MV Agusta 921S

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Count Domenico would be proud: MV Agusta’s new 921S pays homage to the great MVs of the past, but is a new bike through and through. (MV Agusta/)

While MV Agusta was not displaying their bikes at EICMA this year, they did hold a press conference to illustrate their impressive production plans for 2023. The model range is broader, features some additions, and is frankly quite fascinating. That especially applies to the 921S concept bike, which  departs from the rest of the models and opens up its own niche.

The MV Agusta 921S is intended to establish a special connection between the high-tech present and MV’s past. With the 921S, chief project engineer Brian Gillen and Stephen Zache chose the glorious MV Agusta 750 Sport as their main inspiration in creating not an “operation nostalgia” replica, but a modern classic with styling and graphic touches appropriate to fan new passion for MV Agusta’s unique personality. The red, silver, white and blue are still there, but executed in a new and unique fashion, as is the overall design. The overall take is futuristic, but with smooth lines clearly evoking the roots of classic Italian motorcycle design.

New Chassis, Traditional Colors

The chassis is completely new, an open-cradle frame with a steel-tube-trellis design incorporating integrated billet-aluminum billet rear plates and a seat-supporting subframe. The frame also uses the red elements of the traditional Agusta paint scheme. The wheelbase spans 57.7 inches, two inches more than the Brutale 1000 RR. Another indication that this frame is unique to the new bike is the 921S’s 4.01-inch trail; the Brutale 1000RR is happy with 3.81 inches.

There’s something about a redhead: The 921’s engine is based on the earlier Brutale 1000 RR powerplant, but with a considerable redesign to give it broader, more traditional streetbike appeal. (MV Agusta/)

Front and rear suspension is top-of-the-line Öhlins. At the front is a 43mm male-slider NIX-cartridge design with fully adjustable compression and rebound damping. The rear gets a fully adjustable TTX36 shock. Tire sizes are 120/70-17 front and 180/55-17 rear.

The bike’s brakes are also premium components: twin Brembo 320mm front discs with Stylema four-piston calipers up front and a single Brembo 220mm disc brake with a two-piston caliper in the back. Continental MK100 cornering ABS monitors power, including rear-wheel-lift (stoppie) mitigation function. At the front, the rotors have a very large aluminum flange visually reminiscent of a drum brake. This is for more than just retro looks, though, as it includes dynamic air intake to cool the rotor just ahead of the caliper.

The New/Old 921 Engine

The engine displaces 921cc, a nod at the past, as an engine of this same displacement and same bore and stroke (73mm x 55mm) powered a mild Brutale version back in 2010. Far less radically oversquare than the 79mm x 50.9mm (998cc) of the Brutale 1000RR, it also runs a milder compression ratio (12.5:1 vs. 13.4:1) and breathes through 38mm throttle bodies vs. the previous 50mm. This 921 engine is intended to have great flexibility in combination with power adequate to enjoy on the road. Maximum output is 115 horsepower at 10,000 rpm, with a solid 87.4 pound-feet of peak torque at a moderate 7,000 rpm. As with the bike’s looks, the mechanicals are a nice combination of retro and modern.

The new 921S is designed as only the Italians can; pay particular attention to the drum-like twin front discs, the exhaust system, and the rear frame elements. (MV Agusta/)

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