For years, EICMA’s had a contest for the most beautiful bike at the show, and for those same years Italian locals have ruined it by only voting for whatever Ducati or MV Agusta have made. So it should be no surprise that this year, this award went to the MV Agusta Superveloce Ago. My sass aside, the only good news from this press release is that I learned the Moto Morini X-Cape exists, even if it won’t be sold in the US.
It’s a Chinese-built 650cc dual-sport that puts out a pretty underwhelming 60 hp. Looks interesting, though.
Think I’m overreacting (which I am, this is all in good fun)? Here’s the most recent winners:
2021: MV Agusta Superveloce Ago, duh.
2020: The show was cancelled, so no lies could be perpetrated.
2019: Ducati Streetfighter V4. This one’s the most egregious to me – am I the only person who thinks the new Streetfighter looks absolutely horrible? Meanwhile, this show was also the debut for the Ducati Scrambler Desert X, Husqvarna Norden 901, and Aprilia RS 660, among others. There’s no way the Streetfighter should have won this.
2018: MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro
2017: Ducati Panigale V4
2016: Ducati SuperSport
2015: Ducati xDiavel
2014: Ducati Scrambler
2013: Ducati Monster 1200S
2012: MV Agusta Rivale 800
2011: Ducati 1199 Panigale
2010: MV Agusta F3
I got bored after this, but Italian bikes have won every single year going back to 2005, when the Italian magazine Motociclismo created the award in conjunction with EICMA. Not just Italian bikes, but only Ducatis and MV Agustas. In other words, it’s a totally nonsense award.
If you’re curious, the top three finishers this year were:
MV Agusta Superveloce Ago: 47.2% of votes (12,567 attendees)
Aprilia Tuareg 660: 19%
Moto Morini X-Cape 7.9%
The Tuareg with a fool on it. Did you see my First Ride Review?
If you love the AGO as much as the Italians do, you should talk to your local dealer as just 311 will be built (the number of Agostini’s career wins) – but you’ll be trying to figure out how to take someone else off the list as it’s already been sold out. The first fifteen are dedicated to his world championships and come with a carbon fiber plaque that commemorates the year of each title, they’re also signed by Agostini himself. Thankfully, it’s not just cosmetic changes – the AGO comes with Ohlins suspension, carbon fiber bodywork, unique wheels, and an Alcantara seat. I think the Superveloce is a good looking bike, though a.) it’s been around for a couple of years and b.) I don’t think the cosmetic changes implemented for the AGO work well on the existing design.
UPDATE: I later realized I should probably share more photos of the AGO so you can decide for yourself (or click here to see a 360 degree view):
I love the Superveloce’s tail.
It should be noted that Ducati (as well as BMW, Triumph, Harley-Davidson, Indian, and KTM) did not attend the show this year, which presumably helped MV take this year’s crown. Maybe that’s the takeaway from this year – it’s not that the Superveloce didn’t deserve the award, it’s that barely any one showed up to compete. That’s a story for another day, but I suspect shows like EICMA are on their way out…