Brutalend does Donington
‘Wheelies past a country pile are not every day antics.’ And neither is Bike getting a long term test MV…
HERE’S A FIRST: an MV Agusta on long-term test. It shows two things. First, MV actually want to flog bikes. Second, they’re confident the bikes are no longer fickle and hard to live with. This new Brutale 800RR has the most refined fuelling of any MV, ever. The 140bhp engine is flexible, fast, and an aural feast. ‘Less noise, more sound’, say MV, and it’s true – new internals and engine covers mean less mechanical clatter, so you hear the wailing exhaust and roaring intake. The two-way quickshifter is super-slick, and the front brakes ripple tarmac. Unfortunately some bits remain old-school MV, like the rockhard ride, non-functional rear brake, fussy clocks and footpegs with no heel space. It’s also sensitive to tyre pressures, handling like a pissed-up heifer until I find they’re a few psi down. Correct inflation brings crisp response, which is handy. I’ve entered the 800 in the parade at Donington Hall’s Burnout, and the 0.7-mile track is narrow and very tight. It’s unlike any other track experience – kneedown by the Norton factory and wheelies past a country pile are not every day antics. The feisty MV is too much… but hooning in someone’s garden feels cool. There are sessions both days of the weekend, bikes ranging from classic racers to an MT-10. The highlight is being passed by Trevor Nation, caning Norton’s latest TT racer in his old JPS leathers.
‘Hooning in someone’s garden feels cool’
I spend the rest of the laid-back bash watching blokes including John Mcguinness, Keith Amor, Davey Todd and Josh Brookes race supermotos. Frantic sideways action past grazing deer gives the event a unique feel; there’s only a few hundred spectators at this first running, but the Burnout should develop into a great event. I’ll be back – with something slower.