1980 Moto Morini 500 Camel Atlas Editions Classic Motorcycle Card
Construction-kit Camel
In a desperate struggle for survival, Moto Morini played with a basic design by engineer Franco Lambertini and created an entire range from a 125 single to a 500 twin using many common components. The starting point was a V-twin with flat cylinder heads and parallel overhead-valves (with the combustion chamber hollowed out of the cylinder). The 500 Turbo was the flagship of the 1980 range.
Bringer of Hope
The first version of the Camel also appeared in 1980, symbolizing all the hopes of the marque in the trail bike market, which was then in full throttle. Its power unit was, apart from a few details, that of the highway version, and the cycle part followed a formula already well-proved by Morini on a machine built for the 1973 Paris-Abidjan-Nice rally.
A Revolutionary Concept
In its concept, this bike was years ahead of its time and foreshadowed all the big-twin trail bikes that would later achieve fame. Sadly, Moto Morini would never know, nor could it exploit, this potential. The Camel suffered from its accessories at a period when Italy was not known fOf its standards of finish. The Camel’s saddle height placed it in the category of real enduro machines, though its performance was scarcely that of a trail bike. Finally, Morini, which exported no more than ten percent of its production, offered the rare examples outside Italy at discouraging prices. In 1980, the Camel was ticketed in France at $4460, which was $344 more than a BMW R 80 GS and $1840 more than a 500 Honda XLS.
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine: 479cc (69x64mm) air-cooled V-twin
Power Rating: 39 hp @ 7400 rpm
Valves: overhead
Fuel System: Twin Dell’Orto 26mm carburetors
Transmission: 6-speed
Brakes: drum (front & rear)
Wheels: wire-laced alloy rims (front & rear)
Weight: 300 lb
Maximum Speed: 80 mph
Light, stable and ideal in its concept, the Camel fell down over its brakes, its finish and its price – it was only a sensation at the motorcycle shows.
