NICE & NAKED
Worse still, it’s non-adjustable. I’ve done a few trackdays on the bike and it works nicely on smooth surfaces, pitching into corners without much effort and holding a good line. But it’s like a wild bull on the roads when you get hitting a few potholes. It’s a shaky ride, and it feels like the rear squats under load and the front goes light.
It’s not the most powerful of bikes, but it’s punchy enough to fuel a few tank slappers, which are never all that drastic, but you have to be ready for them. Even hitting a cat’s eye is enough to kick one off. That’s where the tech can help a bit. Maybe it’s a tad overkill to have eight levels of traction and four rider modes (Rain, Normal, Sport, Custom) on a middleweight naked, but hey, I’m not complaining. The traction system’s a little much if you’ve got it on one of the higher settings, but I’ve found levels one and two pretty decent for road riding, though I always keep the power in its most potent setting. It’s pretty easy to alter the settings, but I can’t be arsed to keep going into menus and changing things all the time. That said, I do make the most of the switchable ABS. The system works well on the road, but I’d recommend it switched off on track.
I’ve considered changing the stock cans a few times, but I like the look of them too much to bin them off. They give the bike its signature look, and shout out that it’s a triple. You could probably find a bit more power and a slightly nicer tone from a race can, but these work for me; the noise is deep and throaty. As far as comfort goes, I’ve got no qualms. People say the seat’s pretty tall, but I’m 5ft 10in, and I don’t find it a giant of a thing. You kind of sit in the MV, being plonked pretty far forward and nestled behind the race-style dash. I say race-dash, but it’s actually a bit aged by today’s standards. It looked trick as owt when I bought it, and it does a good job of keeping tabs of the essentials.
The sculpted tank was one of the big draws to the bike. I still reckon it looks pretty stunning and I like how you sit your knees into it. There’s nothing else out there quite like it. The pegs are pretty sporty, but they’re fine for big trips. I’d had a few rides over to Europe with my mates, plus a few long rides to the Lakes and Highlands. I’ve ridden much more cramped bikes.
The big ’bars help the job along, too, but you have to get used to how exposed you are to the wind and rain. I bought a fly screen a few years back to try and help in this field, but it looked pretty shite, as all of my mates let me know. It had to go. From an aftermarket point of view you could say I’m a bit boring, because everything’s mostly stock on my bike, but I’d argue that’s because it’s decent enough for what I need.
There are a few scabby areas of the bike, though. There are quite a few exposed block connectors around the bike, and I’ve had a few electrical problems because of them. The switchgear’s are particularly bad, and there’s a block connector to the side of the engine that’s caused me some big headaches and workshop bills too. I coat everything in ACF-50 and that’s stopped a lot of corrosion, and problems, but you’d have thought the guys at the factory would have wired the bike a bit better. It’s just common sense.
The thing I like most about the bike is its engine. From as low as 2000rpm, provi ding you’re not too far up the gearbox, it’s go ot a fair amount of get-up-and-go. The thrott tle feels light and the connections pretty slick, although I’ve heard people benefit from remap pping theirs. The power really starts to take s shape after you’re over 5,000rpm, from which h point the bike rockets forward. The more revs, the merrier. The stock bike also cacame e with a shifter, which never fails to immpre ess. There’s a bit of a lull if you’re smmas hing up through the ’box, but I’m never noorm mally in that much of a hurry. Ab blipper would be nice, and I reckon I mmigh t invest in an aftermarket one just to finnish nish off the job. That said, the clutch is pr retty mega and I can throw a few gears do own the engine’s throat before it starts ki icking off and locking the rear wheel. I’ve always been drawn to more exciting bikes, which is probably why I can live with the fli ighty front end. It scares my mates when it happens, but it’ ’s just part of the furniture nowadays. verall I rate the MV pretty highly. It’s ticked v very box I’ve ever asked of it in style, maybe b being a tad unreliable at times, but nothing too major’s happened. It’s weathered pretty well too. I use it in all weather, but I do look after it. It gets cleaned more than my missus. Am I ready for a change? Yeah, probably, but I paid a premium for this bike and it’s no longer worth anything like what I paid for it. The 800 Brutale is right up there on my radar, so maybe one of those will come next, but I’ll need to win the lottery first.