Roadster – Test MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR: good, gross and ugly at the same time – Dragster 800, RR spokes in action!

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MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR test: good, bad and ugly at the same time

Roadster - Test MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR: good, gross and ugly at the same time - Dragster 800, RR spokes in action!

Like the Brutale 800, the Dragster 800 was available in 2015 in an RR version that Site was able to test on the – more or less – beautiful roads of Tuscany. Modeled on the roadster, MV Agusta’s spaghetti muscle bike has us… transferred! Test.

Dragster 800, RR spokes in action !

Gentle and considerate at idle and just above, the 3-cylinder 798 cc readily accepts to turn under 3000 rpm even in 6th. It pulls hard on the arms past 4000 rpm in 4th gear and becomes downright bestial from 8000 rpm to the switch (13,200 rpm) on the first three reports.

It is in this latter situation that the driving position of the Dragster 800 RR finds its full meaning: identical to that of the "standard" Dragster, the pilot’s attitude is more fixed on the front than on the Brutales. A good point when we know the propensity has the "roadsteRRrr" to pitch up on its rear wheel !

Certainly, bikers with long legs who have the habit of backing up in their saddles to limit the flexion of their knees may feel a bit trapped. But we stay stuck "in" the saddle of the Dragster, never stuck.

On the other hand, all users, large or small, plump or thin, will blame the saddle for its lack of comfort. Not much thicker than one, it doesn’t sag a nanometer when you sit on it … just like the shock absorber. Compared to the Brutale, the saddle of the Dragster RR suddenly seems higher than what the manufacturer suggests (respectively 810 and 811 mm).

As on the Brutale 800 RR (read our again, since we assure you that the two motorcycles share the same engine and the same transmission!), We take great pleasure in up and down gears without resorting to the left lever thanks to the convincing shifter " Up & Down ". The acceleration and recovery in Sport mode are all the more effective !

In this "Double R" version, the Dragster is not very far from the maximum power displayed by the Diavel (162 hp in the free world). The Ducati may benefit from a much more generous maximum torque (127.5 Nm in full), it weighs 42 kg more than the MV Agusta (respectively 210 and 168 kg dry). Site would be curious to oppose these two "Muscolo-Bici"…

While waiting for this enticing duel, MNC continues to whip Varese’s motorcycle on his own. Identical to the Brutale 800 RR in terms of powertrain – it’s so good, why modify it ?! -, the Dragster 800 RR differs significantly in terms of handling.

While the roadster tends to disunite softly on bad surface, the fault in particular with an insufficiently hydraulically braked shock absorber, its version "muscle-bike" on steroids is block. In the end, the trajectory is not better preserved, but the sensations change radically !

On the ugly fitting present right at the entrance to the bend where our photographer was stationed (gloups), the impact of the front wheel is not sufficiently filtered by the fork. It transmits without great care the shock to the pretty half-handlebars … and therefore to the arms. The steering damper is not there to decorate !

The passage of the rear wheel is not smoother – this time, it is the buttocks who taste -, so that the bike widens with a start. "You will feel the difference between the Brutale and the Dragster", the young, handsome and big boss of MV Agusta warned us:"one is sweet, the other is extreme". There is indeed no photo !

Trembling too on small bumpy roads, the pilot quickly understands that the Dragster 800 RR is not made for this type of alternative route. A hint less agile than the Brutale because of its 200 mm rear tire, it is especially much drier..

Too reactive on bumps at the entry of a curve, the bike is also too rigid at the exit: the rear tire may be wide, it struggles to pass all the power to the ground and the traction control, however very permissive, ends up limiting the engine, very smoothly though.

What corresponds much better to the Dragster 800 RR, it is the large curves with the impeccable ribbon in which its rigor and its precision fly. Under these conditions – encountered in the second part of the press launch of the two "RR" in Tuscany – MNC was able to realize that the Dragster was indeed a monster (hum) of efficiency..

The owners of maxiroadsters or sports cars, who will not fail to sneer at the "have-you-well-ogled-from-top-to-bottom" look of this MV, risk being surprised as they will have to spit in the gloves to follow her! "Laughs best who laughs last", could well become the motto of the owners of Dragster 800 RR…

Equipped with the same 320mm front discs and four piston calipers and radial mount – Brembo, per favore! – than the standard Dragster, the RR allows brute braking, of course, but not thick: the approaches to bends are always finely controlled. Again, the MV Agusta will surprise more than one !

The point on which it is not likely to deceive many, on the other hand, is the comfort: quite capable of rolling calmly thanks to its perfectly calibrated injection and its light and intuitive cycle part, the Dragster 800 RR does not spare his pilot enough.

Whether on cobblestones and speed bumps in a city center or on bumps and holes in small roads, the rider clearly does not benefit from the 125 mm of travel (front and rear) announced by the Italians on their technical sheet….

On highways either the Dragster does not convince much, because of the vibrations that one feels rising through the sumptuous aluminum plates of the frame and which are installed under the buttocks of the pilot … In addition, the sound volume generated by the exhausts ends up stunning.

While potential customers will ignore this rowdy sound – or rather, since it fits perfectly with the spirit of this bike! – they will undoubtedly regret the firmness of the rear shock absorber and the smoothness of the saddle.

"We would have liked to benefit from the Brutale shock absorber on the Dragster to gain comfort"Site points out to Brian Gillen, head of 3 and 4-cylinder platforms at MV Agusta."But this is the case, only the hydraulic settings differ !", he retorts at the end of our ride.

To summarize, this "spaghetti muscle bike" therefore offers an amazing engine – even brilliant: self-control required! -, a very rigorous cycle part – sometimes too much! -, electronics and high-end equipment, all for a very high price, especially with regard to its average displacement. In three words: this Dragster 800 RR is at the same time good, gross and ugly. Notice to amateurs !

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