MV GEARS UP FOR MAJOR CHANGES
Boss promises innovative new 800 is on its way
V Agusta boss Giovanni Castiglioni has revealed the firm will unveil a new version of the Turismo Veloce 800 shortly. He gave away precious little details other than that it will have an ‘innovative clutch system’. So what can we expect?
The current Turismo has a slipper clutch, so it’s possible MV will just add a slip-andassist clutch, which controls engine braking better. And it increases the clamping of the clutch plates under load,
Mallowing lighter clutch springs and a lighter lever feel. That’s not very MV though and it’s thought they are looking at another option. An autoclutch, made by Rekluse, could come as standard on the new MV. The clutch lever remains, so you still have fine control, but you don’t need it to start and stop. It engages and disengages automatically with the increase and decrease in revs. These systems make stalling virtually impossible and could make two-up town-centre wobbles a thing of the past. We also expect an engine revamp with an increase in power. Electronically, the current model was well ahead of the pack when it was first launched in 2015 but the others have caught up, so MV wants to move things on again. The current bike also has Bosch’s ABS 9★ system, which is ABS with rear wheel lift control but it’s not lean sensitive, so we expect MV to add cornering ABS to the updated model.
The current model also has a full-colour TFT dash and Bluetooth connectivity, but we expect MV will join KTM and BMW by offering maps via a sat-nav in the dash.
One thing we don’t think will have changed will be the price. It’s expected to remain at around £16,000 and to be on sale before the end of 2018.
We expect the new model to get an extra 15bhp