All Tests – Test of the Rivale: the new generation MV Agusta – Day 2: MNC gets off!

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Trial of the Rivale: the new generation MV Agusta

All Tests - Test of the Rivale: the new generation MV Agusta - Day 2: MNC gets off!

Voted the most beautiful motorcycle at the Milan show last year, the Rivale 800 arrives this weekend in the MV Agusta dealerships where it is being tested. Site took a few hours in advance by participating in its press presentation near Nice. Test !

Day 2: MNC gets off the ground !

"Here comes the sun"… and with it the second day of testing the MV Agusta Rivale 800! Heavy clouds still threaten the Nice hinterland and the roads are still wet in places, but our GOT (Gentils Organisateurs Transalpins) are categorical : it won’t rain !

The climb to Coursegoules is done this time at a much more sustained pace and the opener encourages us to pull more on the first three gears. MNC (re) therefore discovers a particularly explosive 798 cc "Tre Pistoni" past 6000 rpm.

The times seem all the more muscular as they are perfectly doubled by the sonorous hum of the airbox and the roars of the three small exhausts! As on the Brutale, the mill (water and oil) spits 125 horsepower at 12,000 rpm and they seemed to us to be there.

No need, however, to climb up to the breaker – at 12,500 rpm – to fill up with sensations: at 8,600 rpm already, the three-cylinder from Varese reaches its maximum torque of 84 Nm, i.e. three more than on the roadster and one less than on the sports car (which produces 148 horsepower).

"From 7000 rpm, the bar of 75 Nm is crossed", specified us the responsible of the engines MV Agusta, Brian Gillen. And the guy was certainly not lying, given the vigor of the acceleration past this course, a little hard to watch out of the corner of your eye on the new dashboard…

The graduations and inscriptions of the digital tachometer are indeed a bit small. At a steady pace, however, it can be noted that 120 km / h is reached at 6,000 rpm in sixth gear. The maximum speed estimated by MV Agusta seems correct: 245 km / h, exactly like the Brutale 800 which shares the same gears.

The angles, much sharper and more pronounced than in the wet, highlight the qualities of the slightly revised tubular chassis of the Supermot ‘: "on paper, the caster angle is increased by 1.5 ° compared to the Brutale, but when the rider gets on the bike, the difference is only half a degree", explain the engineers.

The rider was naturally taken into consideration during the design of the bike and it is because of its very advanced positioning on the machine that this MV Agusta is the very first of the brand to be heavier from the rear: very precisely "89.5 kg on the rear wheel against 88.5 on the front wheel", or 178 in all. The count is good !

On the road, the cycle part of the Rivale is impressive in terms of lightness and precision. The efforts on the handlebars are insignificant to turn the bike from one pin to another, and minimal to chain the tight turns of our start of the course..

It is only around wet patches in the shade of trees or in short tunnels that the new MV Agusta loses its splendor: by pulling the front brake lever, the rider feels his mount stiffen and must concentrate to maintain its trajectory.

Like the Brutale, the Rivale is fitted with a 43mm Marzocchi fork, but its 150mm travel (compared to 125mm on the roadster) makes it a little more responsive when braking when entering a curve. Likewise, the Sachs shock absorber (+10 mm of travel) is a little less rigorous in the "ex-factory" setting..

Fortunately, the slight widenings on bumpy corner exits are still perfectly manageable and far from scary, so overall the Rivale allows you to ride – very – fast without being scared. Better, we really enjoy our handlebars !

Rival of the Brutales ?

Braking is part of the celebrations: as effective on this point as its Brutale 800 twin, the Rivale should delight lovers of beautiful glides from the back … even if the Site did not risk this perilous exercise. !

The only frustration of MNC at the controls of the Rivale is due to the traction control … set to 8, an oversight! Although without an angle sensor, the MV Agusta system then excessively restrained the bike when relaunching out of a pin. To see our colleagues escape the acceleration, the high side was not yet watching us…

The Rivale is a great toy for adults, and even for "very" adults, since its saddle rises to 881 mm in height. Only those over 1.80 m will be perfectly comfortable at a standstill and they will then have no problem to fit their knees, the latter wedging directly between the tank and the frame: im-pec-cable !

During the "linking stages", the comfort of the buttocks is there: the small thickness of the saddle is compensated by its width in its rear part. In "special" on the other hand, MNC advises to move forward slightly in order to put the weight on the front of the machine, otherwise the front wheel can sometimes lose its directive function. !

Even in town, the Rivale is pleasantly accommodating thanks to a fork that filters all the imperfections of the alleys better than that of a Brutale. In terms of the rear axle, on the other hand, the Supermot ‘is not particularly tender towards the lower back.

More handicapping in built-up areas, the mirrors attached to each end of the handlebars will greatly limit changes in traffic jams: "however, we offer more classic mirrors as an accessory, but no less attractive", respond tac-au-tac the Italians !

Likewise, too much exposure to shocks from the indicators – placed on the hand guards at the front and at the level of the wheel at the rear – could irritate the most urban. By pure mistake during this test, Site managed to feel the rear end of a colleague … The indicator and its LEDs did not resist !

Let us also point out to the attention of those who would have detected the real advantages of a Supermotard in the city center – the agility, the dominant driving position and the speed which characterize this Rivale – that this MV Agusta does not offer lights distress.

But all these practical considerations will not discourage those who, after one, will have fallen for the explosive engine of this motorcycle, for its cycle part as easy as it is efficient, but also – and above all? – for its original look !

The plastic of this beautiful Italian indeed allows it to distinguish itself from its Brutale sisters and from all of the current production: the rear part, in particular, gives this bike a clean and strong identity that allows the biker to stand out, essential notion for some.

In the end, two obstacles remain, the same which have penalized large Supermotard or "Hypermotard" in the past: insufficient autonomy (the Rivale only carries 12.9 liters of fuel) and a high price compared to roadsters of equivalent displacement..

Revised upwards a few days before the motorcycle arrives at the dealership, the price of the MV Agusta Rivale 800 is set at 12,590 euros, without ABS and "ex works" (packaging and transport costs not included) . For this price, MV Agusta promised an irreproachable finish, which is not quite the case.

While the mechanical parts are beautiful, the plastic assemblies are precise and the quality of the paints is remarkable, the electrical harness continues to overflow from all sides, especially at the level of the chassis and the cockpit. To perfect … on the ?!

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