Up-Close with the MV Agusta Brutale 675

Finally making its public debut, the MV Agusta Brutale 675 was easily one of the most anticipated motorcycles of the 2011 EICMA show. Representing Varese’s commitment to more affordable motorcycles, the Brutale 675 comes with a €8,990 price tag in the EU (US pricing is still up in the air, but should be competitive with the Triumph Street Triple). No exactly a surprise in its design, the 2012 MV Agusta Brutale 675 is true to the Brutale format, and follows the lines of the F3 supersport…without fairings of course.

In person, the MV Agusta Brutale 675 comes with the fit and finish you would expect from the historic Italian brand. For as much as I bag on MV Agusta for its various monetary and business troubles, the Italian factory is trying to make available a gorgeous motorcycle at a very attractive price tag. For all the concerns made about how MV Agusta was going “down market” with its brand, the basic bullet points of what defines an MV still remain true with the Brutale 675, which should make it a winner when it comes to market.

We imagine that MV Agusta will price the smaller Brutale a bit higher in the US market, like it did with the F3, that will of course have a negative affect on sales volume, which the company desperately needs. However, those in the market for a small sport-naked, will have to take a strong look at the MV Agusta Brutale 675. As a motorcycle, it is a potent alternative to the venerable Triumph Street Triple and the new Ducati Streetfighter 848.

As a company though, MV Agusta still has a long way to go. The longevity of the brand still creates substantial question marks in this writer’s mind, and the support/dealer network in the United States has serious issues, which are undoubtedly cooling the jets of buyers hot to own this moto. Known to be more show than go, we’ll be curious to see how the F3 and Brutale 675 stack up on the actual road and track, but until the spring when they’re available, we’ll have to continue just drooling over MV’s latest creation.