Shoehorned into the MV Agusta Brutale’s exquisitely hand-made chassis is the engine from the F4 RR312 superbike, retuned to give more mid-range thump. With a furious, rasping 154bhp pushing it along, the MV Agusta Brutale has the kind of acceleration you imagined a 500cc two-stroke GP bike would have when you were a kid. It’s impossible to get the throttle to the stop all the way through the revs in the first three gears because the MV will loop-the-loop. With that kind of violence available at your right wrist you start to think that the name Brutale is an understatement. The MV Agusta F**king Mental would be more apt.
There’s less vibration from the new engine compared to the old 910 and 750, and the fuelling is a massive improvement, too. The improved throttle response and the more supple suspension completely transform the character from racetrack refugee to comfortable, friendly sparring partner.
