Don’t think that this is just ‘another’ Brutale: the new 1078RR is very, very
different. The Italian firm has been known to release a bewildering number of Brutale variants since the first 750 was released in 2003. As well as that original 750 and the later 910, there have been ‘S’ and ‘R’ versions and commemorative bikes, like the ones to celebrate Italy winning the World Cup two years ago.
There was even the comically-named Brutale ‘Wally’, a limited-edition run of bikes named after the Monte Carlo yacht builder. The 1078RR is savagely fast with explosive power, but for the first time it’s friendly too. The suspension is now plush and dialled into the real world and the throttle response smooth.
It’s one of the best super-nakeds in the business.
Engine
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Shoehorned into the MV Agusta Brutale’s exquisitely hand-made chassis is the engine from the F4 RR312 superbike, retuned to give more mid-range thump. With a furious, rasping 154bhp pushing it along, the MV Agusta Brutale has the kind of acceleration you imagined a 500cc two-stroke GP bike would have when you were a kid. It’s impossible to get the throttle to the stop all the way through the revs in the first three gears because the MV will loop-the-loop.
With that kind of violence available at your right wrist you start to think that the name Brutale is an understatement. The MV Agusta F**king Mental would be more apt.
There’s less vibration from the new engine compared to the old 910 and 750, and the fuelling is a massive improvement, too. The improved throttle response and the more supple suspension completely transform the character from racetrack refugee to comfortable, friendly sparring partner.
Ride and Handling
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The new suspension is by far the best bit of the 1078RR and a massive U-turn from how Brutales used to be before. Gone is the old racetrack-stiff set-up, which crashed and bumped over the slightest ripple in the road, blighting the old bike and the previous F4 superbikes on anything other than the track. The supple new suspension now lets the Brutale glide serenely over road surfaces, giving a brilliantly smooth ride. Riding the MV slowly or around town is now an utterly pleasurable experience.
Thanks to an impeccable set-up by MV’s test riders, the suspension also offers lots of control when you push too, so there’s not a weave or wallow in sight when you’re riding hard, even on the magnificent Pirelli Super Corsa tyres.
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