Conclusion
These days, you really do have to ask yourself what it is you’re after when you’re choosing your next bike; realistically, there aren’t many crap ones. What we have got though are loads of options which, although on paper appear fairly similar, in the cold light day aren’t actually anything like one another. Okay, so these three are all similar capacity, three cylinder naked bikes. They have all got a wheel at either end and have a reasonable to good level of tech. But that’s where the similarity ends.
The Brutale felt the sportiest on the road by far, and one would naturally assume that this would translate well on the track, but in actual fact it’s flightiness and overall nervousness made it far too much of a handful for D angerous Bruce to set a decent pace on round C adwell P ark. It’s just as well it has looks on its side... which it most certainly does.
L ess sporty than the MV is the Y amaha. It also isn’t anywhere near as much of a head turner as the Brutale. What it is though, is £4k or so less than the MV which, looks aside, really isn’t any more of a bike than the Y am, whose vague feeling front end could, I’m sure, be cured with a bit of jiggery pokery on the suspenders. Y ou get as much tech on the MT-09 SP as you need on a bike like that, and it’s all dead simple to use, but what really lets the package down is the nonswitchable ABS (well actually just the brakes in general). But the Y amaha is still a hell of a lot of bike for the money.
Even more different still is the Triumph. And it’s difficult to fault it. With the Street Triple, you get a bike that goes fairly fast, handles fantastically, is comfortable, sounds good, looks okay and it packed with smart tech… yeah, there are a few tiny annoying bits but it ticks nearly all the boxes. For me though, the most important box is excitement. P erhaps I’m being hypercritical of what is genuinely, and definitely, a fantastic motorcycle, but I felt like everything was so polished and easy to use that it lacked a certain je ne sais quoi.
If you’re after a new naked middleweight and you want perfection in your life then the Triumph Street Triple RS has got to be the bike for you. It will do everything you want it to. If you want to save a few pennies, though, the Y amaha MT-09 SP would be a fantastic addition to your garage. It will do everything you need it to. But if you have got loads of money, and you care more about form than function, well the MV Agusta Brutale 8 00RR would definitely be the tool for you. Okay so it might not always do what you want it to or need it to but it sure as hell would keep you entertained.