MV-AGUSTA BRUTALE 800 DRAGSTER RR (2014 - 2017) Review

Perfect ride , brakes pull you up quickly

Depending on how you ride will result in different servicing costs.

Stock standard bike is awesome however introduce a tail tidy and louder exhaust I'd something you could upgrade to.

Stiff, twitchy and lively. I am a small fella and used to break horses as a youngster in Texas. To say it brings back memories is an understatement.Breaks are spot on. Not too aggressive. I don't think the rear brake has any fluid. Or is 50 percent air. Noticed that the other day. Never used it.

Has the lungs and the lunge of a young stud horse. It is like a hacksaw - and my Tuono is like a brass hammer. You have to use the right tool and on certain days I just can't get enough of that engine. How is it possible?

5500 miles later - must have had the sprag replaced as it always starts. Who knows or cares? Until a thousand miles ago it needed 20 minutes to cool off at a fuel stop. Now it halts and spits a little starting cold but starts fine hot? Like a good partner, you just have to watch and listen. Otherwise, just chain lube and an oil change.Paint and finishes are on the trajectory of other 30 year old Brutales. Patina.

I service it. And it services me. :-)

My favorite feature is that try as I may, I can't think of one thing I would change.

Hard suspension set-up but manageable. In city traffic the left hand gets tired after 1h due to a very heavy clutch. Brakes work really well.

A real dream. I can leave it in 2nd gear around town and go anywhere from 12mph to 60mph without having to change gear. On the motorway, a cruise in 6th gear shows just under 2000 rpm @ legal speeds.

Not an issue so far. Battery went flat over the last lockdown but after plugging in the trickle charger that came with the bike it was back running again.

Fuel light comes on at around 65 miles in city traffic. Annual services so far came around £215. Valve clearance at 3600 miles will be double that, I've been told.

Do you want heated grips from MV, none are available for this model; cruise control, the same; factory fitted alarm, nope; pre-installation for a tracker, again no. Additional extras (that are road legal) from MV are really few and will cost around £1000 if you really (but really want them - not that they are needed). Besides that has riding modes. On 'Rain' mode you can treat it like a 125 motorcycle and by releasing the clutch slowly without accelerating you will start moving (if you try that on the other modes it will stall the engine). Up and down quick shifter works well. The way you set up the modes, or scroll trough the setting is really not the most intuitive I've seen.

The seat is firm, the suspension is on the firm side, the front end is a little light and likes to gives its head the occasional shake. I'm pretty sure the steering damper is for display purposes only! Brakes are strong, good initial bite and even at a track day they never faded. The Mazocchi aluminium forks needed a little adjustment but dealt with more spirited riding fine, once you'd got accustomed to the small size of the bike. Don't be afraid to grab hold of it and be aggressive, it seems to respond better than nursing it round. I also found swapping out the rear 200/50 for a 200/55 sat the rear up a touch, gave much better feel from the rear and seemed to calm down the head shake. The pillion seat is a token gesture, and fork out for the MV comfort seat, the standard is very hard, and hard hard edges that are noticeable after 45-60 minutes.

Beautiful. The 800cc triple is an absolute peach, counter rotating and under hard acceleration, surges forward with little front lift, just forward, hard and eager drive. The howling triple has a raspy edge to it that when on song is absolutely glorious, it loves to be revved but still has plenty of meaty mid range to make is usable and easy when you want to potter about.

Beautifully finished, high quality paint finish and little design details and finishes touches really set it apart from the usual Japanese offerings. I put several thousand miles on, including track days and it never let me down. I know some had issues with sprag clutches and handlebar switches but they were sorted under warranty. I personally never had an issue, and used the free battery trickle charger MV supply and it always started.

I won't beat around the bush, I paid £14,000 in 2015 for an 800cc triple and at the time, it was £5k more expensive than the Yamaha MT-09. It's big money, servicing and parts are at the top end but this is Italian exotica and that comes with a premium price.

The quick shifter wasn't the smoothest, and didn't like being used at low speed so save it for when you're giving it a fistful. The autoblipper was lovely and you'll find yourself changing down for no other reason than just to hear it. The throttle connection is certainly better than MV's of the past but I still think it's a little light, like it needs a heavier return spring to artificially weight the throttle up. Being full fly by wire there's no physical connection to the throttle bodies and sometimes, over bumps at moderate speeds you can find yourself accidentally grabbing a handful of throttle and making yourself jump. I also think, for the price point the dash display should have been of a higher quality and colour. It's quite hard to read, an unusual shape and looks a bit, cheap.

You have to know what your buying, I already knew this bike rode ruff before I made the purchase and it does! get used to lifting your self off of the seat when your crossing railroad tracks or larger bumps in the road, they can bounce you off of the seat. I keep a firm grip on the handle bars unless I'm on smooth road, the brakes are spot on! the best!..this thing stops faster the the cars in front of me, and it is part of the reason I made the purchase, it feels safe you can "flick" it quickly and it goes around corners like a slot car..

it's the bomb!..I love the engine, it sounds great and it flies! it has enough torque and H.P. to scare me when I get on the throttle. after riding this bike for some time now, I'm pretty shure I would be happy with the regular dragster power levels..but, I like getting scared..it's fun and a blast to ride.

Quality is top notch, and the finish is superb!...I haven't put enough miles on it to have any problems but, I'm pretty shure the starter sprag will be a issue in the near future, it is a little stubborn sometimes when I go to start it and I find myself wondering if it is going to run.

I bought this bike partly for the reason of having a very good resale value, I don't see enough used RR's on the market to determine my business sence yet, in a year or two I will have better info..

as I mentioned in my first post, I think a cruise control would have been a good option, you need to remove your throttle hand often because of the strong spring and the vibration...I wont be able to use saddle bags because the exhaust pipe will torch them, the way they are pointed. although, it is not ment to be a touring bike, I do plan on some extended rides...

Ride can be a hard on rougher roads but normally firm and well planted. Brakes are spot on and stop you on a sixpence, (5p for you younger guys) I didn't buy it for luggage or carrying a pillion. Easily ride for 100miles before a break.

Ride by wire is spot on, power delivery is phenomenal and the engine never flinches. Quick shifter makes it even easier to gain penalty points.

one minor problem with the paint on the fuel cap which the Dealer, Perth Motor Cycles sorted in no time at all. The rest of the bike is flawless.

First service was £70 and aside from petrol and one can of chain lube donated by Perth Motor Cycles I am more than happy.

The standard electronics package has been well thought out by MV, is easy to navigate and I would not change it. The screen could be bigger but I can live with that.

Faster you ride it the easier it becomes. Suspension stiff while breaking in. Brakes are phenomenal. Quite a hard ride but it can be softened on the clickers

For an 800 it pulls really well. Its still a bit flat down low but will put 6th gear from about 30mph and has a great linear torque curve. Rev limiter comes in quick typical of a triple

Majority is good. I hear horror stories from older models but in 6 months and 5500 miles its been pretty good. I have had a rear led brake failure done under warranty and in the first 500 miles had a few loose bolts on the chain guard and yoke cover. Its Italian...I expected that

Average 36 mpg with combined fun and sensible riding

Best brakes in the business. ABS a little intrusive if ridden hard or on track so switch off. Ride is hard initially when bedding in but got much more plush within 1500 miles. I run Comp F&R softer than std on road but almost max hard for track and without a professional setup this works well enough

Very free revving and has a good mid/top power. Will pull 4th from 30mph or 6th from 40mph easily. Sounds amazing with a decent pipe (QD) much more free revving than previous triples I have owned (Benelli Tre)

Majority good. Small issues at very beginning. Two cable holders came loose, chain guard bolt came loose, head stock bolt came loose. At 3000 miles R/side rear brake solenoid become faulty. Often Tracked and ridden hard with no issues on engine, brakes or bike itself

Servicing is 600 mile initial then 3800 miles and 7500 mile major. 600 & 3800 are both £150-200ish. Bike averages 36mpg on road with mixed riding

Would be nice to have a fuel gauge, fuel range, mpg average etc but for safety it has it all. 8TC settings, anti stoppie and ABS