MV Agusta 750 S BRUTALE 2003 — Specifications

Massimo Tamburini didn't design motorcycles. He sculpted objects that hurt your eyes in the right way. The man behind the Ducati 916 and the MV Agusta F4 delivered in 2003 a creature unto itself, the Brutale 750 S — a roadster born from the F4 but faired off, exposed, unapologetic. The chrome-molybdenum trellis frame is right there, visible, structural and beautiful at once. The 749 cc inline four-cylinder sits at the center like a piece of industrial jewelry. The 50 mm inverted fork, the six-piston calipers biting 310 mm discs, the single-sided swingarm carrying a rear wheel in 190/50-17 retained by a central nut: every element seems to have been placed there to be looked at as much as to serve a purpose.

Honesty is required from the outset. Seated on this saddle inherited directly from the F4 — a high perch at 805 mm — the riding position bears no resemblance to a relaxed urban roadster. The package is compact, almost intimidating in its concentration, and the very stiff chassis demands to be ridden frankly, with conviction, without hesitating through corners. This is not a machine you steer with your fingertips. You throw it, you commit, you command it. Compared to a Triumph Speed Triple or a Ducati Monster of the era, the Brutale displays a noticeably more radical temperament, closer to an unbridled superbike than a versatile roadster.

The startup sets the tone. The 749 cc four-cylinder awakens with a nervousness that betrays its sporting origins, the rev counter going frantic at the slightest touch of the right grip. Warm-up is monitored at the knees rather than on the dashboard, and when the engine reaches 100 degrees, the formula becomes clear. Between 4,000 and 10,000 rpm, a notable mid-range flat spot must be acknowledged — a zone where the engine struggles to convince. But beyond that, the 126 horsepower delivered at 12,500 rpm and 73.5 Nm of torque at 10,500 rpm transform the machine into something difficult to describe soberly. The rev limiter cuts in at 13,000 rpm, and the six-speed gearbox, dry but well-spaced, absorbs hard acceleration with seriousness. The claimed top speed of 250 km/h is no idle promise.

The downside of this intensity is measurable in concrete terms. Between 9 and 12 liters per 100 km depending on the rider's mood, the 19-liter tank offers no reassuring range. The rear Pirelli 190/50-17 rarely exceeds 4,000 km under spirited riding. Italian mechanicals have their habits, notably an engine that floods easily after sustained high-rpm running followed by a prolonged stop. At 14,700 euros, the entry price already weeds out the hesitant, and the cost of consumables shows no mercy toward budgetary imprudence. This motorcycle is aimed at an experienced audience, already seasoned on sporting machines, who consciously accepts the trade-off between limited everyday usability and maximum riding pleasure.

Yet the rational argument doesn't hold up long in the face of the object itself. A dry weight of 185 kg for 126 horsepower is a ratio that places the Brutale in a very select category for 2003. Tamburini possessed that rare ability to give a mechanical object an aesthetic presence that transcends function, and the Brutale 750 S is the most financially accessible demonstration of his work. Neither pure superbike nor tame roadster, it occupies its own territory — that of machines bought with the gut rather than the head, which only disappoint the wallet.