BEYOND THE HYPE

The bits that actually make a difference

It has over 200bhp but there’s not enough grunt

MV’S radial-valve F41000 engine dates all the way back to the ’98 F4 750 — originally designed for a Ferrari’s ill-fated motorcycle project (hence the ‘F’). Crammed with new low-friction parts, valve guides, cams, piston rings, crank, airbox, intakes and ECU, it makes a wild 205bhp at the crank but with all its power squeezed up top, there isn’t much left low-down for the road.

Aero is more for the track than road

Faired-in side-pods mimic current Motogp bikes’ rather than the blade-type wings on Ducati’s Streetfighter and Panigale V4S. The downforce helps keep the front end planted at high speed, useful on powerful nakeds that get ‘floaty’ the faster you go. The Brutale is stable but whether it would be anyway is worth an investigation.

Colour display is pure Italian decadence

A multi-function 5in TFT colour display could easily take pride of place in an OTT Italian supercar with its computer graphics and layers of menus, functions and rider modes, all controlled by the switchgear. There’s a lot going on but the useful stuff is easy to read at a glance though it’s let down by dull, tricky-to-decipher warning lights.