Staff bikes: MV Agusta Brutale 920 - British GP puts Brutale under strain

Working at the British MotoGP round at Silverstone meant my MV Agusta Brutale test bike got a hard workout…and ended up looking like it had been buried at sea!

The bike did more than 350 miles in three days as I was dashing between the office, home and the track; with many of the miles in the lashing rain that made race day such a challenge. Riding a mile or so along a muddy track around the inside of the track only added to the grubby look.

Despite the best efforts of the British weather, the bike never missed a beat. It ran faultlessly.

I’ve nearly covered 3000 miles on the bike since I picked it up and rode it back from the factory in Italy and I am really feeling like I know everything about it now. I can even reset the (massively over complicated) tripmeter each time I fill up now! And adjust the throttle mapping between Normal and Sport easily.

I have made some changes to the bike now. A set of Acerbis handguards are the best value. For just over £80 (plus £24 if you want the LED daytime running lights) you get a set of guards that give a brilliant amount of wind protection to your hands.

Check them out at www.acerbis.it. All you need to do is remove the bar ends weights and bolt in the handguards… five minutes work.

A change of tyres from the standard Pirelli Angel ST to Dunlop Sport Smarts has been a welcome move for the warmer weather. The Dunlops are excellent road tyres, wet or dry, give a plusher ride than the Pirellis and will cope with some looming track action.

The only other modification is a discounted £9.99 Casio watch which is looped around the handlebars. The MV has a lap timer but no clock. So it’s now a £9999 bike with a clock worth 1/1000th of the value of the bike!

THE FACTS
2011 MV Agusta Brutale, £9999
Value now: £9250
Mileage: 2944
Power (claimed): 130bhp
Torque (claimed): 70lb ft
Top speed (claimed): 165mph
Colours: White and black
Details: www.mvagusta.co.uk

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