It’s been over a year since MV Agusta introduced us to its revised and updated Brutale 800 – the three-cylinder sport bike getting the Euro4 treatment, a mild facelift, and a bevy of subtle technical changes.
The new MV Agusta Brutale 800 is a no excuses bike from the Italian manufacturer, and while moto-journalists like to joke that each new bike from MV Agusta is the “the best motorcycle yet” from the Italian brand, the new Brutale earns the title legitimately in our eyes.
Now, the machine is finally coming to US soil in the coming weeks, as a 2017 model, which means that American riders in the market for middleweight street bike will have a new brand to consider when mulling over their choice (the new Brutale 800 RR should be available later this summer t00).
Pricing on the 2017 MV Agusta Brutale 800 will be set at an expensive but reachable $13,498 MSRP.
The short version of my review on the new MV Agusta Brutale 800 was that the factory in Varese has finally produced a fully cooked, fun to ride, well-designed machine for motorcyclists, and the situation has only gotten better since then.
Answering the complaints of the few brave souls that have bought a MV Agusta in these turbulent times, the engineers at CRC have improved problem items that have plagued MV Agusta’s three-cylinder platform – namely issues with the engine’s sprag clutch, valve springs, and ride-by-wire throttle.
With the product side of MV Agusta finally jelling, we are slowly becoming cautiously optimistic about MV Agusta’s future. It helps too that MV Agusta’s financial future also seems to be stabilizing, with a cash infusion coming from the Anglo-Russion investment firm Black Ocean.
The situation in the United States seems set to improve as well for MV Agusta, with MV Agusta USA now under control from Australia’s Urban Moto Group.
Let’s not get all warm mittens and puppy dog tails about things though. Both the Italian and American operations have a lot of work ahead of them, as MV Agusta has been a mess for the better part of a decade now, and that has damaged its perception in the marketplace…considerably.
To move forward, MV Agusta will need not only to support the dealerships it currently has, but also it will have to cultivate and grow its network with meaningful dealerships that also fill in the geographical gaps the brand has in the United States.
To its credit, MV Agusta’s lineup is one of the strongest in the company’s history, though we wouldn’t mind seeing the F4 getting an update…just saying.
But MV Agusta will make the biggest strides in its business operations by not only improving the ownership experience for customers, but also by making sure the public perception of the brand keeps up with its changing realities.
The factory in Varese can make the best bikes in the world, but that is only part of the equation. MV Agusta needs to instill in its owners and possible future owners, that the brand has a sound financial future, that its bikes a reliable, and that its owners are being supported in a timely and effective manner.
Change isn’t enough for MV Agusta, communicating that change is just as important. Perception has a real effect, regardless of whether it is grounded in reality or not.
Source: MV Agusta USA
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