First Ride – 2016 MV Agusta Brutale 800
You ready for the MV Agusta Brutale 800 First Ride Review? This is gonna be a good one.
There are a lot of crazy things we motorcycle journalists do to report a story and give you the news. Attending a press launch on the other side of the planet for one day is just part of the job description. We spend nearly the same amount of time in the air as on the ground. It’s a tough racket but we get to play with bikes and tell you about it so I’m not complaining. Im really not complaining, though the jet lag is a bitch.
I’m currently writing part of this article from seat 14c in economy class somewhere over the Atlantic. I lucked out and my tall ass got a full row to myself for the long portion of the trip. Our destination for the MV Agusta Brutale 800 World Press Launch is being held in the lovely city of Marbella, Spain right along the Mediterranean Sea. I’m killing the 15 hour flight with movies, countless cups of really good in-flight coffee, and reading up on the little Italian motorcycle company. I’ll admit I know very little about MV Agusta other than it’s been bought and sold a number of times in my lifetime and they make some super boutique bikes.
Amongst the many middleweight naked bikes, MV Agusta is a relatively exotic Italian brand that is most often compared to Ducati but the majority of the company remains privately owned and is no where near as massive. MV Agusta’s popularity in the United States is not quite as developed as its Italian cousin due to a lack of dealer network and low unit sales. Last year alone, MV Agusta’s CEO Giovanni Castiglioni told me they only sold around 1000 units in the U.S. Further inquiry led them to express that they seek to change this in the coming years as they have partnered with Mercedes Benz’ AMG division and received a sizable financial investment from an Italian financial group in 2015.
MV Agusta is banking that it will help them increase brand awareness, overall sales, and the ability to expand their reach more into the United States. Sean MacDonald over at Lanesplitter reported on this issue in early and mid-2015 when he worked at Revzilla. Including the some of the info above, he expressed confidence in MV Agusta’s U.S. subsidiary attaining this goal when they hired a new leadership team including CEO Helen Vasilevski, a woman with the experience and a proven track record for producing results within the motorcycle and other big business industries. You can read his article here.
Since its introduction in 2012, the Brutale 800 was plagued with ride-by-wire power delivery issues, issues that journalists and riders were quite vocal about. Many complained that throttle response and fuel injection was jerky and unrefined, ergonomics were a bit unpleasant and to ride the bike well, you needed to be a seasoned rider capable of handling the Brutale. It was not made for the novice rider.
MV claims that the 2016 Brutale 800 is the solution to those aforementioned issues. “We have redesigned this entire bike from the ground up to make it more accessible to newer riders while retaining the same sense of character and excitement for seasoned riders,” said Brian Gillen, MV Agusta’s Director of Technical Development and R&D. “We’ve reworked the chassis, electronics package, and engine to provide all riders with one amazing motorcycle.”
What’s New About the Brutale 800
Before we get to my ride, let’s take a moment to talk about the new design and features present on the 2016 Brutale 800. Full spec sheet is located at the end of the article for you tech nerds.
The list of improvements is not short. MV really did re-engineer almost everything on this bike.
The chassis continues to retain the signature MV Agusta styling but the front section is now made with ALS steel tubing and aluminum alloy side plates adding to increased stability and handling. The wheelbase has been extended 20mm (a total of 1400mm), trail has been extended to 103.5 instead of 95mm on previous models, and the head rake has been adjusted to 24.5 degrees, thus adding to the Brutale 800’s ability to remain firmly planted and nimble.
The suspension has been developed to provide the best balance between performance and comfort. In the back is a single Sachs shock absorber and the front relies on a 43mm Marzocchi upside down aluminum fork with 125mm of travel. Both units can be adjusted for compression, rebound and preload.
Braking is achieved with Brembo 320mm dual discs with four-caliper floating discs in the front and a single two-caliper 220mm disc at the rear. Braking systems also in incorporate a Bosch 9 Plus ABS system.
The engine has been completely overhauled as well. It includes new cam profiles and timing, new pistons and an entirely new intake and exhaust system to comply with new Euro 4 standards. The new improvements allow for a 25% increase in maximum torque. Maximum horsepower is rated at 116 HP at 11,500 RPM.
Though it produces less power than the previous model year, refinement everywhere else may make up for the drop. I personally don’t care about overall power, I care about how the package delivers an excellent experience. Much of this experience comes from how all the power is delivered. Throttle inputs are managed by the new MVICS Ride-by-Wire throttle management system, hydraucially assisted slipper clutch and EAS 2.0 Up & Down quick shifter.
The electronics package also features 3 ride modes (Rain, Normal/Touring and Sport), 1 custom setting with increased options, 8 levels of traction control and switchable ABS. The Brutale 800 also incorporates a counter rotational MotoGP derived crankshaft (first introduced on the F3 675) which contributes to decreasing inertia and allowing for faster directional changes.
The Ride
In all fairness, this will be my first time on the Brutale 800 or any MV Agusta for that matter so I cannot compare the 2016 model to its predesseors.
I do have a solid amount of saddle time with all the major players in this category, the Street Triple R, FZ-09, Z800 and Ducati Monster 821, so the bar is gonna be set pretty high for the Brutale 800 as far as first impressions go.
Our day begins at the lovely Villa Padierna resort in the heart of Marbella. Our route will take us along the main highway and up the winding roads to the picturesque town of Ronda where we’ll enjoy a quick coffee and loop back.
Physically this bike oozes sex appeal and I would expect nothing less from the Italians. The design lines and aggressive nature are said to mimic a closed fist but I see so much more and it’s beauty is evident from every angle. Straight on, the Brutale looks like disco passionate dragon ready to feast on the meat and bones of its crisped victim.
Directly from the front, it’s poised and streamlined, the newly designed headlamp with LED integration is retro, yet futuristic. Those slash cut triple exhaust pipes are a gift to the eyes, the trellis frame is lovely, the angular tank add loads of appeal, and slim saddle with negative space underneath just add to the overall level of style and class. And oh my god, that tucked away tail light, damn.
This bike is svelte, sexy and delightful to behold. I’m not going to lie, the Brutale 800 makes me horny. Remember the story about the guy that tried to sue BMW because he claimed his bike gave him a perpetual erection for a year? Well he would have died from that erection just from looking at this motorcycle. This new Brutale 800 is simply stunning.
Jumping onto the Brutale 800 one thing is clearly evident, this bike fits me. At 6’5″, most bikes are not built to accommodate a man of my size but the Brutale 800 fits me the best of any naked bike on which I have ever sat. Whether you are 5’8” or 6’5”, the Brutale 800 nails it in fitment.
Being 20mm narrower due to its new design, it feels remarkably closer to a Supermoto than a fairing-less sportbike. The upright handlebars are easy to reach and provide a harmonious blend of standard and aggressive positioning. Clutch, brake, and controls, everything else in between are in a good position and are comfortable to access. I had no issues managing or switching between engine map modes at a stop or on the fly when riding.
As we set out, the first leg of our ride took us through the urban center of Marbella, through a number of roundabouts, and along the highway. From stop-to-go, the Brutale 800 remains a bit twitchy on the throttle and there is a lack of feedback at low speeds but that all changed once I acclimated to the bike’s inputs.
On-ramp to the highway, bang! The Brutale 800 has some zest and gets up to speed in no time at all. This engine has character and retains a voracious grumble which also means it’s bit buzzy at highway speeds no matter what gear is selected. However, I’m not sure how much that will matter because that’s not why you’re going to buy a Brutale 800.
You buy it to do what I’m about to do. Get totally fucking moto loco along twisty roads or go balls out on a race track. That’s where everything about this bike shines and I was totally unprepared for the marvel that was about to cast its light upon me.
For those that do not know this road, it has a lot of sweeping corners and not a lot of tight technical turns. It makes for a relatively fast ride and it is definitely possible get a knee down in some sections. I accidentally took a left hander aggressively and tore my Rev’it jeans. Oops. Luckily I had my CE armor knee pads in the pockets.
I’m not the fastest guy and if anything, I’ve slowed down in the past year to really focus on my fundamentals to become a better rider but there is really something to be said when Italian World Superbike racer and factory test rider Frederico Sandi leads the pack toward the end of the day at a spirited pace and I’m capable of staying on his ass the entire way. I was never past my own limit—Frederico was only at about 30% of his—but a lot of my ability to keep up that pace had to do with how comfortable I had become on the Brutale 800 toward the end of the ride.
I lived in 3rd and 4th gear for the majority of the time, 2nd gear remained usable on the few tight sections, and I punched into 5th and 6th along some straights. Speed limit laws were easily broken and more than a wheelie or two had but what is fantastic about the new Brutalle 800 is MV has broadened the power delivery in the middle of the rev range where most riders ride and this makes the bike incredibly friendly yet zesty to pilot. The new fuel injection algorithms have smoothed out power delivery and the jerkiness and lag reported in the past models are gone. As a newbie to the brand, some of the other journalists I rode with confirmed the improvements. The new system provides generous power and torque between 6000 and 12000 RPM and it is simply there when you want it with just the right dose.
Braking was also incredibly forgiving. The group came around a corner where we needed to apply braking to avoid running into a car and in that instance the brakes provided just the right amount of feedback and control when leaned over and pulling the bike up to a more upright position. Later in the day, I performed a few panic brake procedures just to test out the ABS and found the system to be very very good.
The two most impressive features I came to enjoy on the new Brutale 800 was the hydraulically assisted slipper clutch, EAS 2.0 quick shifter, and the Pirelli Diablo Sport Rosso III tires. Three things you won’t find stock on any other motorcycle in this class. Not once in the canyons did I pull the clutch lever except to remind myself that it was there. Shifting was effortless and spot on. The Brutale 800 did a fantastic job at matching engine speeds and rear wheel rotation on aggressive downshifts. Never once did I miss an upshift or experience rear wheel hop when downshifting into a corner. The Brutale 800 was simply sublime. Bravo MV, bravo.
As for the new rubber, the Pirelli Diablo Sport Rosso III’s, holy fuck balls. Sticky, sticky, sticky, grabby, grabby grabby. The feedback and grip allowed me to push harder and faster than I had previously thought possible once I became familiar with the bike. Simply wow. The Brutale 800 is the first production motorcycle to feature this rubber. MV execs said their decision to utilize these tires are due to their high-performance ability in dry conditions but also their ability to retain grip in the wet.
The majority of my time in the saddle my traction control setting stayed at level 4, ABS stayed on and I jumped back and forth between Sport and Touring / Normal mode. As much as I wanted to fiddle with all the options, especially the increased options in the custom map, I wanted to focus on riding the hell out of this bike. I’ll get into all the guts with a long term loan. Traction control engaged only once when we were all capturing our press photos along a wet and tight corner. It seems this was the only time any of us discovered the activation of traction control. With a back end stepping out just a hair I could feel it engage and diminish power only to regain traction within a fraction of a second. It worked very well.
One journalist in our group even joked, “Wouldn’t that be such an ego bruise to lay this bike down at 10 mph after hitting the back roads at the speeds we were going.” All I could do was smirk.
Areas for Improvement:
I have to reach deep into my pockets to find something to complain about regarding the Brutale 800 bike. If I had to nitpick, my complaints would be as follows:
The saddle is too firm and could use a little more cushioning.
The engine buzz at highway speed can and will get annoying after 30-45 minutes in the saddle.
I don’t like digital tachometers but I say that all the time.
I would have enjoyed the addition of a programable shift light.
Pricing:
Pricing for the 2016 MV Agusta Brutale 800 is expected to be $13,499 and is available in three colors: Ice Pearl White / Matte White Metallic, Red / Matte Silver, and Black Matte Metallic / Matte Silver.
First Impression Conclusion:
I can say, without any equivocation, for the day I spent riding the new 2016 MV Agusta Brutale 800 that this is one mind-blowing good motorcycle. It was so good that I have had dreams about it for the last three days and that rarely happens.
I cannot wait to get more time with this bike as my lust for it remains.
I will even go a step further and say that the 2016 MV Agusta Brutale 800 has intermittently dethroned the Triumph Street Triple R as my favorite naked middleweight. And with the Brutale 675 coming out in April of this year, I am even more excited to see what MV brings to the table.
Of all the naked bikes I have been on, the MV Agusta Brutale 800 fits me the best. I also think it looks marvelous, it excudes a palpable character when in the cockpit and the handling characteristics are magnificent. I also enjoyed the multitude of options offered with the new electronics package (all of which work very well).
Every single time we stopped to regroup there was a smile on my face followed by a “WhooHoo!” That’s how a motorcycle should make you feel. That’s why we ride, to experience moments of voracious love and excitement. The Brutale 800 delivered all of that in spades.
If I had to pick one naked bike to have in my garage, I would put my money down in a heartbeat to have this new Brutale 800. I do hope MV succeeds in expanding their dealer network in the United States in the coming years and making service and availability of their bikes more accessible to interested motorcyclists.
Lastly if there was one phrase I would use to describe this bike it would be, “A work of visual art that is refined, yet enthralling to ride and exudes character like no other naked bike on the market today.”
MV Agusta succeeded in putting their money where their mouth is with the 2016 Brutale 800. Kudos guys, you have succeeded in gaining this journalist’s undivided attention and appreciation for your motorcycles.
Photos and Video footage curtesy of Gigi Soldano and MV Agusta.
Additional Research Sources:
http://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/mv-agusta-gets-double-infusion-of-cash
