MV Agusta Superveloce 800 S 2021 — Specifications

Can a motorcycle be both a work of art and a war machine? With the MV Agusta Superveloce 800 S, the question inevitably arises. Here, the retro look is not a simple disguise; it's a statement of intent, sculpted from aluminum and dressed in a pearlescent white coat accented with gold. This Italian beauty doesn’t go unnoticed, and that’s the essence of its charm, a charm that comes at a price: €23,600. At that price, one expects exceptional quality, and on paper, it has plenty under its 16.5-liter fuel tank.

Under this vintage hood beats the heart of a modern wildcat. The 798 cm3 triple, proven and refined to meet Euro 5 standards, delivers 147 horsepower at 13,000 rpm, accompanied by a torque of 88 Nm. These figures, combined with a dry weight of 173 kg, promise raw sensations. The engine is supported by a state-of-the-art electronic arsenal, now managed by an inertial platform, which refines traction control, anti-wheelie, and launch control. The whole is suspended by a Marzocchi fork and a Sachs shock absorber, and braked by radial Brembo calipers. It is a serious technical base, which places this neo-retro in the league of demanding sportbikes.

However, the real subject with this MV Agusta Superveloce 800 S is its ambiguous positioning. It is not the ultimate and limited Oro version, but it borrows its spirit with its included racing kit. This kit, comprising an Arrow silencer and an ECU, releases a few extra horsepower and lightens the whole, transforming the beast. We are far from simple cosmetic accessories. It plays on two fronts: the elegance of a café racer for the eyes and the efficiency of a sportbike for the road. But this compromise comes at a cost in ergonomics. The 830 mm seat height and the committed riding position recall that comfort is not the priority, especially for a passenger.

So who is the rider of this diva? Certainly not a beginner, nor someone seeking rationality. Faced with a Triumph Street Triple RS or a Ducati Streetfighter V2, more versatile and pragmatic, the Superveloce 800 S bets everything on emotion and exclusivity. It is aimed at the connoisseur who accepts its quirks, its mechanics sometimes more fragile than a Japanese bike, for the privilege of owning a mechanical sculpture that displays 240 km/h on the speedometer. It is a desirable object far more than a simple means of transportation.

Ultimately, this motorcycle is not justified by logic, but by passion. It demands concessions, financial and practical, in exchange for a unique sensory experience. It will never be the easiest bike to live with, nor the most reliable, but when you look at it, standing still, and you hear the growl of its triple, all its weaknesses suddenly seem secondary. The MV Agusta Superveloce 800 S is a provocation on two wheels, and it is precisely for that reason that it fascinates.