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/970089
2018 MV AGUSTA BRUTALE 800 RR FIRST TEST P94 Let's face it: MV could build the most exciting motorcycles in the world and many of you would still avoid them because of the inadequate dealer network and recent history of war- ranty claims. They're tackling both problems head on. Last year they partnered with Australian firm Urban Moto Group to strengthen the supply chain for sales and parts. Giovanni Castiglioni told Cycle News that in the last five years, MV was too focused on products, which can lead to "missing other levers like service and availability of the products." The new goal is to get 98 percent of parts orders delivered to dealers within 48 hours, and they have been steadily increasing from a low of 88 percent in May of last year. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE gears thanks to automatic rev-matching that works great and sounds even better. Going fast is fun, but stopping is more important. On paper, some might find it odd the four-piston Brembo calipers are paired with a Nissin master cylinder. On the street the braking performance was quite strong, but at this price point I was expecting to see a Brembo master-cylinder and Brembo's excellent M50 monoblocks chomping down on the 320mm discs up front. My only issue with the brakes is a little bit of freeplay in the front brake lever, as the first centimeter of travel doesn't trans- late into any noticeable braking force. I also had different expectations with the suspension. Considering the significantly-cheaper Triumph Speed Triple RS has top-of-the-line Ohlins front and rear, it was a surprise to find that the Brutale RR's fully adjustable sus- pension is still a 43mm Marzocchi USD fork paired with a Sachs shock. If you want bling to justify the lightening of your wallet, you'll be disappointed. If you just want some- thing that works well, this suspension is up to the task. For 2018, MV has called on their CRC (Castiglioni Research Centre) to supply an eight-position steering damper incorporated into the top triple clamp. For our simple street ride the stock setting was sufficient, the rid- ing was not aggressive enough to discern the differences in damper settings. Motorcycle Art in your choice of Pearl Shock Red or Pearl Ice White.