In the earlier eighties, Morini and Valentini (famous Morini dealer) worked together to prepare bikes for some desert rides after Valentini’s son Massimiliano won the six days of Elba.. Specifically, in 1980, during the TransAfrica adventure where 3 stock Morinis  raced, 2 among the 6 bikes which completed the race were Camels. Morini also participated at the Dakar  and Massimiliano ended 4th after few Yamaha xt 500 and a Montesa. Lack of money and serious interest by Morini in the  Dakar made the end of the Morini attempt to conquer the podium. There were also some privateers that participated in other races during the 80s but only with discrete success.

 

A little bit of old dakar and other pertinent pics and articles

 

MORINI CAMEL VALENTINI

Moto Morini 500 Camel MK1

Year

1981

Engine

Air cooled, four stroke, 72° V Twin, belt driven single cam operating pushrod 2 valve per cylinder

Capacity

478 cc Bore x Stroke 69 x 64.2 mm Compression Ratio 11.2:1

Induction

2x Dell’Orto VHBH 26BS carb

Ignition  /  Starting

Electronic  /  kick start

Max Power

39 hp @ 7400 rpm

Max Torque

 

Transmission  /  Drive

6 Speed  /  chain

Front Suspension

Telehydraulic marzocchi Piffero forks

Rear Suspension

Swing arm wit adjustable marzocchi shock absorbers

Front Brakes

140mm drum

Rear Brakes

140mm drum

Front Tire

3.00-21

Rear Tire

4.00-18

Dry-Weight

137 kg

Fuel Capacity

15 Litres Like the Kanguro, the Camel boasts equal agility on the street and in the dirt. A spinoff of the 500 Special, the Camel has a less radical camshaft and smoother power delivery. However, unlike the Kanguro, the Camel utilizes twin-shock rear suspension. Up front, the Camel sports a large 40mm magnesium Marzocchi fork and single brake disc. With a claimed dry weight of just over 300 pounds, the Camel weighs about the same as Honda’s successful XL600R.