Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1127887
P84 2020 MV AGUSTA BRUTALE 1000 PROTOT YPE RIDE REVI EW OLD THINKING MEETS MODERN DESIGN Work began just over two years ago on the Brutale's new inline four-cylinder engine, which retains the same crankcases as before, but machined differently to incorporate an uprated lubrica- tion system aimed at countering oil surge under the massively enhanced acceleration of the new bike. This delivers over 1G when the launch control button on the right handlebar is pressed, says Gillen, en-route to an official 2.9-sec 0-100km/h trap time— with lights and a horn, and Euro 4 compliance. Phew! Essentially, what the R&D team has done is to copy the format of Mike Hailwood's 1960's MV Agusta World champion 500GP four, and created an oil reservoir beneath the crankcase. This results in a semi-dry sump engine with reduced oil drag, while at the same time position- ing a splitter within the casing to minimize surge, and stop the oil rushing to the back of the crankcase under hard accelera- tion. "Motorcycle physics haven't changed from the 1960s up to today," says Gillen. "We simply reapplied the technology from back then, in a modern context." The modified shorter-stroke crankshaft has altered lubrication channels and all-new bearings, and carries new forged titanium conrods (rather than machined from billet, so even stronger and lighter) made by Oral Engineer- ing in Modena, headed by former Ferrari F1 technical boss Mauro Forghieri. These carry forged three-ring Asso pistons with cast- iron compression rings aimed at reducing friction. The F4 cylinder head casting has been retained, still with radial valves, but with quite different intake porting and new chain-driven camshafts delivering greater lift and dwell. Additionally, the combustion chambers housing the 31.8mm intake and 26.5mm radial valves have now been machined from solid billet, to deliver a high 13.6:1 compression ratio—the previ- ous Brutale was 12.8:1—a key element in obtaining the radically enhanced acceleration that Gillen targeted. Mike "The Bike" Hailwood on the MV Agusta 500 in the early 1960s. The thinking on motorcycle design hasn't changed much since then. Everywhere you look, there a beautiful touches. Check out this gold triple clamp and the red weave in the carbon fiber. tion which very successfully integrated the wings into the radiator surround, and we went to a wind tunnel in Pe- rugia where we found we now have 15kg (33 lb) of downforce on the front wheel at 300 km/h—and sixth gear wheelies are a thing of the past!" Well, I couldn't test that at the Pirelli track, but I could sample the abso- lutely phenomenal acceleration the Brutale now delivers. Flexible and forgiving low down, it was perfectly happy to be short-shifted at around 6000 rpm in an imitation of real world riding round a tight street simulation section of track, but show it a stretch of open road, and it just rockets away from a standing start, albeit with the front wheel pawing the air since the anti-wheelie software wasn't function- ing on the test bike. Still, despite stamping on the rear brake pedal to try to hold the front wheel down, it motors so very hard, though you must tense yourself to hold on tight as the MV lunges forward like a guided missile. The two-way powershifter is brilliantly set up, as befits the company which has a longer experience of fitting this to