WORDS: BEN MILLER IMAGES:MVAGUSTA
I t’s every lad’s dream to sample a little exotica every now and again, so there was no need to think twice when the chance came to head out to Italy for a joyride on MV’s 2018 Brutale 800RR. Feasting my eyes on the beaut as it basked in the clinical light of the MV Augusta factory, Iwas liking every inch of what lay before me. It was a vision of something that had taken three years in the making, being both a generally improved product compared to its predecessor, but also one that made the grade of Euro4 bureaucracy
Bad news for the ugly ducklings out there – first impressions are largely based on appearance, with three fifths of us average folk forming our opinion within the first five seconds of seeing what’s put before us. Good news for the Brutale though, with its avant-garde lines, angles in all the right places and a general feel of compactness. Featuring MV’s iconic ‘organ pipe’ silencers, an unusual aperture through the seat unit and rear foot pegs that are moulded from the rider’s pegs, allowing a clean, clutter-free rear end. It’s all topped off with some sexed up, diamond cut ally rims (which also offer a collective, unsprung weight saving of 800g – not to be sniffed at). All of these points are further complemented by some extreme – albeit tasteful – graphics. Available in either pearl ice white/metallic carbon black or pearl shock red/metallic carbon black. Personally if I were about to part with my dosh then I’d be swaying towards ice white, which also comes with a pimped red tubular section frame.