Motorcycle tests at motorradtest.de

MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RS reviewed (Baujahr 2022)

208 hp with only 186 kg weight ready to drive - still questions?

24.05.2022

Photos: Motorradtest.de

The MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RS is the slightly more suitable sister of the Brutale 1000 RR with higher handlebars and a more digestible Streetfighter seating position. After a test drive, Volker and Dietmar describe what happens when 208 hp meet a machine weighing 186 kg. In the meantime, our adrenaline level has settled down to normal.

Attention, danger!

If you don't have 25,000 euros left, you shouldn't read on now - because that's how much the incarnate dream of every Italobike lover costs. For comparison: A Ducati Streetfighter V4 costs just under 20,000 euros and the other competitors from Triumph, KTM, Yamaha and BMW level off between 15,000 and 18,000 euros. So the MV is not a snapper, but is technically fully equipped, but we'll get to that later.

>>> comparison MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RS with competitors (Hyper-Nakedbikes) <<<

We want to start with the seating position of the RS and it is classically Streetfighter moderate. You sit upright in front of a very wide handlebar and the footpegs are not mounted too far back, unlike the Brutale 1000 RR. Knee angle, knee closure, etc. are commodious. The seat height of 845 mm also sounds higher than it feels. You sit wonderfully gathered and front-wheel oriented on the bike. We simply keep silent about the pillion business. The passenger has his knees between his ears, as his footpegs are almost at tank level. But let's be honest: Who wants to ride on this machine in pairs?

That's how upright you sit on the MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RS.

The machine is available in grey and red. She already looks like a big cat before jumping in the photos. It is not without reason that MV's advertising slogan is "Muscle at any angle". If you change the language on the MV website to German it becomes "Striking design from all sides". Both sayings hit the nail on the head: This machine in particular is a feast for the eyes. Due to the raised exhaust and the single-sided swingarm, the rear wheel is completely exposed. Many small details such as the winglets, the air diffusers at the rear or the rear-wheel quick-release fastener underline the racing claim.
MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RS in rot

360 degree tour around the MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RS

What she should be able to do

The RS is technically fully equipped. There are lean angle sensors, lift detection for front and rear wheels, TFT colour display, cruise control, launch control and connectivity for the smartphone. Thanks to the "MV My Ride" app, the rider can make all settings either on the bike or via smartphone - and there are really many of these settings.

We really like the luminaire design of the MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RS. At the front, a Porsche-look headlight greets you with LED daytime running lights, which can be switched to low beam via an extra switch. The rear light is very wide through the air passage the whole thing looks like a UFO lighting. All lights including the turn signals are equipped with LED technology.

Operation is carried out via a single (!) Toggle and pressure switch on the left. This works surprisingly easy, even if thanks to the many options the right "menu page" has to be found at the beginning. The readability of the reflective display is good, even if - typically Italian - the numbers are sometimes a bit playfully small & italic.

This is how it drives itself

This driving machine wants to be moved, and that's exactly what we're doing now. As soon as I start it, the first shiver runs down my spine - followed by a beetle that has fallen into my jacket, but that doesn't bother me now. I enjoy the sound of the row foursome, which sounds different and also drives differently than you are used to from typical row fours. The sound is rough & mangy, at the top right there is an audio sound check, have fun with your own goose bumps.

Already on the first meters the lightness of the bike is noticeable. Thanks to its short wheelbase, it is manoeuvrable without appearing wobbly. The engine is not as radical as we feared. At least you can also drive at low revs without the chain hitting or the engine clearing its throat ungratefully. When taking off the throttle, there are wonderful Sprotzer sounds with small bang effects - wonderful. The performance of the RS is - if you want it - but still brutal: The machine goes forward in such a way that your mouth becomes dry. It does not even try to describe this further: Only a test drive helps. For example, at Bergmann & Söhne in Hamburg, who lent us the test bike and where you should also audition for a test ride.

The gearbox is a little polarizing. It is sometimes a bit tricky, the idle is not so easy to find at first and you need a moment to get used to the circuit. But it doesn't matter, because the bike has of course a well-functioning QuickShifter incl. Blipper. When typing down, the machine briefly double-declutches and also the upshifting without clutch succeeds perfectly and without much jerking. The chassis of our test bike was perfectly adjusted. The high-quality and fully adjustable Marzocchi USD fork gives plenty of feedback on the road surface and enables efficient gassing. Nevertheless, the RS is not uncomfortable to drive. For an Italian woman, we would almost speak of extremely comfortable. We expected this differently and are happy to have fun with the RS even at speeds below 300 km/h. By the way, MV boasts that the RS is the fastest production naked bike at over 300 km/h. Fine, but who wants to go so fast on a motorcycle without windbreak? No matter, in the quartet the RS easily outperforms all other power nakeds.

Conclusion - what sticks

Man, man, man, what a motorcycle. The MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RS is a wonderfully independent bike with rough edges. Typically Italian, style and driving are in the foreground. You can see over one or the other peculiarity and are happy that you do not ride a uniform mush, but Italian motorcycle construction at its best. Above all, the optics are artful, which we simply could not get enough of.

It's a pity that after half a day of heating on the country roads of Schleswig-Holstein and a short motorway stage, we had to return the rental machine to Bergmann & Söhne in Hamburg am Nedderfeld. Nevertheless, we are grateful for this experience and can only advise all potential buyers to visit B&S. Even if you don't want to drive, it's worth taking a look at the 1st floor: Here they are, the treasures from Varese. Also an RR and the even more beautiful Superveloce in several colors. I think I'll go there again tomorrow...

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