2022 MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RS Revealed

‘Indifference is non-existent’ – so say’eth the press pack slogan for the latest big Brutale to roll out of MV Agusta’s Varese lake side lair. MV appears to have swiped the uber cool lifestyle tag away from Ducati in recent years. Oh, Ducati are still super cool of course, but MV have pushed hard in this exclusivity direction in recent times and continue to reap the benefits of doing so. Their various mantras, unique looking design philosophies, the classy events and other things they’re getting involved with all push their desirability factor up notch after notch. Thusly, mildly ambiguous but clever sounding slogans are all part of the crafted visage, they even have their own comic for Pete’s sake. Expect the news of a Netlfix documentary series to probably drop soon!

But they do like to make themselves at least a little accessible to those of a less weighty wallet, as they do with their 800cc Rosso range and, now, the Brutale 1000 RS. Kind of… We don’t know if there will be a Rosso version of the four-cylinder Brutale yet, so this could be the cheapest way of entering a still very exclusive club if your MV must have four cylinders. How cheap? Well, in MV parlance, cheap is a relative term of course (the RS starts at just over 25,000 Euros – gulp…). But the truth is – dunno. At least we don’t know right at this precise moment exactly how much one will be in the UK. Likely considerably less financially painful than their more exuberant versions, but still enough to make your brain bleed.

What savings have been made are mostly achieved by replacing the expensive suspension with a Sachs rear shock and Marzocchi fork, both fully adjustable. After that though, it’s mostly savings here and there because this may be the most affordable of the big Brutales so far in 2022, but the thing is still ridiculously stacked, hence it still costing a fair whack.

The 998cc engine is claimed the most powerful super-naked motor on the market (but actually around where Ducati’s Streetfighter claims to also be), and makes 208bhp at the crank.

That’s around 180bhp at the wheel, and more than enough for any naked. It also has the same titanium con-rods as the other models, and that’s pretty special. How special? Well, the price of Kawasaki’s ZX-10RR shot up over £4,000 just with the addition of similar rods. And there’s more, as not only do you still get a pukka electronic Ohlins steering damper, but the electronics suite has been improved over and above that of the big Brutales that were released earlier this year.

It shares the same new ABS as the others, but new software (which we expect to be added to those other Brutales at service) refines the effectiveness and feel of everything from the traction-control to the front-lift-control and up/down quick-shifting action. There’s also cruise-control, launch-control, GPS and Bluetooth to connect to the colour dash via a phone and the MV RIDE app.

The bars are more traditionally swept for a naked, the footpegs specifically designed for this bike, the saddle is all new and more comfortable and despite the bike not having the greatest suspension in the world the truth is, most of us would barely notice the difference day to day. Every single MV this scribe has tested since about 2010, no matter the type of bike or what suspension it bounced upon, has handled beautifully. Even when their bikes had issues before they ironed them all out, one could always count on the handling to be nigh on perfection. It won’t be any different here.

And remember, MV’s take on a super-naked is just that – super. This is basically their F4 RC superbike engine, with very few concessions to it being a naked machine made in the transition. So, expect a top-end that will your socks off! It is still extremely expensive though, we can only hope a Rosso option is on the way. Hello, MV? A Rosso Brutale 1000 RS? On the way, yeah? Hello?