The Affordable Touring Bike That’s Perfect For A First-Time Buyer

Touring motorcycles are plentiful in 2025. American giants like Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles contribute to this cause lavishly, but every other popular motorcycle brand has at least one touring bike in its portfolio, too. Most of them ain't cheap, however. Even the most affordable touring-ready motorcycle from "a popular brand" starts at $9,779. But a new underdog from an aspiring and recently rejuvenated motorcycle maker offers a commendable touring-ready package for under $7,000.

We have a touring motorcycle complete with hard saddles, a cool batwing fairing, and a high-revving engine, priced less than a Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650. Now, that's a lot of value. However, being a relatively new player in the market, not everything is sunshine and roses, as Moto Morini has to overcome the hurdles of dealership expansion and reliability. Despite that, this Chinese-made Italian bagger offers the most insane value for the price and is a solid beginner-friendly motorcycle for a first-time buyer. We delve deeper and tell you why.

To ensure accuracy, the information in this article was compiled from authoritative sources, including the respective manufacturers’ official websites.

The 2025 Moto Morini Calibro Is The Most Affordable Bagger In America

Starting Price: $6,799

Moto Morini Calibro 700 Bagger front third quarter view

The Moto Morino Calibro Bagger is an enticing first-time buy for aspiring riders because of its aggressive pricing. Starting at just $6,799, it is the most affordable and modern touring-ready cruiser bike available in America today. To give you a perspective, the next most affordable touring-ready cruiser is the 2025 Suzuki Boulevard C50T Special, which starts at $9,779. The Suzuki has an old-school-vibing V-twin but is much heavier.

Plus, despite having a bigger displacement engine, it produces less power (16 horses less). It is also devoid of standard saddlebags. So the Calibro 700 Bagger is a very good beginner-friendly touring bike, primarily due to its marriage of accessible performance from an eager parallel twin, comfortable ergonomics, and barebone electronics. These should help a rider feel more in control of the motorcycle.

Powered By A Rev-Happy Parallel-Twin

A Claimed Top Speed Of 107 MPH

The Calibro Bagger is powered by a high-revving (by cruiser standards) parallel-twin engine. This isn't an all-new engine because the 693cc twin is an upgraded version of the engine from the previous-gen Kawasaki Ninja 650. This Kawasaki-designed, CFMoto-built parallel twin showcases an athletic character, which puts this bagger in the affordable power cruiser category.

This also explains why peak power and torque of 68 horsepower and 50.2 pound-feet are produced at 6,500 RPM and 8,500 RPM, respectively. The torque curve is meaty, with a strong mid-range and a smooth low-end surge, which helps keep this bagger beginner-friendly. Power is sent to the Gates Carbon belt-driven rear wheel via a 6-speed transmission and a slipper clutch for swift downshifts.

Engine Specs And Performance Figures

Other Notable Reasons Why This Bagger Is A Perfect First-Time Touring Bike

Moto Morini

The Calibro's Kawasaki-derived engine gives us confidence in its performance appeal and even reliability. But that is just one vital piece of this enticing "first-time buyer" touring-ready cruiser bike. The other pieces include the rider triangle, ergonomics, and storage capacity. The Calibro Bagger shines in all these aspects and completes this puzzle with conviction.

Relaxed Ergonomics And Lightweight Packaging

The rider triangle is designed for the long haul, with forward-set footpegs, a tall and upright handlebar, and a scooped-in rider seat. The bike also gets a wide batwing fairing with a windscreen that helps deflect wind during long saddle hours. It's relatively low seat height of 28.3 inches makes this fresh bagger accessible to shorter riders.

That is not the lowest among the absolute low-seat-height cruisers, but the Moto Morini is not a bad place to start. To boost its case, at just 443 pounds wet, it is eons lighter than its closest rival. Couple that with its low center of gravity, and it becomes a lot easier for a new rider to handle and flick this bagger around. Also, this is actually a two-up bagger from the factory. Most of the press images show a seat cowl, an accessory. So, yeah. You and your rider-partner are good to go here.

Sturdy Underpinnings And Hardware To Go The Distance

The Moto Morini Calibro Bagger has relatively simple underpinnings. Its double-steel cradle chassis tightly hugs the parallel-twin engine. The swingarm is made of solid steel and has a double-sided construction. Meanwhile, the suspension setup comprises conventional forks up front and preload-adjustable dual shocks at the rear.

Moto Morini seems to offer a plush riding experience on paper, which is commendable. Most cruisers of this stance have harsh rear suspension travel that barely hits the 4-inch mark. But the Calibro offers 4 inches of travel, which should be less taxing on the backbone.

Braking duties are taken care of by J. Juan with a 320 mm disc and a 2-piston caliper up front and a 255 mm disc and single-piston caliper at the rear. ABS is standard here. Making life easier during long hauls are tubeless alloy wheels wrapped with Timsun rubber.

Ample Storage Space And Barebone Technology

Moto Morini

The one thing we cannot skimp on while choosing a touring motorcycle is storage space, and the Calibro 700 Bagger has a lot for the price. It's two standard hard saddles bundle up to offer 38 liters of cargo space, enough to store for a cozy weekend getaway. Moreover, Moto Morini's evolving accessory list can dial things up with optional tank bags and tail bags.

As for technology features, it's basically you and the machine. Apart from ABS, there are no other assistive features here. The instrument cluster is old-school, with a huge tachometer and a tiny LCD to display all other vitals, including fuel level, gear indicator, and trip details. This bagger also has LED lighting all around and a USB port for charging gadgets during long hauls—and that's about it.

Cool Retro Vibing Looks Round Off The Package

Moto Morini

Moto Morini has taken a few tips from American cruiser bikes, with the Calibro's design. It mimics old-school charm with curvy body panels, muscular lines, and a low-slung design. Talking of which, the silhouette of the Calibro reminds us strongly of the Honda Rebel lineup, especially with its tall fuel tank and sweeping seat design. The scooped-seat, well-blended saddlebags, and those cool-looking nine double-spoked alloy wheels add a "bold, American-inspired look", as Moto Morini states. The only bummer is that this badass-looking bagger is offered in just one shade for now—Metallic Black.

Notable Design Features

Classic round headlamp design
Nostalgia-inducing Batwing fairing
Hard saddlebags that blend well with their curvy design.
Fairly chunky rear tire dimensions add to its visual drama.
The tall fuel tank design and sweeping silhouette remind us strongly of a Honda!

Moto Morini Calibro 700 Cruiser Vs Bagger: What Are The Differences?

Moto Morini

For a starting price of $5,999, Moto Morini also sells a minimal cruiser called the Calibro 700. The Calibro 700 and the Bagger are very similar motorcycles with differences confined to touring-ready features only. Apart from flaunting a batwing fairing, standard hard saddles, a standard pillion seat and footpeg combo, and two graphic-induced colors, the barebone Calibro 700 and the Bagger are identical motorcycles.

The engine, performance, underpinnings, and even dimensions remain unchanged. Funnily, the official US website states that both have the same curb weight. We highly doubt that since those saddlebags ought to weigh a few pounds. But hey, who knows? Moto Morini might have shaved off a few pounds elsewhere.

Top 4 Most Affordable Bagger Motorcycles Compared

2025 Moto Morini Calibro Bagger burnout

Baggers are a very niche breed with most of them having a pricetag of over $10,000. In fact, only the Moto Morini Calibro 700 Bagger has an under-$10,000 price tag today. Its closest rival is the $10,359 Suzuki Boulevard C50T. It has a V-twin, lots of chrome, and what looks to be a very comfortable two-up saddle. But all of this comes at the cost of weight. The Suzuki weighs 201 pounds over the Moto Morini.

Next up is another classic-vibing bagger cruiser bike from Kawasaki. The Vulcan 900 Classic LT is basically a shinier version of the barebones Vulcan 900 Classic, complete with a standard height-adjustable tall windscreen, a passenger backrest, and leather-wrapped saddlebags. While it has a 903cc V-twin, performance is mediocre (compared to the Calibro), with just 50 horses and 58.2 pound-feet of torque, making it the least powerful bagger of this lot.

Calibro's most expensive rival has a liter-class engine that produces 86 horses. To an extent, the Honda Rebel 1100T justifies its $10,799 price tag. At 520 pounds, it is also impressively lightweight. But Moto Morini's aggressive value-for-money packaging and more storage space take the spotlight away from the Honda.