MV Agusta Brutale 800: First Ride Review

How does it ride?

Till the time you don’t rush it, which is to ride it in Normal mode, go easy on the throttle and amble around under 5,000rpm, the Brutale 800 is like a newly-wed bride; it is quiet, forgiving and very easy to get along with. It has some inherent good qualities too. It has a comfortable seating position – relatively high and wide set bars, low seat height, and footpegs that are rear set but not uncomfortably so. And because of which you never end up riding your wrists.

But, when you wind open the throttle and keep it pinned to the stops, the Brutale completely changes character. Get past 6,500rpm and it transforms into this fast, overexcited but tremendous sounding catapult. And the ferocity of the acceleration just doesn’t plateau till the limiter rudely cuts in at a little over 13,000rpm. The MV Agusta Brutale 800 uses a 798cc, inline three cylinder engine (remember Tripestoni?). The power is rated at close to 125bhp which comes in at as high as 11,500rpm. But it’s the torque that gives you that mid-range rush and all of it comes up at 8,600rpm and then stays healthy all the way to the redline. It might only be an 800cc engine but the way the performance is thrown at the rear wheel makes it quite a handful.

Thankfully for me, the Brutale has lots of electronics to keep the motorcycle-riding chimpanzees from high-siding all around the hilly countryside. But, we will get to those wired bits a little later. First, some more about the hilly countryside. The Brutale 800 might work well in the city – barring its stiff ride and an iffy throttle response, but its Italian flair really only shines through on a winding road.

It weighs less than 170kg dry and this lightness, coupled with sharp steering geometry and those sticky Pirelli Rosso rubber (120 section front and a 180 section rear) make the Brutale more of a precision, point-and-shoot tool than just a great handling bike. And I mean that in the most positive sense. The front end is sharp and lively; the chassis, communicative and adjustable when leaned over and the brakes (320mm twin discs at the front and 220mm single disc at the rear) and are simply tremendous!

It is a motorcycle both experts and enthusiasts will enjoy in equal measure.

Anything else I should know?

Yes, the electronics. The Brutale 800 has an eight-step Traction Control system; the highest, most intrusive setting really blunts this machine. Our suggestion would be to stick with three or four. It has various levels of ABS too, which we kept at full alert all the time. And then, the Brutale also comes with four riding modes: Normal (N), Rain (R), Sport (S) and Custom.

As the names suggest, Rain is the dullest, Normal slightly better, and Sport is the full-on mode. But the power output doesn’t change with the modes; it’s the torque delivery characteristic along with the throttle response that does. Surprisingly, no matter what mode I chose, I just couldn’t get rid of the choppy throttle response. Riders with better throttle control might not notice it, but for me, on an unfamiliar road, it wasn’t enjoyable. But, if I had to choose, Sport would be my default mode.

The Brutale also gets adjustable suspension (which we left in the stock factory setting throughout our ride), an extremely data-rich (read cluttered) instrumentation with shift light, and a genuine ability to haul two people. And for those who care about numbers, the Brutale 800 only takes 2.8 seconds to hit 100kmph from a standstill and has a top speed of 245kmph.

Should I buy one?

Firstly, you couldn’t even if you wanted to. This particular 2015 MV Agusta Brutale 800 won’t go on sale in India, at all. Instead what we will get – sometime in the middle of next year – is the updated 2016 model. And that bike will definitely be worth buying. Should cost around Rs 12 lakh since it will mostly come in via the SKD route expect a few enhances, new colours and new stickering as well.

Where does it fit in?

The MV Agusta Brutale 800 in principal goes up against the Kawasaki Z800 if we were to look at the genre and engine capacity. But in terms of pricing and in fact, desirability, the MV is clearly on a higher plane. You could also look at the Brutale 800 as a rival to the Triumph Speed Triple. The two bikes have inline three-cylinder engines; these will cost nearly the same; and though the Speed has a higher engine capacity and almost a 10bhp power advantage, on the road, the difference won’t be as stark as the figures suggest.

Picture credits: Atul Haldankar