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MV Agusta Rivale 800 in the driving report

Good things need to be in a hurry

Less than a year ago, the first super sports bikes and naked bikes with the 800 cc three-cylinder engine rolled off the assembly line. Now the Italians are celebrating the next premiere with the MV Agusta Rivale 800 – that of the first supermoto bike in the company’s history.

MV Agusta company owner Giovanni Castiglioni already had the strategic realignment in mid-2013 I.Interview (see MOTORRAD 14/2013) announced: The Italian luxury forge no longer wants to focus exclusively on sports motorcycles, but rather cover a much broader spectrum.

MV Agusta Rivale 800 in the driving report

Good things need to be in a hurry

MV Agusta with the Brutale models a naked bike series aside. But the northern Italians obviously drew fresh courage from the success of the three-cylinder series with 800 cm³ displacement that was initiated this year. MV Agusta owed a sales increase of at least 50 percent in Germany to the athlete F3 800 and the naked Brutale 800.

Naked bike

MV Agusta Rivale 800 in the HP driving report

Magnificent three-cylinder hissing

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Technically, the rival is based on the brutal

And with the still young treble in the frame structure, the MV Agusta Rivale 800 is now venturing into the supermoto segment. Technically, the rival is based on the brutal. While the engine remained unchanged with the crankshaft rotating backwards, the chassis follows the spirit of the offroad-inspired Supermoto concepts: longer suspension travel, a forward seating position, a slim waist and a higher and wider handlebar transform the already sleek brutal into one that is visually even more accentuated Supermoto speedster.

But what did Signore Castiglioni mention during the introduction? The seating position has been moved forward by 18 centimeters than with the Brutale. 18 centimeters! In motorcycle ergonomics, just 30 millimeters can make a difference between wellbeing and discomfort.

On top of that, the fold-out mirrors attached to the handlebars – a stylistic unique selling point of the Ducati Hypermotard until last year – reinforce the fears of a dejà vu experience. The new MV Agusta Rivale 800 will not have taken over the direction of the front-heavy colleague from Bologna until 2012?

MV Agusta

Compared to the basic Brutale model, the design of the Rivale takes on an even more dominant role.

The curiosity increases. Swing your leg over the bench of the MV Agusta Rivale 800 with verve (seat height: 881 millimeters), let the very best slide into the seat recess, excitedly grabbed the rubber grips with your hands and – the all clear. Everything is ergonomically correct. Giovanni was probably referring to the nose of the bench seat, which was pulled much further forward than the Brutale. who knows?

The hissing three-cylinder attracts attention anyway. It runs fine, the 800 triplet, is much smoother than the mechanically rough running 675. Ultimately, it is only differentiated from its little brother by an 8.4 millimeter longer stroke and higher compression (13.3 instead of 12.3). Great, but finally departure!

And no sooner has the gas been applied than the drive flatters itself with its standard gear shift assistant. No coupling, no gas lift, just pull up, and – flutsch – the next aisle is already there. The small hiccups when changing gears, which are typical of such a gearshift aid, transforms after a few effortless gear changes into a positive acoustic comfort signal, which is obviously also received by the engine control of the three-cylinder.

Thanks to the new coordination of the engine management with components from Mikuni (injection body) and the Italian supplier Eldor (computer), the technicians have obviously left the times of rough throttle acceptance – without a doubt the Achilles heel of all current MV Agusta models.

The MV Agusta Rivale 800 convinces on the country road

MV Agusta

That’s where I want to go, that’s where I want to stay: good throttle response, neutral steering behavior.

The triplet now hangs reliably and cultivated on the e-gas, reduces the load changes to a minimum and thus keeps the Supermoto torch on a clean line even in tight turns. The fact that he displays these fine manners in each of the five driving modes (rain, comfort, normal, sport and an individually composable mode) makes the pleasant surprise all the greater. Especially since none of the mappings limit the 125 HP peak power.

That would be a shame. The MV Agusta Rivale 800 adds its refreshing universality to the now so well controllable start, turns carefree and light-footed. Yes, it is really tempting to leave second gear after sweeping and turn the rival down to the buttery-soft limiter that starts at 12,500 rpm.

But firstly because the speedometer of the MV Agusta Rivale 800 shows almost 160 km / h and secondly it roars obtrusively loud from the three stubby tubes of the stainless steel exhaust system, you shift up and leave it with satisfied knowledge of the amazing range of applications of this engine. Also because the chassis – contrary to all the fears mentioned at the beginning – fits seamlessly into the charm offensive.

Because the steering head angle, which is 1.5 degrees flatter than the Brutale, the 9.5 millimeter longer caster and the 30 millimeter longer wheelbase have done the rival good in every respect.

Instead of tipping overhandedly into the curves like the Brutale, it now draws its track cleanly and neutrally. The fact that she feels a little more sluggish than her only slightly older sister is in the nature of the matter, doesn’t bother in the least and brings soothing calm to the grueling curve flickflack.

Just like the easily adjustable but not too aggressive brakes of the MV Agusta Rivale 800. And instead of occasionally hitting the handlebars nastily on the straights, the Supermoto holds the line in a remarkably stable manner and cannot even be disturbed by bitumen strips crossing at an acute angle or warps.

The Marzocchi front fork also contributes to this, as it smoothes out almost every pothole with its decent response and spring travel increased to 150 millimeters. Only the tightly tuned Sachs shock absorber doesn’t quite play along and occasionally kicks the MV pilot in the back on bumpy country roads despite adjustable rebound and compression damping.

The MV Agusta Rivale 800 doesn’t shine everywhere

MV Agusta

The folding rearview mirror is reminiscent of the Ducati Hypermotard. The hand shells integrate turn signals and light bar.

Nevertheless, the rival driver will usually be able to avoid looking in the rear-view mirror due to the lack of adequate opponents. Better this way. Because the unorthodox mounted mirrors force you to look back to lower your gaze. That is not safe, cumbersome on top of that.

In this environment, which has developed so positively in many aspects, it is more of a blemish, one might think, and in the euphoria, many points of criticism of the rival would be forgotten. Sure, you can be bothered by the poorly defined handlebar switch for setting the driving modes or the difficult-to-read digital tachometer.

But other aspects weigh more heavily: the newly shaped tank of the rival has a capacity of 12.9 liters, which is 3.7 liters less than that of the brutal, and there will be ABS for the Supermoto bike at the beginning of next year at the earliest.

And in terms of price, the rival breaks with the moderate tariff policy of MV Agusta, which was just announced in the interview mentioned above. At 12,865 euros (including ancillary costs) the new one is 1,600 euros above the level of the Brutale 800 (11,265 euros) and also just under one and a half thousand above the tariff of its toughest competitor, the Ducati Hypermotard (11,495 euros).

In addition, a detailed test in one of the next issues of MOTORRAD will reveal whether the eight-stage traction control is designed to be more sensitive than the previously shirt-sleeved regulation, and the scales will show whether the rival really has an impressive 11 kilos more on its ribs than the brutal.

But the bottom line is that the positive clearly predominate: With the Rivale 800, MV Agusta succeeded in more than just entering a new market segment. It is just as important that the MV technicians were able to eliminate the weaknesses of the Brutale models in the new supermoto bike, especially the critical throttle response and the wobbly steering behavior. A good signal – not just for the rivals.

Technical specifications

MV Agusta

MV Agusta rival 800.

Technical specifications

engine
Water-cooled three-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, a balance shaft, two overhead, chain-driven camshafts, four valves per cylinder, bucket tappets, wet sump lubrication, injection, Ø 47 mm, regulated catalytic converter, 350 W alternator, 12 V / 9 Ah battery, hydraulically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, Six-speed gearbox, O-ring chain, secondary ratio 41:16.

Bore x stroke: 79.0 x 54.3 mm

Displacement: 798 cm³

Compression ratio: 13.3: 1

rated capacity 92.0 kW (125 PS) at 12,000 rpm

Max. Torque 84 Nm at 8600 rpm

Technically, the MV Agusta Rivale 800 is based on the Naked Bike Brutale. While the engine was taken over unchanged, the chassis of the rival differs significantly from the sister model.

  • Steering head flatter (64.5 degrees instead of 66 degrees)
  • trailing longer (104.5 mm instead of 95 mm)
  • wheelbase longer (1410 instead of 1380 mm)
  • Sitting position 180 mm further forward
  • Seat height larger (881 instead of 810 mm)
  • Suspension travel longer (150/130 mm instead of 125/125 mm)
  • Weight distribution (front / back) changed (49.7 / 50.3 instead of 51.7 / 48.3 percent)
  • Tank volume reduced (12.9 instead of 16.6 liters)
  • Dry weight 11 kg higher
  • Handlebars wider and taller
  • Air filter box smaller
  • Exhaust manifold and collector With
    changed volume
  • price (12,865 instead of 11,265 euros)

Buy MV Agusta motorcycles on markt.motorradonline.de

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