MV Agusta’s super naked comes with the right bit of brawn and heart to take the fight to the street fighter segment. Think Italian exotica and the name MV Agusta pops up there at the very top. Their first attempt at the streetfighter segment spawned a creation as lustworthy as the F4 1000. The design has remained largely unchanged since then, going on to become sort of a timeless icon.
All new?
For the Indian market -Yes. This will be the first product to be sold under the Kinetic Motoroyale brand. As for the bike, the Brutale carries forward the same design as its 2014 model sold worldwide and the matt black paint scheme isn’t helping matters either. That said, it is the most interesting motorcycle to go on sale here, design-wise. Its underpinnings are derived from the faired F4.
What else?
The seating position is quite compact and taller riders might have trouble accommodating. The seat to is sloped towards the tank and has the rider sliding forward most of the time. What all this actually does is help you move around on the bike when you are up for some spirited riding. The bike would make for a great track tool. Handling is quite good thanks to the Marzocchi forks upfront and Sachs rear dampers. The rear at regular setting feels soft causing the bike to understeer though that can be taken care of. The setup is more liveable with it than its 800cc sibling. The Brembo monoblocs assisted with ABS are exemplary and you have the option of switching ABS off, not that we would recommend doing that in our road conditions.
Powerful?
Internationally, the four cylinder long stroke 1078cc is offered in two states of tune. The 1098 makes 142bhp and 112Nm of torque while the more powerful RR version makes 156bhp but loses on to torque stakes to make 100Nm. We get the base variant and thats a good thing considering our road conditions as torque makes all the difference in real world riding conditions. Even in stock form, the Brutale 1090 is plenty powerful and unless you bring in the heavy hitters, there is really nothing to complain on this front. The trellis frame and extensive use of plastics makes the Brutale light, tipping the scales at 185kg making it one serious performance machine.
Value?
At Rs 19.3 lakh, ex showroom the Brutale 1090 doesn’t exactly scream value. What you do get at close to 20 lakh however is a strong performer with impossibly good looks and in terms of heritage, it is way special than other Italian exotics. Of course it takes a certain degree of skill to ride but it comes with a varying degree of electronic trickery to save your skin on more than one occasion. That alone stands for something.