New Updated MV Agusta Brutale 800!

A few years ago now, MV Agusta finally hit the perfect sweet spot with its midrange naked sports lineup. The three-cylinder Brutale and Dragster duo were a huge hit, so big relative to their size as a manufacturer in fact, that it almost toppled them. Which may sound counter-intuitive, but the truth is the success and sudden demand for way more bikes than they’d ever sold before over stretched them to near breaking point.

Cue another refresh in operations and financial support, plus a more focussed goal of simply achieving what they can achieve but to maximum effect, and the company began to fight back. Around the same time, the 800cc triple range had its biggest overhaul yet and with that came a level of normalcy and usability never attained before by MV. The riding experience was now as slick as the looks but, crucially, without losing any of the sports cutting edge, or attitude, that had made the range so popular in the first place.

And now for 2021 we have the latest updates, so let’s look at the Brutale first. With the last redesign such a solid starting point, nipping, tucking and tweaking is all the 798cc triple engine needed to keep it in the game. New internal coatings, injectors and valve-guides, plus a redesigned exhaust and ECU running the show completes things on the engine side of things. The RR and RR SCS versions both claim 140bhp and 87Nm of torque, while the vanilla Rosso variant boasts a more modest 112bhp, although still whacks out 85Nm of premium Italian gut wrench.

A very cool LCD dash adorns all three, while there have been a few little chassis updates too, mainly increasing stiffness, but also refining the base settings of the suspension to compliment a new rear shock link.

The big news is a box fresh electronics system featuring new and improved family favourites such as traction-control and anti-wheelie, or ‘front lift control’ in this case, along with the usual rider modes and engine brake control options. They also now sport cornering ABS, and a new launch-control button resides on the switch-gear, rather than having to crawl through various menus to activate, which is probably what puts off most people from bothering with them very often – so, a nice touch.

For anyone wondering what the ‘SCS’ thing is all about, that version in layman terms means you never have to use the clutch. Ever. And you know what? It works, and works really well. So think big, sexy looking, amazing sounding crazy fast scooter and you’re somewhere in the right ballpark for the Smart Clutch System option. Okay, one where you still have to change gears yourself, but you get the idea. You can also just ride it normally if you so wish, too.
Despite the new shoes and trinkets, the best part of any MV triple remains the counter-rotating crank, still the only one in class at the moment. It delivers a feeling at the throttle very different to all others, almost like the crank is made from air and that missing inertia ‘normal’ rotating cranks generate, which most would never really notice very often before, is now stark in its absence, especially in corner entry. It’s one of the most important aspects of the Brutale that contributes to its overall essence, one you’ll never see or, for the most part, actually feel much, either.

All three stunning versions will be available soon.