MV’s Stradale 800 is a triple treat
The Italian motorcyclemaker’s latest triple comes with the best manners in MV’s three-cylinder history, reports Paul Owen.
NICE. It’s not a word that I’d normally use to describe an MV Agusta, but it’s entirely appropriate to use it in a review of the company’s latest model, the Stradale 800. For this is an MV triple given an almost Honda-like focus on politeness. Where other MV Agustas fight their riders and challenge them to take control, this Italian stallion arrives in the showroom already broken in. Not since the 1960s and the 750S and 600S shaft-drive sports-tourers has MV Agusta made such a bike that places rider-friendliness right at the top of the list of development targets.
The Stradale results from MV’s desire to make a competitor for the Ducati Hyperstrada, a sporty tourer/ commuter created by using the Hypermotard supermoto as a platform and adding a few niceties like saddlebags, a more comfortable seat, and a vestigial windscreen. MV Agusta tried to do the same thing using their rabid Rivale 800 as the base, but soon found that the result was a little too wild. Given that the Varese firm has produced some of the most feral sportsbikes and streetbikes of recent times, that’s some concession of defeat, and the project team was sent back to the drawing board in search of a less hyperactive chassis and powertrain.
They soon re-emerged with what is the easiest-to-ride MV Agusta of the 21st Century.
A grommet rider who has newly graduated to a full licence could easily trade in their LAMS-spec learner-bike for the new Stradale and not feel intimidated or overwhelmed.
The taming of the beastliness began with a more stable-handling chassis than the Rivale’s.
A longer wheelbase won via an extended rear swingarm, and a trellis frame with more relaxed steering rake and extended trail dimensions, does the desired trick, along with more compliant suspension. The Stradale then gained the extra comfort and convenience the development team was seeking via a new larger-capacity fuel tank and the longer more thickly padded seat that tucks into the rear. A suitably thin and minimal manuallyadjusted windscreen and the addition of the most incredible saddlebags in bikedom thanks to their integrated taillights completes the Hyperstradarival design brief.
It’s a chassis that takes some getting used to, but only because of the riding position. The rider is placed as far forward as possible, forcing knees to be spread wide by the thickest parts of the frame, and you initially feel like you’re atop a dirtbike with a particularlyample pillion forcing you forward.
After a period of acclimatisation it all begins to work, although the tall saddle does enforce some leg stretching when coming to a stop.
There are some genuine comfort upgrades to be had when selecting the Stradale over the Rivale, however, notably a seat that doesn’t grow barbs over long distances, and extra airstream management that makes the upright riding position more sustainable. Particularly welcome is the extra seat-of-the-pants security of the Stradale, as the lip at the rear of the rider’s seat negates the need to grip the handlebars hard during periods of full-throttle acceleration.
Also helping is the softer engine tune of the 798cc inline three-cylinder engine.
The Stradale retains the sky-high 13.3:1 compression ratio and generous inlet and exhaust valve diameters of other MV 800s, but smaller 47mm throttle bodies, new camshafts, and a new ECU add a surprising gentility. Other MV 800s are capable of generating passion and excitement at full throttle in almost equal doses to their frustrating part-throttle responses, but this is a much more even-mannered variation.
There’s just the barest hint of the stuttering low-rpm delivery of other MV 800s when riding the Stradale, and it’s easier to avoid as it ceases earlier in the rev range.
The smoothing of the delivery coincides with a heartier serving of torque at everyday engine speeds, and extraction of the triple’s performance is easier as a result.
Four engine maps are available for selection by the rider, including three that alter the peak power available (115bhp max), and the Stradale performed with appreciable satisfaction in each.
As likeable as the new engine tune is, it’s the Stradale’s chassis that is the stand-out performance.
There is no MV Agusta more suited to our truck-ravaged back roads, and the supple suspension seems to have all the wheel travel it needs to fully blot out sharp-edged faultline ridges and wheel-swallowing potholes. And don’t think this bike is a tardy steer.
It’s as agile as the Hyperstrada thanks to the wide handlebars and inertia-cancelling contra-rotating crankshaft. Pirelli’s Diablo Rosso tyres do a fine job of keeping the traction control and ABS brakes of the Stradale kipping like Rip Van Winkle.
It’s also the best-equipped MV Agusta so far, with heated handlebar grips and a quick-shifter that works both ways included in the specification. At $24,490, you might pay a further $1500 above the price of the Rivale 800 for the new Stradale, but you get a more complete, more versatile bike.