Mash FR 750 2024 — Specifications

Do you know Mash? If you frequent the back streets of mid-sized cities, you've surely spotted one of their small old-school retros parked outside a café, looking nostalgic. The Burgundy-based manufacturer built its reputation on simple, affordable, genuinely retro machines. So when Beaune announces a 750cc twin-cylinder roadster with inverted forks and Brembo calipers, you have to do a double take.

The technical ambition is serious, however. Under the FR 750's bodywork beats a water-cooled 749cc parallel twin with dual overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, and a six-speed gearbox. Nothing experimental, but nothing to be ashamed of either. The 74.6 horsepower peaks at 8,200 rpm, placing the machine in the same territory as the SV 650 or the Z 650 — its direct rivals in this segment. An entry ticket into the modern era, of sorts. To stand out in this ultra-competitive space, the engine will need character, not just numbers on a spec sheet.

The styling has also undergone a radical modernization. Mash jumped straight from the Triumph Bonneville aesthetic to something resembling a roadster of this century, with no transition in between. The result is honest, clean, without much flair. The 18-liter tank is a visual problem: it weighs down the line, giving an impression of bulk that doesn't match the spirit of a roadster. It's the kind of detail that bothers style-conscious buyers — the ones who compare photos before stepping through a dealer's door.

The price of €6,999 is clearly the trump card. Mash finds itself in the same corridor as the Honda CB 500 Hornet, the KTM 390 Duke, and the Suzuki SV 650. The problem is that the MT-07 Pure, the true benchmark of the category with fifteen years of hard-earned reputation, costs only €600 more. Six hundred euros separates an unknown quantity from a machine whose value everyone already knows. That's a slim margin, and buyers can do the math. To justify choosing the FR 750, the complete package will need to convince beyond the brochure.

Because doubts remain on several crucial points. The machine was developed in partnership with Jedi Motors, a Chinese manufacturer, and while you can't condemn a motorcycle for its origins, certain questions remain unanswered publicly: suspension quality, adjustment options, real-world handling, long-term build quality. The selling arguments are there — radial Brembo calipers on 300mm discs, Bosch ABS, Pirelli Angel GT tires, aluminum perimeter frame. But at 213 kg fully fueled, that's twenty kilograms more than its direct competitors, almost the footprint of a mid-size adventure bike. For a machine meant to appeal to young A2 license holders seeking agility and urban responsiveness, that extra weight will need to be justified on the road. It's precisely this kind of detail that makes all the difference between a good industrial intention and a finished product.