MV Agusta 1000 Brutale RR L.M. 2020 — Specifications

There are production motorcycles, collector motorcycles, and then there's this: a one-of-a-kind object, custom-built for an unknown person whose initials are known. The Brutale 1000 RR L.M. is not for sale. It has belonged to a single person in the world since its birth in Varese.

Let's start with what makes the Brutale 1000 RR before discussing this particular version. The inline four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 998 cc produces 208 horsepower at 13,000 rpm, with a torque of 116.7 Nm available at 11,000 rpm. These figures place the MV Agusta roadster at the top of its category, far ahead of a standard Ducati Streetfighter V4, on par with what the Italian and Japanese competition offers in terms of hyper-naked bikes. All this for a dry weight of 186 kg and a stated top speed of 300 km/h, which represents an indecent power-to-weight ratio for a road-legal machine.

The L.M. version pushes personalization beyond reason. The unusual blue hue, atypical of the MV range, evokes the colors of the Squadra Azzurra and recalls certain special series produced by the brand in the 2000s. The frame plates, swingarm, and rims receive a gold finish that contrasts with the usual sobriety of the chrome-molybdenum steel trellis. Inside the spokes of the rims, black accents break up the uniformity of the gold; a detail that betrays the level of attention paid to this unique order. Between the headlight and the dashboard, a small plaque engraves the serial number 001/001 as well as the owner's initials. This kind of attention is more reminiscent of luthiery or Swiss watchmaking than the motorcycle industry.

The technical equipment reprises that of the best Brutale 1000s. The 43 mm Öhlins NIX 30 inverted fork and the Öhlins TTX36 mono-shock absorber provide damping, both semi-active, with 120 mm of travel at each end. Braking relies on two 320 mm Brembo discs at the front, gripped by radial-mounted calipers, and a 220 mm disc at the rear. The onboard electronics supervise the whole thing: traction control, wheelie control, riding modes, quickshifter. On this point, MV Agusta has nothing to envy its direct rivals.

That leaves the question of price and target audience. At 40,000 euros, this Brutale obviously targets no one in the usual sense of the term. It existed before having a potential buyer; it was created to satisfy a specific demand, formulated by someone for whom money was not a selection criterion. The result is a motorcycle that is not bought, not chosen in a configurator, and that we will probably never cross on the road. It is both its main quality and its unique flaw.