MV AGUSTA BRUTALE 800 RR SCS
As much as I do love a bit of beauty, there’s nothing that can beat an exhilarating bit of riding – and to be honest, I don’t think there’s a bike oozing that scintillating style like the Brutale range from MV. I mean, just look at it! Even at a standstill, it’s like it’s going 200mph with its sharp edges, aggressive stance and single sided swinger. In my humble opinion, this is how every naked bike should look; you know, like it’s going to punch you in the face if you give it half the chance.
Unlike its refined sibling, the Brutale 800 appears raw and aggressive, and although they share a lot of the same components – mainly the chassis and engine, they couldn’t look further apart.
One thing that caught my eye straight away was also one of the strangest things about the MV. On the right-hand side bar, it appears to have two rear brake levers – one being the rear brake and one being a handbrake, all because of the SCS, or Smart Clutch System. But what is it? Well, it’s essentially a standard clutch with an automatic Rekluse system in it, like you’d find in some off-road machines; so from the time you touch the ignition, you don’t have to lay a finger on the clutch… unless you fancy popping up the front wheel. When you’re in gear, the Rekluse system engages itself as the engine revs and is then electronically controlled via the ECU to balance the amount of clutch slip to how much gas you’re giving. So basically, the ECU takes over from your left hand... clever, eh? And it’s not even hefty, either – it only weighs 36 grams more than the standard system on the regular RR, which is pretty sweet, if you ask us.
Clutch aside, everything feels normal on the RR and jumping on for the first time, its riding position is the first thing that makes itself known. The bars are high, as are the pegs, and it almost feels like it could pass off as a stunt bike in a way, though, I’ve got to say, it did feel comfortable in accommodating my little legs.
Although MV’s attention is second-to-none, it was mightily disappointing to be sitting on top of almost fifteen grand’s worth of bike and staring down the barrel of an LCD dash. It reminded me of those old Casio watches,
and, to be honest, it wasn’t particularly clear – nor was it easy to navigate through the menus with the flimsy-feeling buttons on the ‘bars.
Mind you, sharing the same engine as the Superveloce, bar some different fuelling, means all is forgotten when that triple motor rasps into life; it’s just absolutely stunning. With the engine in sport mode to start with, setting off for the first time was an oddly tentative affair. The handbrake on the foot comes off easy after a few swipes to find the perfect location but I’d prefer to have some sort of button the ‘bars, like you’d find on maxi-scooter. Even so, it’s a strange thing not touching that clutch lever, no matter how much the routine of riding a bike is nagging in the back of the noggin. Surprisingly though, it doesn’t feel too out of the ordinary – and this is because of how smooth and refined the system feels. It’s honestly incredible, especially when navigating low-speed manoeuvres that would usually rely on the clutch to keep things shiny side up. I didn’t quite know how the Brutale would cope with the Rekluse system as it’s a pretty aggressive machine, yet everything – from filtering through traffic to U-turns – was an absolute doddle, rendering the clutch lever almost useless, though I still liked to use the thing to hoist that front wheel up.
The one thing that instantly got me about the Brutale is the sheer brutality from the engine. How it’s the same unit that was in the Superveloce, I’ll never know; from the
very point it starts to pick up at about 5000rpm, it just pulls like a train all the way through the rev range, with a ferocity that is absolutely nobody’s business in the middleweight category. Without any hesitation or help, the Brutale loves finding itself the back wheel and, if anything, the delivery felt too aggressive. I can honestly say it outdoes some of the supernaked’s pure savagery, with a mid-range that makes its big bro, the Brutale 1000, a little jealous. With this in mind, I managed to scroll through those menus and play around with some of the other settings, and while the rain mode was way too plain for this bike, sport mode was the perfect middle ground – it had the ferocity when needed, but came in just a little softer and more manageable. Mind you, in all the excitement I’d completely forgotten about that important thing we call fuel, and with the light being so dim on the dash, we only had to push it to a station for a refuel. Dammit.
Being based on the F3 as well, there’s a certain type of similarity when throwing the Brutale into a corner; like the Superveloce, it just effortlessly falls in towards an apex with astounding accuracy. Thanks to the higher ‘bars, it has that little more leverage when changing direction in the slower stuff, yet even so it loses barely anything in terms of front-end feel – when pushed on, those front and rear pogos offered a sublime feeling of contact between man, machine and road. I have to say, though, in between the blasts the Brutale is set up rather stiff. For everyday riding it takes a lot to fire through the travel and, for my weight, it’s running very hard for a road bike. I almost think it would be best suited for a trackday, and with the way that ‘shifter fires itself through the box, it wouldn’t sound out of place, either.
Unfortunately, those Brembos aren’t, though; sharing the same braking system as the Superveloce, the stoppers were once again a bit of a let-down. It was the same story, unfortunately, as the ABS was incredibly intrusive and didn’t quite offer that show-stopping power I’d have liked from a bike of this calibre. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the worst thing in the world but for the cash, I would like a bit more power. Another thing I found a little odd on the MV were the pegs – although they look smart, they really
THE BRUTALE WAS EVERYTHING I WANTED AND MORE... THOSE LADS AND LASSES AT MV REALLY DID NAME IT WELL.
Looking at the middleweight Brutale, you’d think riding it would be child’s play. You think it won’t be that powerful... you think it’ll be plush and subtle... you think it’ll do everything you ask of it without any intimidation... you think it’ll be good fun but a bit predictable and will probably run out of puff. Turns out it’s a headbanger with more duration than the Duracell bunny... and as soon as you hop on, you’re the one that’s being taken for a ride. The power delivery on the Brutale couldn’t be any more different to the Superveloce – it’s not smooth and linear; it jumps up and bites your knee caps like a terrier until you back off. Twisting the throttle on this whipper-snapper is at your own risk, but damned fun when you do. It’s worth mentioning that the power maps make a huge difference on the Brutale; both me and Carlovski found it was considerably more user-friendly when in its standard setting over the superaggressive sport function, and in rain mode it’s like neutering that small terrier. Either way, its short wheelbase loves to throw you onto your back wheel almost irrespectively of the gear you’re in and caused me absolute hilarity while watching Frodo pogo-ing it down the road, up and down like a hooker’s pair of knickers. This model had a Rekluse clutch system and a foot handbrake (go figure...), which, to be honest, being a mentally old fart, I found a little odd. It was like riding a scooter, and when you did decide to use the clutch (due to habit), it caused a quickshifter/blipper malfunction that had to be reset every time by turning the ignition off and on again... IT technicians among the biking community would love it. After a while, I quite liked the simplicity of it, and the idea of a clutch became an unnecessary add-on. But for slowspeed manoeuvring and general tomfoolery, the old-school me would still sooner have a clutch for that finer element of control and better management of risk. Usually, bikes styled in this manner, sporting a short wheelbase, offer unadulterated fun through the twisties, feeling planted and responsive. The Brutale didn’t lack any of the fun but did have a front end stiffer than a great oak, which, to be honest, far from inspired confidence. The front never felt stuck to the ground, and was flighty and loose in character; something I again felt could be dialled out through damping adjustments. In terms of let-downs, the Brutale again had slippy pegs, it felt pretty tall (not so much of an issue for me but we had to give Frodo a leg up, bless him), and the quickshifter/blipper system is also clunky like the Superveloce. But the biggest letdown for me is the dash. On the Superveloce it has a beautiful modern TFT dash; on the Brutale it’s like we’ve gone back 10 years. Not only is it basic and pretty ugly, it’s about as user-friendly a set of instructions written in a foreign language. Neither Carl nor I could work out how to adjust and permanently set the traction/power functions, as something was always flashing. All of this said, if you’re after something that’s epic fun, surprisingly comfortable, stylish and modern, there’s not many better options on the market. Cheaper options absolutely, but it won’t ever quite be a stylish MV. Just checking... did I mention it’s nuts? are slick and as there’s less weight on the wrists compared to the Superveloce, I found myself putting more weight through my feet and actually slipping off a few times, which was a bit of a pain in the neck. But then again, it really isn’t a deal-breaker, in my opinion.
The Brutale really was everything I wanted and more… those lads and lasses at MV really did name it well.
Yes, it looks drop-dead gorgeous, but it has the minerals to back it up on the move. It destroys straights like a thou, corners like a finely-balanced ballet dancer, and left me with a grin bigger than a Cheshire cat… and that’s without even mentioning the Smart Clutch System.
Sure, no one really needs it (although it would be great if you’re an amputee or have an injured left hand), but it is a delight to use, and works a treat.
What a cracking bike.