For the last 10 years, it’s been hard to tell whether MV Agusta has been making motorcycles or art projects. The Brutale and F4 series were heart-breakingly beautiful, designed by the late, great Massimo Tamburini, probably the most famous motorcycle designer of all time. Every detail was sumptuous, and peak power figures were always right up there with the best in the business. But they were expensive, they weren’t competing in World Superbike, and they were notoriously peaky, physically punishing and challenging to ride. Rarely would you see one ridden in anger – you were more likely to see them mounted and lit as lounge room ornaments.
- But a brand can’t coast forever on good looks and a racing history that ended 40 years ago. In 2014 the company re-established its racing division and went back to World Superbike competition. And with the diversification of its 800cc triple range, it feels like MV is finally ready to step down from its lofty historic throne, roll up the sleeves and get busy competing in a bunch of different segments.
At an Australian press launch event, we had a chance to take a quick ride on three of the 2015 800cc bikes: the Turismo Veloce sports-tourer, the Brutale Dragster streetfighter and its stupidly gorgeous Dragster RR big brother. What follows is a quick seat-of-the-pants impression, but we’re planning full reviews with video for the coming months.
As small as they look, they feel even more compact on board. The tiny dash and headlight simply vanish when you’re riding, giving you that wonderful magic-carpet feeling of flying through the corners as if the bike’s not there at all. This feeling is further enhanced by both bikes’ super light weight of just 167 kg (368 lb) dry, which gives them a lot of agility and makes them a ton of fun to throw around.
The engine on both bikes has a streetfighter’s attitude and loves to rev, to the point where low-end torque suffers a little. Put next to, say, Yamaha's MT-09, the Yammy feels much stronger at the bottom. You’ve even got to rev the Dragsters a bit to get them off the line. On the move, though, keep them singing and there’s plenty of excitement to be had. The throttle response is crisp and aggressive, and the standard Dragster’s 125 horsepower (93 kW) encourages full-throttle shenanigans.
The RR version is a significant upgrade. Aside from the gorgeous spoked wheels and cosmetic upgrades, it gets an extra set of injectors closer to the airbox to beef up the midrange and top end by about 15 extra horsepower. The difference is fantastic, it’s hard to go back to the standard Dragster once you’ve tasted the RR.
Making matters worse is the RR's electronic quickshifter, which is the first on a production nakedbike to "go both ways" with auto-blip downshifting as well as full-throttle upshifts. It’s awesome. Remember the first time you used a quickshifter on the road, how intoxicating those upshifts were? It’s even better with the downshifter, because if you’re riding the thing hard and revving it high, it absolutely screams as you bang it down through the gears.
The RR gets a steering damper as well, which is a welcome addition as the standard Dragster’s front end can get a little flighty on full-throttle corner exits.
In short, I knew I loved the Dragster RR before I met it, and this quick ride did little to quell my throbbing heart. But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. When I did bother to look down, I found the dash on both bikes quite busy and confusing, with too much going on. While the RR’s is nicer, both bikes have gone for a liquid crystal look that does no favours to legibility. And the wide, flat profile 200/50 rear tire is a purely cosmetic choice; it makes the back end of the Dragsters look cool, but noticeably slows down what could be a sharper steering setup. I wonder what this bike might feel like with a 190/55 on the back…
The Turismo Veloce might just be the first "grown-up" bike MV has made in a long, long time. It’s not a racer, it’s not a hooligan hellraiser, it’s a proper mile muncher with all-week comfort and all the electronic goodies. Promising “emotional touring,” it takes the 800cc triple engine in an entirely different direction from the Dragster bikes.
It’s a tall and substantial machine, about the size and weight of the Yamaha FJ-09 Tracer, but smaller and some 18 kg (40 lb) lighter than a Ducati Multistrada. Comfort-wise it gets an A provided you’re tall enough to flat-foot it. It’s got a relaxed ride position, plenty of leg room, decent pillion accommodation and a great cruise control system to spare your right wrist during transport sections. There’s also a speed limiter function to help you relax even further if you’re riding in a heavily policed area.
The engine is completely reworked for touring duties, with new pistons, crankshaft, cams and gearbox. Peak power is down to 110 horsepower (82 kW), but torque is boosted by some 15 percent through the midrange compared to the Brutale and Rivale. It feels markedly different from the Dragster; less aggressive, more calm and composed.
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