First ride preview: MV Agusta Brutale

This is the new entry-level MV Agusta Brutale which, despite lashings of Italian flair and 130bhp performance, costs the same as a Yamaha FZ1 at £9999.

The bike is a smaller, cheaper version of the 990 Brutale – the engine has been reduced in capacity to 921cc from 989cc yet still packs 130bhp at 10,500rpm and has a creamy 70ftlb of torque at 8100rpm.

Other changes are harder to spot. The front indicators are no longer housed in the back of the mirrors but are conventionally mounted either side of the headlight.

The Brembo brakes are still radially-mounted at the front but they aren’t the latest monobloc versions.

What’s it like to ride?
The 100 miles we covered in lashing rain did show that the bike is very comfortable thanks to a new lower, narrower seat; it offers reasonable weather protection for a naked bike; the motor manages to combine an easy-going nature with a nicely ferocious bark when revved, and it has great standard fit Pirelli Angel ST tyres that gripped even in deep water.

You can read the full first ride impressions on the MV Agusta Brutale in the February 23 issue of MCN.