“I’m thinking about getting a new bike” I said to my wife a couple of weeks ago. Usually her reaction is a roll of her eyes or a kick in the nuts, depending on whether the kids have been at childcare or at home that day. This time she stopped tinkering with her phone, looked at me and said “Yeah, it’s been a while since you bought one. Which one are you thinking of getting?”. I stared at her for a few seconds to make sure she wasn’t doing one of those things that women do when they say something but it means the opposite. Like “Its fine, do whatever you want”. She wasn’t.
You know you’ve fucking nailed the buildup to buying a new bike when your wife not only agrees that you need a new bike but is actually interested in what bikes you might be considering. The last time this happened was in 2004, when I was buying my first post-marriage motorcycle. “We” (not me and Casey) bought a VFR then and she recommended the blue colour. “We” haven’t bought a motorcycle since though “I” have bought many.
Anyway, that same evening the CBR was on Gumtree and the day after that, it was BrotherPete’s. And the day after that, I was test riding!
I’m going back to a big bore naked. The CBR has been a great little bike but I’ve missed the torque and hooliganism potential of a crazy naked. As some of you might already be aware, I love the hunt for a new bike. I’m not one of those people who just looks at a bike, knows that’s for them and they live happily ever after. Naah. Too easy! I like to drag this process out. It’s like foreplay, it’s the best bit. A bit of teasing, a bit of probing, oohs and aahs and then when you’re ready, you dive in head first, so to speak. Buying the bike straight away would be like premature ejaculation!
This is my system for getting a new bike. I start with a budget (13K in this case) and look at every possible 2 wheeled contraption I can attain in that price range. Many sleepless nights and workless days of internet research later, I have narrowed it down to a genre and 5-6 bikes.
I love test riding. Whats not to like?! That is always the true test of a bike’s suitability for what I’m looking for. And I’m looking for different things at different times. And I don't always know what i'm looking for. But slowly, it becomes clearer the more bikes I research and ride. But this time was different. I already knew I wanted a Tuono V4R. I’ve lusted after this bike since I first saw it. And now I have the money to buy a decent 2nd hand one. It’s a no-brainer. Find best value V4R, buy it. Have massive party with the latest addition to your family, uncle Bob.
But..aha… Oh yeah But! Life, full of twisties eh?
You test ride a few bikes anyway because your innate indianness must find justification for your decision. And you’re a bike whore.
Wham MT09! WhamBam Brutale 800RR!
I’ve never ridden a proper modern performance nakedbike. Not a Tuono v4, not a Streetfighter, not a Brutale 1090RR. I've ridden a 2011 Z1000 and a 2011 Speed Triple R but let me tell you right now, the world has moved. In a fantastic direction. The MT09 and the Brutale 800 are incredible bikes. In similar and different ways.
I rode 4 different bikes in one manic day of dealer hopping and test riding. I spent about half an hour in an urban environment on semi dry roads with some corners and a little freeway travel thrown in. Here are my thoughts.
2015 Brutale 800RR
Look at it. Fuck.
You know you’ve fucking nailed the buildup to buying a new bike when your wife not only agrees that you need a new bike but is actually interested in what bikes you might be considering. The last time this happened was in 2004, when I was buying my first post-marriage motorcycle. “We” (not me and Casey) bought a VFR then and she recommended the blue colour. “We” haven’t bought a motorcycle since though “I” have bought many.
Anyway, that same evening the CBR was on Gumtree and the day after that, it was BrotherPete’s. And the day after that, I was test riding!
I’m going back to a big bore naked. The CBR has been a great little bike but I’ve missed the torque and hooliganism potential of a crazy naked. As some of you might already be aware, I love the hunt for a new bike. I’m not one of those people who just looks at a bike, knows that’s for them and they live happily ever after. Naah. Too easy! I like to drag this process out. It’s like foreplay, it’s the best bit. A bit of teasing, a bit of probing, oohs and aahs and then when you’re ready, you dive in head first, so to speak. Buying the bike straight away would be like premature ejaculation!
This is my system for getting a new bike. I start with a budget (13K in this case) and look at every possible 2 wheeled contraption I can attain in that price range. Many sleepless nights and workless days of internet research later, I have narrowed it down to a genre and 5-6 bikes.
I love test riding. Whats not to like?! That is always the true test of a bike’s suitability for what I’m looking for. And I’m looking for different things at different times. And I don't always know what i'm looking for. But slowly, it becomes clearer the more bikes I research and ride. But this time was different. I already knew I wanted a Tuono V4R. I’ve lusted after this bike since I first saw it. And now I have the money to buy a decent 2nd hand one. It’s a no-brainer. Find best value V4R, buy it. Have massive party with the latest addition to your family, uncle Bob.
But..aha… Oh yeah But! Life, full of twisties eh?
You test ride a few bikes anyway because your innate indianness must find justification for your decision. And you’re a bike whore.
Wham MT09! WhamBam Brutale 800RR!
I’ve never ridden a proper modern performance nakedbike. Not a Tuono v4, not a Streetfighter, not a Brutale 1090RR. I've ridden a 2011 Z1000 and a 2011 Speed Triple R but let me tell you right now, the world has moved. In a fantastic direction. The MT09 and the Brutale 800 are incredible bikes. In similar and different ways.
I rode 4 different bikes in one manic day of dealer hopping and test riding. I spent about half an hour in an urban environment on semi dry roads with some corners and a little freeway travel thrown in. Here are my thoughts.
2015 Brutale 800RR
Look at it. Fuck.
MV has re-invented itself with the triple range. While there may be questions about their reliability, there is no question about their boldness. Wild, whacky and attention grabbing machines. True to the MV spirit. The Dragster, Rivale and Brutale are all essentially the same bike with minor differences. And it’s a great bike.
The Brutale 800 looks tiny and that impression is perpetuated when you sit on it. The seat is small, the tank is small and you basically look down the forks if you lean forward too much. The weight seems comparable to my 4 year old daughter's pushbike. Factoring in the training wheels on her bike would tip the scales in the Brutale's favour. Starting it up an angry, raspy unmistakably Triple cylinder engine grabs your attention. The kind of note that you want to listen to for a while. The all-digital dash has much information and many options. I zone out as the salesman toggles the modes, engine braking, throttle sensitivity, ABS and Traction Control settings. I will pay attention if I buy it. Right now I’m desperate to unleash this thing. It has me intrigued.
MotoTecnica in Artarmon are the only MV Agusta dealer now in Sydney, having taken over the dealership from Trooper Lu’s a couple of years ago. The shop is well laid out with lots of Bike porn hanging around
Like this Lewis Hamilton special Dragster thing that you could ride to the Mardi Gras if you were homosexual or tricurious.
The Brutale 800 looks tiny and that impression is perpetuated when you sit on it. The seat is small, the tank is small and you basically look down the forks if you lean forward too much. The weight seems comparable to my 4 year old daughter's pushbike. Factoring in the training wheels on her bike would tip the scales in the Brutale's favour. Starting it up an angry, raspy unmistakably Triple cylinder engine grabs your attention. The kind of note that you want to listen to for a while. The all-digital dash has much information and many options. I zone out as the salesman toggles the modes, engine braking, throttle sensitivity, ABS and Traction Control settings. I will pay attention if I buy it. Right now I’m desperate to unleash this thing. It has me intrigued.
MotoTecnica in Artarmon are the only MV Agusta dealer now in Sydney, having taken over the dealership from Trooper Lu’s a couple of years ago. The shop is well laid out with lots of Bike porn hanging around
Like this Lewis Hamilton special Dragster thing that you could ride to the Mardi Gras if you were homosexual or tricurious.
It seems like a Chinese operation at MotoTecnica with both the sales guy and the chief mechanic being chinese. They were friendly, helpful and courteous. The mechanic sent me off with a “You must push this bike. If you don’t push an MV Agusta, you’re missing the point”. I wondered if he meant that in a “It will stop and then you have to push it back” kinda way but then figured he probably meant you need to ride this baby hard for it to come into its own. He wasted his breath. There is no other way to ride this thing. As soon as you take off, it’s like the bike chuckles to itself and rubs its hands with glee. “heh, new meat, lets see what this guy’s about”. And then it grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go till you roll on that throttle. 3 wheelies in the first 5 minutes. All of them unintentional. Wheelies from stop lights. Wheelies out of corners and wheelies over speed bumps. Fark. Me.
This is the revised 2016 model whaich has 2 world firsts
1. It has less power and more weight than the previous model
2. It has a hole under the seat. Presumably to air out your balls as you unwind after a hot and sweaty run
I rode the 2015RR and it is INSANE. The throttle is so light, I reckon you could make it rev by blowing hard on it or even looking intently in its direction for long enough. This may be perceived as jerky by some people but I found it to just be exciting. There’s only noticeable snatch on long decelerations or steady throttle under 3K RPM. But who the fuck rides like that?! You twist 5 degrees on the throttle and get instant throttle totally disproportionate to the effort. And you twist some more, and the thrust just keeps on coming. There’s no flat spots or hesitation, just propulsion, from 3K to 16K. There’s no red line, just an abrupt rev limiter. Peak HP is around 14K so probably best to grab another gear around then. You’ll be well over the speed limit by then and the authorities would probably be scrambling helicopters to reel you in. But you will not be giving a fuck about any of that. You will be laughing in your helmet and shaking your head at how anyone could be depressed in a world that produces motorcycles like this.
In case I haven’t been clear, I loved it. The engine sounds and goes great. Brakes are eye popping. Wheelies are mandatory. Suspension is firm. The whole impression of the motorcycle is one of taut and muscular agility. I’d love to push it more in some proper twisties. And that’s exactly what I’m planning to do tomorrow. Take the non RR version (which I can actually afford) for a spin through some twisties on the south coast. I test rode it for a laugh, not expecting it to seriously impress me. But that’s exactly what this firecracker of a bike has done. It’s made it to the next level. With flying colours. Lots of flying colours.
1. It has less power and more weight than the previous model
2. It has a hole under the seat. Presumably to air out your balls as you unwind after a hot and sweaty run
I rode the 2015RR and it is INSANE. The throttle is so light, I reckon you could make it rev by blowing hard on it or even looking intently in its direction for long enough. This may be perceived as jerky by some people but I found it to just be exciting. There’s only noticeable snatch on long decelerations or steady throttle under 3K RPM. But who the fuck rides like that?! You twist 5 degrees on the throttle and get instant throttle totally disproportionate to the effort. And you twist some more, and the thrust just keeps on coming. There’s no flat spots or hesitation, just propulsion, from 3K to 16K. There’s no red line, just an abrupt rev limiter. Peak HP is around 14K so probably best to grab another gear around then. You’ll be well over the speed limit by then and the authorities would probably be scrambling helicopters to reel you in. But you will not be giving a fuck about any of that. You will be laughing in your helmet and shaking your head at how anyone could be depressed in a world that produces motorcycles like this.
In case I haven’t been clear, I loved it. The engine sounds and goes great. Brakes are eye popping. Wheelies are mandatory. Suspension is firm. The whole impression of the motorcycle is one of taut and muscular agility. I’d love to push it more in some proper twisties. And that’s exactly what I’m planning to do tomorrow. Take the non RR version (which I can actually afford) for a spin through some twisties on the south coast. I test rode it for a laugh, not expecting it to seriously impress me. But that’s exactly what this firecracker of a bike has done. It’s made it to the next level. With flying colours. Lots of flying colours.
I looked at this one later in the day at a private seller but the bastard didn't let me ride it. I think he was racist.
I rode the MT-09 next >>
I rode the MT-09 next >>
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