Design plays a huge role in the motorcycle world. If the bikemaker doesn’t get this right, there’s a high chance it won’t attract a lot of buyers regardless of how good the spec sheet is. This stands true for all motorcycle segments, but this holds an added importance in the sports bike world. After all, sports bikes have to look edgy and futuristic to uphold their reputation as the perfect poster bikes that can make Italian models shy.
However, there are exceptions. At times, there are examples that look like they’ll set the new world record, but then they disappoint you with their performance. At other times, there are bikes that look more like a design experiment, yet they surprise you by being performance beasts. We’re focusing on the latter today, and our pick might be a little controversial.
Sports Bike Design Has Become Louder In Recent Times
20-odd years ago, most sports bikes followed a similar design brief. Nose-heavy sidelines, sharp cuts, squarish lights, and compact fairings were the norm. Sure, bikemakers did do their own things to stand out (Kawasaki and Ducati liked dual headlights while Suzuki always stuck with a singular setup). But they didn’t stray much from the overall blueprint.
Things are very different today. The brief has changed, and different categories do different things. Practicality now holds importance in the middleweight sports bike world, so these bikes rarely look or perform as sharp as earlier supersports. Whereas, liter-class bikes are all focusing on aerodynamics, which has brought in gigantic wings into the mix. Somewhere between these is a sports bike that follows neither approach and takes a retro design approach to look understated in comparison to the new-age kids. Yet, it has the highest performance in its segment by a mile.
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The MV Agusta Superveloce 800 Has An Understated Retro Design
Calling any MV Agusta understated is a war crime, we know. But when you look at other bikes in the space, the base Superveloce does look understated. For starters, you get a round headlight and tail lamp. The last time a sports bike had properly round lights was probably 25 years ago. Think Tadao Baba’s CBR900RR FireBlade.
Then, the fairings take a simple approach without any aerodynamic wings or internal scoops. These elements are common on even small-capacity bikes like the CFMoto 450SS and Aprilia RS 457, which only confirms that this is indeed understated. Finally, the side profile isn’t nose-heavy and edgy like the F3 R. It appears much flatter and longer with a curvy headlight cowl. The details paint a similar picture. There’s a leather strap on the tank, while the saddle has an alcantara leather cover. These are things we rarely see on performance-specific bikes.
Along With The Highest Output In The Middleweight Sports Bike Segment!
We’ve established that the Superveloce doesn’t look like your usual edgy sports bike. But under the skin, it is a proper performance beast. That is thanks to MV Agusta’s popular inline-triple engine with a 79 mm bore and a 54.3 mm stroke for a total of 798 cubic centimeters of capacity. Yes, the same engine as the F3 R.
The mill runs at a 13.3:1 compression ratio in tandem with 50 mm throttle bodies to promise an output of 147 horsepower and 65 pound-feet. A six-speed transmission puts all this power down. That is more than all of your modern-day middleweights, be it the Yamaha YZF-R9 or the Ducati Panigale V2. It even trumps the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R. These figures enable serious performance, as MV claims a 0 to 62 miles per hour time of 3.05 seconds (124 mph comes up in 9 seconds).
|
Engine |
Power |
Torque |
Transmission |
0-62 MPH |
Top speed |
|
798cc, inline-triple |
147 HP |
65 LB-FT |
Six-speed |
3.05 seconds (claimed) |
150 MPH (claimed) |
Equally Impressive Underpinnings With Premium Components
Performance isn’t just about the engine. It’s technically useless if the underpinnings don’t let you put it all down efficiently. The Superveloce doesn’t cut corners here, either. It has an ALS steel trellis chassis, paired with a single-sided swigarm and premium suspension. The latter comprises 43 mm Marzocchi upside-down forks with TiN coating and a Sachs monoshock, both of which are fully adjustable. This is topped with Brembo Stylema brakes up top (with 320 mm rotors) to help you shed speed. Pirelli Rosso Corsa tires on 17-inch wheels further up the ante.
Tips The Scale At Over 430 Pounds
Coming to the dimensions, the Superveloce tips the scale at 431 pounds wet without fuel. That is heavy by middleweight standards (YZF-R9 weighs 430 pounds with fuel), but you do get a decently accessible 32.6-inch saddle height to counter the weight. Everything else is tight, such as the sub-55-inch wheelbase and 4.72-inch ground clearance.
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There’s No Shortage Of Sophisticated Safety Aids
The design might be retro, but the feature list is thoroughly modern here. A 5.5-inch TFT instrument cluster sits as the centerpiece and lets you access a plethora of rider aids. This comprises four ride modes, eight levels of traction control, cornering ABS, wheel lift control for both the front and rear, launch control, MV’s latest two-way quickshifter, and cruise control. Topping this is smartphone connectivity via the official app that lets you navigate and see phone notifications. A Mobisat anti-theft system rounds things off.
The MV Agusta Superveloce 800 Costs Over $21,000
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This exotic Italian motorcycle surprises with its price-to-performance ratio, offering 220 horsepower for a mere $19,499.
Finally, there’s the price. In typical MV fashion, the Superveloce 800 has a premium price tag of $21,098. That is higher than all middleweight sports bikes (even twice as much compared to some), while also being pricier than some liter-class heavyweights like the Aprilia RSV4 1100 and BMW S 1000 RR. However, we feel it is justified to an extent, given the exotic design and standout appeal. Just make sure you have an MV dealer near you. Exotic bikes can be a bit finicky, after all.
Source: MV Agusta