2014 MV AGUSTA BRUTALE 800 DRAGSTER
FIRST RIDE
IS THE MV AGUSTA BRUTALE 800
DRAGSTER MORE THAN JUST A
HEAD TURNER?
BY ALAN CATHCART
PHOTOGRAPHY BY THOMAS MACCABELLI
L
et's be honest - this one is all about the looks.
The MV Agusta Brutale 800 Dragster (the long-
winded proper name) delivers the kind of in-your-
face cool that's second nature to an American V-twin
custom cruiser shop, but it's applied to the Brutale
800 Naked sportbike that's a second cousin to the
MV F3 that won the opening round of the 2014 World
Supersport Championship recently in Australia. How's
that for an about-face?
Don't believe me? Then check out the Dragster's
massive 200-section Pirelli rear rubber, mounted on
a six-inch rim taken from MV's F4 Superbike. Or the
truncated rear end that on a cruiser would instantly
lead it to being dubbed a Bobber, but here… well,
short-ass, maybe?
A long, low, stretched-out drag bike this certainly is
not. It's essentially a radically reclothed Brutale 800
roadster rather than MV's answer to the Ducati Dia-
vel – so zero points for truth in advertising. But if that
sawed-off seat isn't radical enough for you, how about
the vestigial rear hugger shared with its Rivale kin that
doubles as a license plate hanger complete with rear
indicators, mounted on the single-sided swingarm?
Or the taillights scrunched up beneath what is quite
arguably the most minimalist passenger pad yet at-
tached to a motorcycle, even an Italian one? And that's
before heading forward from the Dragster's ducktail
In Your Face
The MV Agusta Brutale
800 Dragster: A rather
long name for MV's
extreme middleweight
naked sportbike.
P48
