First ride: Moto Morini 9½ and Corsaro exotic road bikes

If you like a bike that badly needs to be shown who’s the boss, the Corsaro could be the one for you. Slap it around and treat it badly and it becomes a very willing partner in crime. Ride it with any less than complete aggression and commitment and you’ll find it a handful.

These Jekyll and Hyde Moto Morinis put Tomaselli and Australian importer Paul Nobbs in an interesting position – buyers gasp at the sheer presence of the Corsaro, but many test riders will find it too highly-strung for a daily ride. The unassuming 9½ is easy to overlook on a showroom floor, but everyone that takes it out comes back with a grin a mile wide because it’s just so easy to get along with.

The brand’s boutique pricing puts the two bikes into the ‘exotics’ category where buyers spend extra for stunning looks and exclusivity – but the Corsaro’s the only real head-turner of the two – so it’ll be interesting to see if the 9½ manages to keep its footing purely on the back of its brilliant rideability when competing against the similarly fun and friendly SV1000 and Hornet 900, which cost thousands less. The Corsaro's pricing pits it against Aprilia's brilliant Tuono, KTM's Super Duke and MV Agusta's Brutale - in that company, it has a good chance of holding its own.

Which would I take home? Well, while the head screams 9½ for all its many virtues, I’m intrigued by what lies further down the Corsaro road. My test ride was brief, and only towards the end did I start to bond with this aggressive customer. It requires a lot more from its rider but it has the personality, performance and good looks to tempt me toward the darker side. Corsaro by the narrowest margin, and maybe just because I'm a glutton for punishment.

The Moto Morini 9½ retails for AU$18,990, the Corsaro for AU$21,990, and for AU$23,990 you can purchase an up-spec Corsaro Veloce, kitted out with Ohlins and Termingnoni parts in all the right places. Test rides are available now.

Loz Blain