MV Agusta’s Game Plan for 2022

Admin · February 23, 2022

Our Italian correspondent, Bruno dePrato, giving a Brutale 1000 RR a workout. MV has raised its performance game, and it shows. (MV Agusta/)

For years now we’ve been hearing glorious statements from the leaders of MV Agusta, all of them expressed with equal parts Italian passion and determination. They started with the late Claudio Castiglioni, the man who acquired the brand from the Agusta family and brought it back to life. Alas, his vision never worked out the way he hoped. Castiglioni brought in Massimo Tamburini, the supremely talented master who designed the original F4 750. While those bikes were elegant and well balanced, they also used an inline-four designed by Ferrari Engineering which, despite being designed by Ferrari Engineering, proved to be down on both power and reliability.

MV fought back by further refining its styling and developing the Brutale naked bike while at the same time trying to solve the engine’s problems. They ended up wasting time and energy by developing variations of various displacements that never accomplished their basic task. The results damaged both the Varese-based company’s finances and their image.

Enter and Exit, Harley-Davidson

In 2008 Harley-Davidson rode in to the rescue, acquiring the brand’s stock package and investing a large amount of money to renew tooling and assembly lines. Everything was upgraded to improve manufacturing quality. But then the 2008 financial crisis hit, and two years later Harley pulled out of MV.

Castiglioni devoted his remaining energies to developing a three-cylinder engine, which went into production in 2012. The triple, fully designed by MV Agusta specialists, was a great technical success: It was strong and reliable, and kept getting stronger and more reliable with every year, with continued updates to meet progressively tightening European emissions standards. The 675/800cc three sent a clear signal; in terms of quality, MV Agusta was back. But now there was a new problem: The price for the triples was out of control. MV sales were still in the tank.

MV’s triples are excellent motorcycle engines by any measure. The company owes its future to the options they’ve provided. (MV Agusta/)

The three-cylinder Agusta powerplant has a degree of refinement and mechanical finesse only trained engineers and the most discerning motorcyclists will fully appreciate. During the design process, Castiglioni thought they should be truly elite engines, establishing a direct connection with MV’s legendary 350/500cc GP racing triples and setting themselves apart in the world of subliter sportbikes. Seen with this perspective, which was perhaps too optimistic, the high selling price was thought to be acceptable.

But the 2008 crash showed the bikes in a harsh new light. Price was now a major marketing factor and prestige was no longer worth the extra money, especially in the intermediate-displacement class. Also, MV Agusta’s marketing was going nowhere; they were tasked with selling overlapping models, some totally out of tune with consumer demand. And Castiglioni’s passing in 2011 created a big vacuum; it was his passion for MV that had kept the flag flying. More dark days.

Are we seeing a new sub-brand launching here? The Lucky Explorer is much loved in Europe, and MV’s take on it has its finger on the ADV pulse. (MV Agusta/)

Enter yet another savior: Timur Sardarov’s Black Ocean Fund. Sardarov was not a motorcycle expert, and soon clashed with Giovanni Castiglioni; the resultant product planning and marketing became even more incoherent. MV Agusta was exploring any avenue that might lead to success, but that was not really a strategy. The only positive was Agusta’s R&D department, which was led by Brian Gillen, a competent, dedicated American engineer.

While the top floor was constantly resetting their compass, a process which led to such missteps as fantasy electric MV superbikes powered by 800-volt batteries, Gillen and his team were down in the shop working hard to further improve the 675/800cc three and breathing new life into the 1,000cc four.

MV’s Three and Four

The hard work paid off. Gillen refined the triples to meet new European homologation standards while still retaining all their impressive performance, a remarkable feat considering the limited budget available and the fact that the latest 800 three delivers 147 hp at 13,000 rpm. Perhaps Gillen’s most brilliant achievement was his work on the 1,000cc four. MV was ready to bury this engine and focus on the 675/800 three alone, but Gillen resurrected the four from the ashes by redesigning first the lubrication circuit and cooling systems and then vastly improving the ECU, the related software, and the entire cylinder head, combustion chamber design and all. The final result is the spectacular unit that powers the 2020 Brutale 1000 RR: 208 hp while rigorously complying with Euro 5 emission limits with reliability to spare. This Lazarus of an engine set new standards for the class.

Timur Sardarov is MV’s white knight. His financing and business sense are greatly welcome at the company, and so far things are looking up. (MV Agusta/)

This “new” MV Agusta, under Sardarov’s leadership, was now looking good—except that profitability was still a long way off. Two options existed to lower the 675/800′s manufacturing overhead: First, launch an expensive redesign program to reduce costs while maintaining performance and reliability. Second, MV needed to find a partner capable of manufacturing and selling the unit in large numbers, the resulting economies of scale reducing the per-unit cost.

MV’s Chinese Partners

Option Two it would be. Around mid-2019 MV entered talks with Chinese giant Loncin. The idea was that this partnership would open access to the enormous Far East and South East market area, while Loncin’s advanced computerized manufacturing tooling would ensure a consistently high level of quality. The deal also involved developing a 350/500cc parallel twin based on a Loncin engine. MV was tasked with evolving this engine and extracting more performance with the goal of making it a credible unit for a legitimate MV Agusta light sport model. For multiple reasons, never fully disclosed, the deal went sour.

Brian Gillen is the maestro behind MV’s technical makeover, and so far he’s hit it out of the park. (MV Agusta/)

In 2022 MV Agusta is expected to produce more than 8,500 units, which means the break-even point now is in sight. Of those bikes, 80 percent will be three-cylinder models, while the remaining 20 percent will be four-cylinder bikes, basically the Brutale 1000 RR and the new Brutale 1000 RS. The public response to the Lucky Explorer introduction at EICMA 2021 was very favorable, and the MV’s new enduro-adventure models will play a substantial role in the consolidation of the company’s financial situation. Sardarov is extremely confident of the new 950 triple’s potential; once it has filled the demand for the Lucky Explorer’s top version, that engine will give life to a new generation of upper-displacement models, possibly starting with the next Turismo Veloce. In a recent interview, Sardarov underlined his great expectations from the current MV Lucky Explorer models and noted that, in order to keep MV Agusta a pure sport make, the Lucky Explorer will probably spin off into a separate brand.

This new 950cc three may well bring the success that MV Agusta has been trying to reach from day one. The new engine will be joined by a 550cc parallel twin intended to power a second, entry-level version of the Lucky Explorer. The twin comes from a partnership with another Chinese firm, the Qianjiang Group, who owns Benelli and who makes the 502 unit powering the successful Benelli TRK 502 enduro. The Benelli 502 is a light, compact unit derived from the 302 twin and producing 48 hp. Gillen and the MV Agusta technical team were able to extract another 50cc, yielding more torque, which is always appreciated in an enduro bike.

MV Agusta’s Future

The 550cc version of the Lucky Explorer model should enter the market at a very competitive price. Asked if the twin might find its way into a low-priced MV Agusta sport or touring model, Sardarov quashed the idea directly: No Agusta model will be powered by an engine that isn’t designed and produced by MV.

A couple of years ago, Sardarov expressed enthusiasm over electric propulsion, and was planning to focus MV Agusta along that track; but the experience collected by other manufacturers have made him think again. Now MV’s “electric plans” are focused on 4kW (5 hp) light bikes and scooters.

Long-term plans? Sardarov has confirmed that MV Agusta will offer two separate model lines: a classic high-performance line powered by internal combustion engines displacing 800cc and more, and a medium-performance utility-commuter line using electric power. MV’s product policy has substantially evolved toward a more solid, realistic position, positively aligned with the brand’s tradition.

To take inspiration from a celebrated speech by Winston Churchill: For MV Agusta, this may finally be the end of the beginning.

MV Agusta’s future? This smaller version of the Lucky Explorer uses a 550 parallel twin produced by China’s Qianjiang Group. (MV Agusta/)