Update: Here’s the review, which was written for Cycle News!
Yours truly is en route to the MV Agusta headquarters in Varese, Italy to try out their newest object of desire – the Brutale 800 RR. Styling-wise, the back half of this motorcycle makes me tingle. With that said, I’m indifferent about the front. I know MV has a reputation for building some of the most beautiful bikes available but the front of the Brutale seems a little bland.
That’s not important at the moment. The base Brutale (it’s tough to call it a “base” model) has been updated for Euro 4 and with that comes some noise and emissions related changes that add a significant 15 pounds to the weight. Total weight is now 386 pounds, which is still impressive. The RR gets a tremendous power bump from 110 horsepower to 140, which is a lovely output number from a 800cc motor. I had fun on the 75 horsepower/403 pound Yamaha MT-07, so I’m more than excited to sample the MV’s smile-inducing power to weight ratio.
I’ve always found MV’s choice to have a premium model in the 800cc class to be interesting because there really isn’t anything else like it. Ducati’s got the Monster 821 but that makes “just” 109 horsepower. The 800 RR makes more power and weighs less than the Ducati 899 Panigale! It’s got a technology package that includes a bi-directional quickshifter as well as the usual ride by wire/traction control/ABS that you’d expect. Compared to everything else with a similar displacement, the MV is extreme…and that also is reflected in the price of (I’ll give you a minute to take a breath) $18,198.
Thanks to a terrible dealer network, these are difficult bikes to try out. So click here for what MV has to say about the Brutale RR, and let me know what you want to learn about it!