BRUCE’S BLUFF…

There we were, stood next to arguably one of the sexiest bikes to grace the world of motorcycling, and all I could hear was Tim and Johnny whittling about the MV’s comfort.

Granted, it is something of a torture device, pushing your knees into your throat and with bars so low it feels like they’re scraping along the floor… but that’s not the point. This thing is a stunner, spec’d to highheaven with enough pedigree, performance and trick bits to make a typical sportsbike look like a toddler’s tricycle.

I didn’t care how much it wanted to hurt me… I was in love with the thing, and so too seemed everyone else. When we took the bikes to Spilsby bike night, the MV was getting all of the attention, and deservedly so. Okay, some of its features look a little dated by today’s standards, the dash being the biggest sinner in the bike’s make-up, but at the time of its release the machine was as cutting edge as could be, stacked full of saucy styling cues and producing more BHP than pretty much anything else on the market.

On paper, it claims more ponies that a lot of contemporary litre bikes too, but what the figures fail to tell you is the power is largely inaccessible on the road, being so high up in the rev range that you’re left wondering whether Christmas will arrive sooner than the in line four’s breathtaking deliverance.

There’s no two ways about it, the MV’s engine is something very special, backed up by decent fuelling and a gearbox that offers no qualms, but the package is wasted on the road, where you’ll typically blast around 4000rpm lower than threshold crested to access the very best of the bike.

In the lower revs, the RR is found wanting, lacking anything like the torque of the BMW, let alone the rampant Ducati. But what it has over the others on the road is extremely lithe handling. I couldn’t believe how quickly the MV could switch directions, offering a firm feel through the bike’s front tyre, that clearly gets much more of the weight bias than the rear. If anything, it’s a little too weighted, because on occasion on the roads, the front tyre got a little skittish over bumps. But who amongst us is perfect?

Riding around on the MV makes for a special experience, backed up by a head-turning soundtrack for good measure. On the street, the brakes were half decent and the Öhlins electronic suspension surprised me with its finesse and ability to tackle what the road threw at it. For such a focused machine, it was quite good fun to blast around on.

Surely, this bike’s happy place would be the track, though, and having bagged three days on the road, we eventually got to take the bike around Cadwell and stretch its legs. The motor, unleashed, was something of a treat, screaming its way up to speed with a vengeance. It was an absolute gem, aided by the crisp fuelling and its track inclined chassis. It was so easy to throw around and relatively stable too, but before long I had the Öhlins forks running right at the bottom of their stroke, which, quite simply, was sketchy. I’m not known for being smart, and my inability to fathom and better the electronic setup via the bike’s hair-pulling switches (on-screen and handlebar) meant I had to ride around in Sport mode, limited by the lack of compression support on tap.

The slightly soft setup also prompted other issues, such as when braking hard down into Mansfield, with the rear wheel lifting and skipping as the harsh slipper clutch did very little to match the engine and rear wheel speed. Quite often, I had to release the clutch to bridge the speed gaps manually, which inevitably cost me in time and confidence. At least the brakes felt decent, especially so with the ABS switched off, and while the quickshifter lagged a bit, I was pleased by its presence and gutted there was no blipped to back it up. As cramped as the bike felt on the road, it was perfect on track, with loads of ground clearanceg.

Ultimately, the MV put a smile on my face. There were some bits I wasn’t keen on, but the core of the bike won me over. It might not have been the most clinical bike I’ve ever ridden, but it sure was memorable. Did I mention that it’s stunning?