MV AGUSTA CREATE uncompromising masterpieces. Taut, sharp, focused, fast, loud, beautiful... and expensive motorcycles which, with the odd exception, ride like race bikes with lights. But now, for the first time in their long road and track-focused history, the Italian manufacturer has popped the stopwatch back in the cupboard and is developing its first-ever production adventure bike, complete with a 21-inch front wheel and exciting off-road potential.
This is MV, so racing is not completely forgotten. The Lucky Explorer 9.5, which will go on sale next year, pays homage to the famous Cagiva Elefant that claimed victories at the Paris-Dakar rally in 1990 and 1994. Twin headlights, snug-fitting bodywork, and that distinctive mouth-open "face" will transport those of a certain age straight back to the Saharan dunes.
This test bike is only an early prototype-the rider aids, exhaust, and switchgear, for example, are work in progress but the engine and chassis are not too far away from what we will see on sale in 2023.
The in-line triple is derived from the 800 (798-cc) unit that powers the F3, Brutale, Dragster, Turismo Veloce, and Superveloce. Capacity has increased to 931 cc. Power is a quoted 123 hp at 10,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) with peak torque at 102 Nm at 7,000 rpm.
The engine also receives a new cylinder-head, steel intake and exhaust valves, a new head gasket, a steel (counter-rotating) crankshaft, new pistons... plus a raft of detail updates. There is also a new cooling system, oil feed, clutch, generator, starter motor, and gearbox covers. So, not much of the 800 donor unit remains.
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Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av Bike India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Tussle for Supremacy
Having watched the racing action from afar during the first two rounds of the Honda Idemitsu Talent Cup (HITC), we got a chance to take a closer look at the proceedings in round three. Here is how the weekend zoomed past
Multiple Winners
The third round of the TVS One-make Championship saw the emergence of multiple winners as the favourites struggled to do the double-race win
The Title Fight Becomes More Intense
The weekend at Mandalika turned out to be a spectacular display where the title contenders, Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia, locked horns while Marc Márquez's and Enea Bastianini's chances at the title diminished
Andrea lannone is a WSBK Winner
Nicolo Bulega, Andrea Iannone, and Alvaro Bautista headlined the weekend for their respective Ducati teams as they blew past the competition on their Ducati Panigale V4 R motorcycles
Italian Domination
The weekend at Cremona saw the Italian, Danilo Petrucci, dominate his home race astride his Ducati
Bastianini Shines in Final-lap Thriller
Just like the previous race at Misano, this one also served up a thriller but for very different reasons. Here is how it unfolded
No Dearth of Drama
Marc Márquez had to wait for 1,043 days for his 60th MotoGP race victory, but his 61st race win only took another seven days
Kolli Hills on an NX 500
We rode from Bengaluru to Kolli Hills astride a Honda NX500 and it was a memorable ride for many reasons
For the Easy Life
Triumph India believe there is a market for a friendlier version of the Speed 400. Here is what you should know about that version, called the Speed T4
The Star Reborn
We finally got our hands on the new BSA Gold Star 650 and took it for a long spin. Here is our first impression