Church Of MO – 2004 MV Agusta Brutale S On The Track, Dyno & Street

If there’s one thing you can count on in the world of motorcycledom, it’s that MV Agustas will always be beautiful. Case in point: the Brutale. In this case, the 750cc inline-Four Brutale S, designed by none other than the great Massimo Tamburini. In this week’s Church of MO feature we go back to 2004, and Sean Alexander’s impressions of the stunningly beautiful 750 Brutale. Sean was still at his fighting weight back then, AMA racing and all, which makes his thoughts about the MV all the more interesting. Does beauty translate into a winning street and track naked? Read on to find out. Also, be sure to check out the five-page photo gallery for a lot more pictures.

As people stare with mouths agape and unabashed lust in their eyes, there’s no denying the fact that this is one sexy and exotic motorcycle. However, as a “professional motojournalist” – (cough!), it is my job to test these things and tell you about them, without the rose-colored glasses and the dribbling spittle of a rabid motorcycle fanatic. As with most jobs, some days are easier than others.

Today, I’m finding my job to be a little tougher than most. You see, I have to give you the straight poop on one of Massimo Tamburini’s finest pieces of lustworthy moto sculpture. Youdo know Tamburini, don’t you? He’s that guy who co-founded Bimota, helped bring us the original Ducati Desmoquattros and penned the stunning and oft-imitated 916 family of motorcycles. His touch was sorely missed, when Ducati replaced the 916 series with the Pierre Terblanche designed 999 family. However, Ducati’s loss was CRC/Cagiva/MV Agusta’s gain and the stunning MV Agusta F4 and Brutale serve to underline all that is “right” with Italian motorcycle design in the 21st century.

My first exposure to Buzz’s Brutale came at Willow Springs Raceway’s “Big Track”. A sun and wind blasted wide-open expanse of asphalt snaking through the Mojave foothills, Willow Springs isn’t what one would call an “ideal” place to evaluate streetfighter type motorcycles. However, Willow does allow one to concentrate on a motorcycle’s steady-state suspension feedback, not to mention the motor’s ability to pull the bike through various 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th gear stretches.

During my racetrack ride, the Brutale amazed me with its ability to feel very light, while remaining stable everywhere around the track. It amazed me with its powerful six-piston Nissin brakes and ability to repeatedly scrub speed like a racebike (Believe me, I can burn the stock brakes off most bikes in about 12 laps, but these Nissins were every bit as good as the best Brembos I’ve tested.) I was likewise amazed by its super-compact dimensions and racebike aggressive footpeg position.

You’d think all this amazement would result in my loving the Brutale on the racetrack. Alas, somehow I found the bike a little disconcerting at speed. It did sound nice, and it sure was eager to wheelie out of the pit lane. It even remained quite fun on track right up to a 90% pace. However, once the tires were warm and I started probing max lean angle, I found it hard to decipher what the bike was telling me. This feeling never caused any scary “moments” but it did keep me from pushing any harder. Some of this is no doubt caused by not having the suspension completely dialed-in, but that doesn’t explain all of it. The problem isn’t the “standard” upright style handlebars either, because I’ve won more than 30 Expert roadraces on motorcycles equipped with similar handlebars, so it’s safe to say that I’m used to the differences between clip-ons and regular handlebars, when it comes to front tire weighting and feedback.

Buzz’s Brutale was set-up with way too little compression and rebound damping for truly fast riding. After awkwardly tiptoeing around for my first four laps, I came back to the pits and maxed the rebound damping adjustment. I also added a few clicks of compression damping. This made a noticeable improvement during subsequent sessions, but I still think the bike needs more rebound damping or perhaps a set of lighter springs.

I’ve heard quite a bit about MV’s radial-valve 750cc inline-four and not all of it was positive. The gist of it being that the bike sounds awesome, but pulls more like a strong 600, rather than a modern 750cc “Superbike”. My firsthand racetrack experience served to validate those rumors, as the bike does indeed feel a bit soft on acceleration and the engine seems to prefer that you rev it to the moon, while tap dancing on the shifter. When you comply with its wishes, the Brutale rewards you with a healthy pull and some seriously sexy sounds. Some people say “Ferrari”, when they describe the engine’s note, but to me it is more of a raspy high-revving four cylinder snarl-wail, than a sonorous V-12 howl.

There is little doubt that the engine sounds cool as you troll through the pits blipping the throttle. However, even when properly warmed-up, the engine has a tendency to stall if you let the revs fall back to idle too quickly. It stalled on me three times in the pits at Willow and once more rolling up to a stoplight in LA traffic. It would seem that the fuel injection mapping needs a few more hours of fine-tuning. This impression was further reinforced when I ran the Brutale on MO’s Dynojet Dyno, as there is a noticeable hitch around 4,000RPM and considerable smoke on overrun when the throttle is chopped. I suspect an overly rich fuel map to be the culprit, but then again I’m no mechanic.

Even with the wonky injection mapping, the 750cc Brutale generates 107.2Hp and 52LbFt, with both peaks arriving at 11,000-RPM. More relevant for street use, is the fact that the Brutale stays above 40LbFt, from just above 5,000RPM, all the way to its 13,000-RPM rev limiter. For comparison, the 636cc Kawasaki ZX-6R generates 108.3Hp @ 12,700-RPM and 47.1LbFt @ 11,000-RPM, with a noticeably softer low-mid range than the MV’s 750 motor. With the slightly puzzling racetrack handling and the under achieving motor, it’s really no surprise that my personal recommendation is to look elsewhere for your next “naked” track day bike.

Ok, so now KPaul can proceed to tell all of us why the Brutale is inferior to a GSX-R750 on the Price:Performance chart. While he is busy babbling away, it is important to note that forreal world street motorcycling, the underwhelming engine performance will still be way more than sufficient for sport riding. Not to mention the fact that the Brutale still makes more power than 1000cc sportbikes did 15 years ago. Trust me, the Brutale isn’t slow.

On the street, the Brutale’s rough edges are somehow less obtrusive. I don’t think they are any less pronounced, it’s just that the lower dynamic demands of the street team with the sexy engine sounds and cause the rider to overlook the bike’s shortcomings, as he is distracted by the bikes’ overall attitude and overwhelmed by the simple joy of piloting a great looking motorcycle that’s blessed with an abundance of “character”. Much like Aprilia’s stellar Tuono, the MV Brutale has an innate ability to turn the mundane into the extraordinary and the minor moving violation into a 1st degree felony.

I’m not really sure which of the bike’s traits are most offensive to the local constabulary. Is it the “less quiet” nature of the Brutale’s intake and exhaust, or is it the fact that while riding in any gear lower than 4th, the bike -more likely than not- is wagging its front tire about three feet off the pavement? These are real problems that cause genuine traffic citations and generate grouchy neighbors. These are EXACTLY the problems that hooligan bike buyers pay good money to obtain.

On the street, the Brutale doesn’t disappoint. I was smiling in my helmet, every time the bike would make that rough transition through 4-5K RPM, because I knew that it was about to stretch my arms and time-warp forward to the next group of caged sheep. Between playing with the sound, the acceleration and the wheelies, there is little consideration left for officer avoidance. Giggles ensue.

Story by Buzglyd

“She’ll burn your house down and crash you car, but one night with her will be worth all of it.” Have you ever met a girl like that? (Yes, and they were all redheads -Sean) I have and she was gone, after a ten-day whirlwind romance. The MV Agusta Brutale is the motorcycling equivalent. My infatuation with the naked MV came upon me shortly after my purchase of a 2003 Ultra Classic Electra Glide. I triumphantly took down my computer’s Harley-Davidson wallpaper after buying the E Glide, since my beloved Harley was now in my garage. After seeing her in person at the Long Beach Motorcycle Show, I decided to replace my HD wallpaper with a photo of the MV Brutale, rather than a pic of some big-breasted bimbo. This was a big mistake! I did not intend to actually buy another motorcycle. I already had a nice Ducati ST4 alongside the Electra Glide, making for the perfect V-twin harmony in my garage. But she just kept calling me. I had no room in my life for such a temptress, but I couldn’t get her out of my brain. I closed my eyes and her image would be in front of me…..Oh wait! We’re talking about a motorcycle here, aren’t we? Sorry.

So what’s she like to own? Beyond the looks, there is the sound. This is one of the sexiest sounding four cylinder motors ever. I can’t believe this thing is street legal, because it is quite loud. The 750cc four has a nice raspy exhaust note and the intake honk right around 6,000 RPM is pure 60s Ferrari (Not a chance! Sure, it sounds great, but no four cylinder will ever sound as nice as a Colombo or Lampredi designed 60° V-12 sucking through six twin-choke Webers. But we digress… -Sean). The suspension is a bit harsh, but it gets better the faster you ride the bike. I softened it up too much prior to our track day, leaving Sean a little disappointed. However, trust me the firmer settings would have been perfect. True to its name, the Brutale is quite brutal on Interstate 5 though. Bring your kidney belt. The bike changes direction quickly and upon changing the tires from stock Michelin Pilot Sports to Pirelli’s excellent Diablo Corsa (thank you Pirelli!), she sticks like glue. As an added bonus, wheelies are a breeze with the short wheelbase.

Listen fellow MOFOs, life is short and we only get few opportunities to own something truly special in our lives. You can argue that the Brutale is way more expensive than a Kawasaki Z1, but it’s still cheaper than a new Hyundai. Go ahead, take the plunge. You can always buy a new house and car.