market from nowhere with an extensive range of machines from 125 cc scooters to 1000 cc V- twins . Founded in 2022 by Keeway , MBP ' s initials stand for Moto Bologna Passione , reflecting the company ' s design team in Italy . Like several other
Chinese-owned Italian brands , the bikes themselves will be manufactured in China , and the initial range has been created in part by borrowing models that are already in production under other names . From the get-go , MBP has a 13-bike range , with four scooters , four roadster-style bikes , three adventure bikes and two cruisers . Eight of the initial bikes are 125 cc singles , including three of the scooters , three of the roadsters and two adventure bikes . Of the others , there ' s a 300 cc twist-and-go scooter - the SC300 - and four larger bikes , the M502N roadster , the T1002V adventure bike and the C650V and C1002V cruisers . While unfamiliar to most western eyes , most of those bigger bikes will be familiar to Chinese riders . The M502N and C1002V are both from the Gaokin stable - the brand that manufactures Brixton models for the European market . The M502N is known in China as the Gaokin Flame 500 , using the
C1002V cruiser same 50 hp , 486 cc parallel twin that ' s used in the Brixton Crossfire 500 , but with an up-to-date look instead of the Brixton ' s semi-retro style . The C1002V was recently launched in China as the Gaokin V1000 Thor , using a 997 cc , 94 hp , water-cooled V-twin engine . The same engine is also in the MBP T1002V adventure bike , but that machine doesn ' t appear to have been shown under another brand name in China . Gaokin isn ' t MBP ' s only supplier , as the smaller MBP C650V cruiser has previously been seen in China as the Longjia V-Bob 650 ( smaller 125 cc and 250 cc Longjia V-Bob models are sold in the West under the Bullit and Bluroc brand names ), using a 447 cc V-twin , making 68 hp . The most interesting model in European markets is , without doubt , the T1002V adventure bike . Weighing in at 235 kg dry , its power and weight figures are competitive against several existing models in the segment , and components like J . Juan brakes and KYB suspension are familiar from a host of budget models . Like most of the company ' s bikes , it ' s due to hit the market in the first part of 2023 . An addendum to the MBP story is that the same company that has trademarked the brand ' s name and logos - Powerlink Technology - has also applied for trademark rights to the Morbidelli name , as well as the titles ' Morbidelli MBP ' and ' Morbidelli MBP Pesaro '. While these applications may come to nothing , they indicate that the old Morbidelli brand name could return to motorcycles in the future , perhaps on MBP machines .
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