Staff bikes: MV Agusta Brutale - Life's more fun naked

It’s been an amazing year with a bike that managed to combine a muscular engine with fantastic styling and almost daily use, including commuting and lovely trips on some amazing British roads.

The huge 23-litre fuel tank gives an easy 220-mile range – brilliant for a naked bike which is comfortable enough for all-day riding.

Collecting the bike from the Varese factory was an amazing experience. I flew to Milan, took a tour of the factory to watch the bikes being built and then rode home in a day and a bit across Switzerland and France. It was the perfect start to a great year.

The only slight niggle was the failure of a water temperature sensor, a £30 part replaced under warranty within two days.

The failure meant the bike thought it was hot when cold starting and struggled to fire up.

Other than that, not one thing went awry and despite nearly 6500 miles by the end of the test period the bike looked mint.

The MV is the most exotic bike I have run as a long-term test bike for MCN and it has been an almost completely positive experience.

MV Agusta Brutale 920, £9,999
Value now: £8,250

Mileage: 6490
Power (claimed): 137bhp
Torque (claimed): 70ftlb
Top speed (tested): 160mph

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