Test ride review: The manic and wild MV Agusta Brutale 800 RR
The Brutale 800 RR
It’s every lad’s dream to sample a little exotica every now and again, so there was no need to think twice when the chance came to head out to Italy for a joyride on MV’s 2018 Brutale 800 RR. Feasting my eyes on the beaut as it basked in the clinical light of the MV Agusta factory, I was liking every inch of what lay before me. It was a vision of something that had taken three years in the making, being both a generally improved product compared to its predecessor, but also one that made the grade of Euro 4 bureaucracy.
Words by Ben Miller
Images by MV Agusta
Bad news for the ugly ducklings out there – first impressions are largely based on appearance, with three fifths of us average folk forming our opinion within the first five seconds of seeing what’s put before us. Good news for the Brutale though, with its avant-garde lines, angles in all the right places and a general feel of compactness. Featuring MV’s iconic ‘organ pipe’ silencers, an unusual aperture through the seat unit and rear foot pegs that are moulded from the rider’s pegs, allowing a clean, clutter-free rear end. It’s all topped off with some sexed up, diamond cut ally rims (which also offer a collective, unsprung weight saving of 800g – not to be sniffed at). All of these points are further complemented by some extreme – albeit tasteful – graphics. Available in either pearl ice white/metallic carbon black or pearl shock red/metallic carbon black. Personally if I were about to part with my dosh then I’d be swaying towards ice white, which also comes with a pimped red tubular section frame.
It’s clear that we’re currently experiencing a technological revolution, not just in terms of motorcycling but in all areas of our day-to-day lives. It’s something that we come to expect, and love it or hate it, this wonderful world of wizardry is a rapidly advancing area of allure for many seeking to either become the next Marc Márquez (dream on lads) or simply to help alleviate the prospect of an accident when you decide that you’re going to run out of talent.
The new Brutale 800 RR packs in a lot of tech
The new Brutale 800 RR certainly isn’t shy on the techno front, sporting a whole plethora of rider aids and features such as the MVICS 2.0 (Motor & Vehicle Integral Control System) which offers eight stage traction control – with the highest value being the most intrusive. There’s three preset riding maps: Rain, Normal and Sport, along with the ability to create a ‘Custom’ map, allowing you to adjust gas sensitivity, max engine torque, engine brake, engine response and the rpm limiter to suit. There’s also the MV EAS 2.0 electronically assisted shift for clutchless up and down shifts with an obligatory autoblipper and integrated slipper system. Toying with the switchgear to toggle through the riding modes (adjustable on the fly – although to disengage/engage the ABS you have to be stationary, which was just as well with the button being positioned awkwardly on the throttle hand) has you squinting at the old school LCD dash that feels a generation out of date. Comparing it to the likes of the TFT instrumentation sported by Triumph’s Street, I can’t help but wonder how a feature like this on a ‘super premium’ motorcycle can go overlooked while everything else has been so carefully considered. I think it’s fair to say that for anyone considering parting with `12.6 lakh – yes, even I had to double check it – of hard earned dough, they have every right to expect a fancy, all-singing-all-dancing TFT jobbie.
Coppin’ a feel
Sitting on the bike for the first time with its beautifully stitched saddle, I was instantly surprised that the relatively tall seat height of 830mm didn’t feel so lofty as my 5ft 9in frame still meant I could comfortably plant both feet on terra firma, probably aided by the skinniness of the narrow saddle.
Being a sucker for sweet triple tunes, upon thumbing the starter I was left a little gutted on hearing the Euro 4 castrated soundtrack on tap – although it’s nothing that a pipe swap wouldn’t sort out; the SC Project ’zorst on the RC that sat pretty in the factory would be the natural choice. Pulling away, the hydraulically actuated clutch provided a grateful sense of ease and paired with MV’s newly developed ride-by-wire system with improved algorithms made the mooch to the factory gates feel effortlessly smooth. I couldn’t wait to cut loose the 140 ponies that this 798cc lump holds braggin’ rights to. Headed for a lap of Lago Verbàno (or Lake Maggiore to you and I), I was beginning to get a sense of what this bike had to offer.
It wasn’t long before we found ourselves carving up some sweet undulating and winding mountain roads that run the perimeter of the lake and had me brushing the armco and rubbing shoulders with an Audi Q7 (don’t try that one at home, lads) in pursuit of the perfect line. It’s in this environment that the bike begins to come into its own. Start to tap it on and you’re instantly rewarded with an addictive note emanating from the triple ‘organ pipe’ exhaust that persuades you to chase a few hundred extra revs – even if it is to the detriment of the sweet spot.
Gearbox and chassis
Working the gearbox, complete with clutchless up and down shifts, I found myself unnecessarily exercising the cogs just to appreciate the rasp that the auto blipper churned out on each downshift. Having heard the odd grumble about MV’s ’boxes in the past being far from slick, the boys at the factory seem to have come up trumps with this example which gave me no grief at all. The same could be said for the bike’s chassis, which felt beautifully balanced with its Marzocchi pogos supporting the sharp end of things, with adjustment on tap for finer tuning;
the Sachs rear shock being equally as customisable. For my 11 stone frame, I found the spring rates and damping pretty much bob-on, inspiring me to tear up the fast flowing sections around Maggiore. The counter-rotating crankshaft, which helps to counteract the gyroscopic effect of both the wheels and the engine spinning in the same direction, consequently made the RR eager to cut like a hot knife through butter.
The ride
From the point of tipping in, to chasing the apex and requesting rapid changes of direction, the Brutale 800 RR offers the sort of pinpoint accuracy that I experienced during my days racing a TZ 250. With the big guns in MotoGP also running their engines backwards, it’s no gimmick; this technology is proven to work and can be transferred between both track and road. More agility can sometimes compromise stability but it’s not the case here as the chassis has been blessed with some improvements in geometry, with an increased wheelbase along with altered rake and trail angles, all of which are complemented by the welcome addition of a new, manually adjustable steering damper that offers eight levels of stiffness to keep things in check – don’t tell the missus lads, she’ll only want one. New engine mounts also improve things further by acting as a stress member, considerably improving torsional rigidity.
Our route offered more than just jaw-dropping views but also more hairpins than you can shake a stick at and provided a perfect opportunity to burn some brakes. Up front the twin four-pot Brembo calipers, paired with a Nissin master cylinder, gave a positive and progressive bite on the 320mm steel discs, but if I’m being super critical (purely as there’s very little to pick fault with), then I’d say that they lack the initial bite of a pair of M50s. On a brighter note, I had nothing but praise for the Brutale 800 RR’s choice of footwear; Pirelli Diablo Rosso IIIs, which handled well, warmed up quickly, offered positive feedback and felt to me to be a natural choice of road tyre for this bike.
Although I found the throttle response to be near perfect, I found that when asking for a fistful of throttle at very low revs – mainly exposed when wanting to fire hard out of tight first gear hairpins, I found it hesitated and at first I thought it was the traction control hampering my fun, however I was quick to rule that one out. Over our 225km jaunt, it was only this very specific area of fuelling that I found could do with improving. I only wish that we’d had the opportunity to unleash the Brutale 800 RR on the track as I believe it would be a proper tool.
140bhp and 87Nm
Now most naked bikes on the market are running detuned engines from their fully faired derivatives, but not this baby. Producing a whopping 40% more power than its Rs 1.4 lakh cheaper entry level sibling, pumping out 140bhp at 12,300rpm, along with a max torque of 87Nm made at 10,100rpm compared to 109bhp at 11,500rpm and 83Nm at 7,600 respectively, the RR certainly punches well above its weight. The motor is an absolute peach, and it’s this that gives it the legs to set it apart from its middleweight competition, using its muscle to propel it firmly into the realms of shaking up the super naked sector.
The new Brutale 800 RR has certainly reached a new pinnacle of technical development and performance. With its aggressive, yet beautiful and carefully considered design, its athletic chassis and stunningly poky triple lump together with a gearbox slicker than Harry Hill’s head, it’s fair to say that it provided me with a more memorable and adrenaline fuelled ride than any of its middleweight rivals.
Price and rivals
With a price tag of Rs 12.6 lakh, the Brutale 800 RR would certainly make a heavy impression on your wallet, compared to its more price conscious rivals with Triumph’s Street Triple RS setting you back Rs 9.39 lakh, while Yamaha’s MT-09 SP is an enticing Rs 8.36 lakh and KTM’s new 790 Duke pitches in at Rs 7.89 lakh. Are you familiar with the phrase, ‘you get what you pay for’? If so, ’nuff said. If MV had adorned this rippa with the TFT dash it so deserves (and needs) then I’d say it warrants every penny of its premium price tag.
