Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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VOL. 51 ISSUE 14 APRIL 8, 2014 P57 more of a melodic but raucous three-cylinder bellow from those stacked exhausts. It pays to flirt with the 13,000- rpm rev-limiter since there's an ex- tra kick in power between 10,000 and 12,000 rpm, so it's a good idea to rev the motor out if you want to go places in a hurry. Yet the Dragster really isn't made for riding like that, because the more upright but improbably comfort- able riding position means it pre- fers being stuffed into hairpins or backed into bends hard on the brakes, rather than belt down a freeway at high speed. Event though it's completely stable at speed so, it's better to stick to the twisty stuff, short- shifting at 8500 rpm where peak torque is delivered, and just ride the torque curve from 6000 rpm upwards – reveling as you do so in the crisp action of the wide- open EAS power-shifter (which is less jerky than before) fitted here as stock. The riding position is com- fortable, but leaves no room for movement – you're wedged in place by the pillion hump of the 31.9-inch high seat, with your crown jewels nestling against the tank, and no room whatsoever to slide backwards for a more wind- cheating posture at high speed. The Brutale is practically spa- cious, by comparison. No matter where you position the handlebar, this is a street- fighter stance that has you ready to rumble, with quite pronounced rear-set footpegs that don't end up shoving too much weight onto your wrists and shoulders, be- cause of the highish bars. It's a good bike for riding in town, though, because you can see ahead over cars to plan a route in traffic. The bar-end mir- rors are neat looking and practi- cal, giving good rear view vision at the expense of being wider, though it's easy to fold them in when negotiating a tight passage. The seat's quite well padded, but much of the ride comfort comes from the settings chosen for the Marzocchi 43mm fork and Sachs monoshock (both fully adjust- able, but whose default settings felt tailor-made for me). Though notionally tauter- damped, according to Gillen (thanks to different hydraulic set- tings but the same spring as the Brutale), this suspension pack- age actually ended up feeling more compliant than on its sister bike, as proved by riding over broken road surfaces and over the cobblestone section of the Pirelli test track. MV's continual quest to en- hance the caliber of its products is well illustrated by the constant improvement in their bikes' dy- namic values each time I test ride another new model of theirs. This is a beautifully balanced handling package that's quick-steering yet never unstable – even when working the new-generation cast aluminum Brembo radial four-pis- ton brakes to stop hard and fast without the benefit of a slipper clutch (you can fit the one off the SPECIFICATIONS 2014 MV AGUSTA BRUTALE 800 DRAGSTER ENGINE: .........798cc liquid-cooled inline three 12-valve BORE X STROKE: ............ 79.0 x 54.3mm COMPRESSION RATIO: ................... 13.3:1 FUELING: ........... Fuel Injection with twin injectors per cylinder TRANSMISSION: ....... Six-speed cassette- type with electronic quickshifter CLUTCH: ........Wet, multi-disc with cable actuation FINAL DRIVE: ......... Chain; 16/41 gearing FRAME: ............. Steel tubular trellis and aluminum FRONT SUSPENSION: 43mm Marzocchi fork with spring preload, compression, and rebound damping adjustment; 4.92 inches of travel REAR SUSPENSION: ....................... Sachs gas-charged shock with spring preload, compression, and rebound damping adjustment; 4.92 inches of travel FRONT BRAKES: ................ 320mm petal discs, radial-mount Brembo monobloc calipers REAR BRAKE: ......... Single 220mm disc, double-piston Brembo caliper TIRES: ........... Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa 120/70R17, 200/50R17 CURB WEIGHT: .413 pounds (estimated) WHEELBASE: ........................ 54.3 inches RAKE: ..........24.0 deg. Trail: 3.74 inches SEAT HEIGHT: ...................... 31.91 inches FUEL TANK: ......................... 4.39 gallons MSRP: .......................................... $14,798 COLORS: ...... White; Matte Metallic Grey