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MV’s 675 Brutale to be a Street Triple Slayer?

MV Agusta’s 675cc F3 is a hotly anticipated bike, but what about those of us who want a more-upright seating position and a lower price? As we reported in June, MV has a naked Brutale version on its way, to be revealed officially at the upcoming Milan EICMA show in November. But there won’t be much to reveal, as there’s a spy photo of the bike circulating on the Web (which you can see here), and MV Agusta CEO Giovanni Castiglioni has revealed the bike’s price (under 9,000 Euro) in an interview with freelancer Tor Sagen.

The Brutale 675 B3 will use the faired F3’s tube steel/aluminum chassis and single-sided swingarm, but have different bodywork and controls. The motor will also be in a different state of tune, probably producing five or 10 less horsepower than the F3’s claimed 120 at the crank. Italy’s Motociclismo magazine reports the bike will weigh in at 368 pounds dry.

That low price heralds a new era for MV Agusta. At around 8800 or 8900 Euros, the Brutale 675 is priced 190 Euros under the Triumph’s Street Triple R’s Italian pricing, and the F3 is 11,900 Euros, also near its Japanese and British rivals. But that’s not all—more 675-based models (including what Castiglioni calls an “MV Agusta interpretation of what could be a motard”) are in the development pipeline, as well as an 800cc Triple-cylinder sportbike and naked. Castiglioni told Sagen that this new “midrange” lineup “will allow us to double sales,” and put the 20-year-old company “in direct competition with Triumph and the Japanese.”

Will the more-established players be looking worriedly over their shoulders any time soon? Probably not in the near future. MV Agusta has limited production capacity and a tiny dealer network, and Castiglioni told Sagen he wants MV to remain small and family owned. But the 31-year-old Castiglioni seems like a smart and ambitious guy, with a vision of following auto manufacturer Porsche’s resurgence and success. I’d expect the iconic brand to become more established and have a much more certain future after years of uneven performance.

14 Comments

  1. Luther says:

    MV might do well in Italy. In the states, things like service, reliability, and spare parts supply are crucial factors to a brand’s survival. Most of the triumph dealers I see in the states are triumph/BMW/another brand. Aprillia and KTM can’t find local dealers because their prior dealers let them go because of part supply issues. So, unless MV can put together a dealer network here, I don’t see them threatening the street triple.

    I’ll note that triumph keeps the streetie’s power below 100hp because of French horsepower restrictions. They don’t have to sell a different model there, and it saves costs.
    Historically, racing wins don’t help sale rise, and racing losses can cost sales. Triumph was at it’s performance peak in 1971, and five years later was virtually gone from the US market. Indian whipped the tar out of Harley and never had the sales figures. Yamaha won world superbike, and the motogp in 2010, yet they took a bigger drop in sales than any other japanese manufacturer.

  2. ziggy says:

    Finally someone has the balls to take shot at the champ.

    Who gives a sh*t if it’s an overpriced Italian Prima Donna.

    Let the games begin!

  3. Neil says:

    I always thought of them as overpriced multi inline cylinder Ducatis. That being said, if I compare it to say, the Harley XR1200, it can win hands down because MV choose to use modern engineering on their bikes. Imgagine the XR with a more balanced motor. I have seen several people crashing XR’s on their owners web site, losing the front end and XR racers saying they have too little feel from the front end. Well, MV answers that with bikes that give you lighter weight, more balanced motors and better front end feedback. It is not trying to be anything but what it is, an MV. Italian. Attention grabbing. Functional. Could be really nice.

  4. Bud says:

    Will the 675/800 have the radial valve layout? I haven’t been able to find out much about that setup online. Is it a positive selling point or a showroom feature that’s not worth the extra complexity and is only there because since it’s Italian it needs to have a unique valvetrain? Because otherwise I really really like the Brutales.

    • Norm G. says:

      no, the triple will not use the radial valve layout. given the reduced size design target there apparently wasn’t going to be enough room… or so i’ve read…?

  5. Cory says:

    It may impact Triumph sales in Europe, but not in the US. Triumph has aggressively campaigned the US market since day one, has a well supported, sizable dealership network in relation to it’s size as a company, and dead reliable machines all at competitive prices. I have seen Triumph either sold as a standalone brand or with unrelated/non-competing brands, making it further stand out. MV Agusta tends to be treated like a second fiddle brand in what are essentially Ducati dealerships, rather than a premium brand.
    That being said, I would love to have both bikes to do my own comparison;) and I would love to see the Daytona and the F3 scrap it out in Supersport.

    Cory
    2002 ST4s Ducati

    • Hot Dog says:

      Triumph has done well because it’s bikes are “Anything other than Japanese” and they build a great machine. If they have “Aggressively campaigned”, as noted, why haven’t they attended the International Motorcyle Show that travels around the country? Wouldn’t this be a great venue to compare products to other manufacturers? Do they participate at races, like Indy and Laguna, with product displays?

      • Jeremy in TX says:

        I like Japanese bikes very much, and I like Triumphs very much. I don’t like them because I can’t stand the thought of owning a bike from another country/manufacturer. They have “aggressively campaigned” and won many customers in different niches of the market: cruisers, retros and street fighters / hooligan bikes / whatever you want to call them. Do they race? No. Why would they? They don’t have any race replcias in their model lineup. The 675R is a great track tool for those who care to use it as such, but it sells by being different rather than trying to dominate in a cookie-cutter 599cc market. Have they been at the IMS the past few years? No, but many of their competitors have opted out of that as well as has the attendance. They just decided they could reach customers better in other ways.

        MV will have to finds its own formula that works with its brand, but taking after Triumph’s strategy is a huge step in the right direction. They’ll figure it out from there. I’d seriously consider buying a Brutale Jr.

      • Cory says:

        The campaigning of “Go your own Way” may explain this a bit, but the travelling demo truck travelling to various dealerships around the country is part of the campaigning. They also support dealerships that are not always in the highest traffic markets. They have been at Honda Hoot in year’s past, giving demo ride, as well as Americade.
        Their racing support could be better, but you will see triumphs in Wera and AMA classes, as well as British Supersport and World Supersport.
        Ultimately, Triumph is still a very small company on the world level, and they have to pick and choose their battles carefully. So far, they have had more hits than misses.

  6. Roadrash1 says:

    I dunno…..reliability means something to a lot of buyers. My Street Triple R has been one of the most dead solid perfect bikes I’ve ever had. If it were possible, I’d ride it to the moon and back! I’ve got a great, established Triumph dealer right down the road (180 miles) in Omaha. Where does a person find an MV dealer?

    • AndrewF says:

      Given equal price and equal quality I know I would take the MV over Triumph without hesitation because Speed/Street Triples might be great to ride, but in my opinion they would have to be the ugliest mainstream bikes currently in production. I think as long as MV don’t screw this up, they will have a real winner.

      • blackcayman says:

        No doubt the MV has it on the Triumph in the design/appearance category…but you give no creedence to the dealer support aspect of a “new”, “Italian” motorcycle???

    • Jeremy in TX says:

      MV definitely has some proving to do. Triumph went through the same stage and delivered mightily on the reliability front. There is no reason MV couldn’t do the same. But they have to make it a priority like Triumph did, set some high goals, and make the investment at the front end to make it happen.

  7. brinskee says:

    It looks okay BUT WHY DO THE ITALIANS KEEP PUTTING THE EXHAUST WHERE MY HEEL GOES?!? Not all of us are 5’6″ Italian men with size 8 shoes. COME ON ITALIA! I’ve already melted one pair of really good SIDI boots on my Multistrada 1200…

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