The ancient Roman Stoic poet Persius claimed that ‘he conquers who endures’. Now, two millennia later, a famous Italian marque is hoping stoicism and an all-new premium off-roader will help it navigate an uncertain path ahead
These are strange days indeed for MV Agusta. The 80-year-old Italian motorcycle manufacturer was, up until very recently, majority owned by the financially stricken Austrian bike behemoth KTM. But now, with former owners the Sardarov family about to regain full control, MV Agusta is charging ahead with a bullish attitude and a multitude of new models on the horizon. And it’s clear that the heritage brand believes at least part of its future success lies in the booming adventure bike segment. Enter the Enduro Veloce, MV Agusta’s first real foray into the off-road arena, where it faces some stiff and very capable competition, particularly from European big boys BMW and Ducati.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Seeing the Enduro Veloce in the flesh for the first time is a bit of a paradoxical moment. It is instantly recognisable as an MV Agusta, courtesy of the signature red and silver colour scheme, however its adventure bike silhouette looks very ‘Africa Twin’. It’s not the prettiest MV by a long shot, but then the superb DesertX is definitely not Ducati’s best looker (and, it must be noted, both companies have produced some of the most beautiful bikes ever made). It’s really a case of horses for courses; like the DesertX, the Enduro Veloce is a purposeful adventure bike with a bit of bling and a focus on performance, both on and off the road.
While this broadening of product range beyond simply scalpel-sharp sports machines is a well-trodden road in both the motorcycle and car market (think Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche SUVs), it still feels weird to be jumping on an MV Agusta with hand guards, crash bars, long-travel suspension and spoked wheels. And a 21-inch front wheel, at that. Other new bikes with 21-inch front wheels include the BMW F 900 GS Adventure and KTM 890 Adventure R, as well as the aforementioned Ducati DesertX and Honda Africa Twin. Stiff competition to beat to get those adventure dollars. And priced at more than $10,000 than all of these, the Enduro Veloce needs to provide more than just ‘premium exotica’ cachet to capture the hearts of Aussie buyers.
So let’s look at what makes the Enduro Veloce special. First up, while it is powered by an MV-standard triple, the ‘9.5’ engine platform has been completely redesigned. The 931cc unit’s bore-stroke ratio is larger than MV’s 675cc and 798cc engines, there’s new camshaft profiles and timing, and the double overhead camshaft has a diamond-like carbon coating to reduce friction. It is relatively lightweight (57kg), delivering peak power of 91kW (124hp) at 10,000rpm. Interestingly, 85 per cent of the torque, which has a claimed peak of 102Nm at 7000rpm, is available at just 3000rpm. Clearly, this is an engine tuned for low-end pull, not high-rpm power, which is already a departure from its sportier stablemates. It is inevitable that the same platform will be used in higher states of tune in future sports models.
Then there’s the counter-rotating crankshaft design that MV Agusta is known for. As the crankshaft is usually the heaviest moving component in an engine, if it is designed to go in the opposite direction to the wheels, this will partially cancel out the gyroscopic effect created by that large-diameter front wheel. This should, in turn, result in a sharper, lighter steering machine. Time to ride out into the mountains to see if this is indeed the case.
FIRE IT UP
First on-road impressions, formed on a long motorway run out of the city, were mixed. First up, I had a bit of trouble starting the bike. The keyless ignition switch was a bit fiddly and took a few goes to activate. Despite my best efforts, this happened throughout the test period, although I always got there in the end. Once it did get going, the seven-inch TFT started up with a ‘Motorcycle Art since 1945’ screen to remind me that I was on a steed with serious pedigree. The seat comfort and riding position are both excellent (I chose the highest of the two), the ‘bars nice and wide, and the controls relative intuitive. On the downside, I discovered that the windscreen is not adjustable (despite looking like it should be, with a metal rod running between the screen sections). As I’m 190cm tall, this meant the wind was directed onto my helmet, even when I lowered the seat height. It’s not ideal at higher speeds, but as the wind protection simulations were apparently carried out with a 178cm tall rider, it’s no surprise. The first thing I’d do as an owner is fit the larger touring windshield, which is 80mm higher and 40mm wider than the stock unit.
Such practicalities are important, but they faded into the background once I started engaging with the delightfully punchy triple and the smooth quickshifter. The latter is not quite as buttery as some of the latest litre bikes, but each change was performed with a satisfying mechanical click. The 4.0 version of MV’s electronically assisted shift system allows for shifting both ways while the throttle is open, and even changes smoothly from first to second at low revs. These changes come with a tasty serving of Rice Bubbles (snap, crackle and pop!) from the exhaust, which has to be one of the most sonorous stock systems I’ve heard. Definitely the best on an adventure bike.
When I hit the backroads it all began to come together and make more sense. The Enduro Veloce is a seriously fast and flickable motorcycle. The whole bike seems to tighten up when faced with some twisty tarmac, while the 21-inch front wheel and the more than 250kg (with fuel) mass both seem to shrink. This is when its sporting pedigree starts to shine through, with quick changes of direction and great stability under braking, even on rutted, damaged asphalt. As these are the predominant road conditions in Australia, the Enduro Veloce seemed all of a sudden less of an expensive bit of exotica and more like a sensible option for the rider who wants to tour the backroads, do a bit of dirt, but nothing too technical, and who wants to do it on something a bit special.
I took a deeper dive to see how this had been achieved. The designers went with a double-cradle high-performance steel frame to provide stability during high-speed road use and to absorb energy during off-road use. There’s also a removable rear subframe and a lightweight cast aluminium swingarm. The lightweight but strong Takasago Excel rims are top-tier off-road racing technology, made of aircraft-grade aluminium. So far, so good.
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES
It’s the suspension that comes as the big surprise. Maybe I’m just greedy, but I’d expect anything with a close-to-40k price tag to have a semi-active suspension system these days. However, the Enduro Veloce is fitted with Sachs suspension front and rear, manually adjustable for rebound and compression damping, and spring pre-load. If this is disappointing, the performance of the Sachs units is not. Adjustment is relatively easy at both ends, and the red tops of the fork legs and rear red coil and gold piggyback reservoir all look the business.
Owners will definitely be able to set up the bike to their liking, although when a bike is similarly priced to big adventure models such as the BMW R 1300 GS and Ducati Multistrada V4S, both with incredibly good semi-active systems, it does seem like a strange move. Luckily, even with factory settings, the standard suspension is very capable and if it wasn’t for the steep price tag, it wouldn’t be an issue.
As you’d expect, the Brembo braking system is top drawer, with Stylema calipers on 320mm floating discs at the front and a dual-piston caliper with 265mm disc at the rear. They work flawlessly on road, with the added benefit of cornering ABS and what MV Agusta calls rear wheel lift-up mitigation (RLM). The bike’s six-axis inertial platform is working behind the scenes to give both the ABS and traction control cornering functionality that takes the lean angle into consideration before intervening.
There are eight levels of traction control intervention, with five dedicated to road use, two for off-road use, and one for use on wet surfaces. There are also two ABS settings.
For general road riding, you choose level two, which keeps ABS active both on the front and rear, with both cornering and RLM functions ready to roll. For off-road (or a bit of tomfoolery), level one offers less invasive intervention on the front, nada on the rear, cornering function switched off and just a light touch of RLM.
MISSING MODES
There are, of course, several riding modes. Three pre-set and one customisable, all selectable with that peculiar MV Agusta system that employs the starter button to flick through the modes on the fly. The urban, touring and off-road settings are pretty self-explanatory, with touring (high throttle sensitivity, high torque and medium traction control) the go-to for all of my road riding, but I feel like there’s a sport or even track mode missing, especially on a bike with such a sporting heritage.
Happily, you can alter the levels of traction control, FLC, engine braking and ABS within each mode. If you choose the off-road mode, you get low throttle sensitivity, medium torque, less traction control and minimal ABS (and ABS can also be totally deactivated in off-road and custom all-terrain modes).
TIME TO GO OFF-ROAD
It would have been remiss of me not to give the Enduro Veloce a run on some unsealed tracks, considering that this is in its design brief. I stuck to some twisty dust and dirt, plus a stretch of sandy creek, but steered clear of technical rocky trails, as it was quickly apparent that the Bridgestone Battlax A41 tyres fitted were very much road-oriented. If you plan to do anything other than light off-road, swapping over to AX41 hoops would be advisable. In fact, the ECU is pre-programmed to work with these tyres if desired; you just select this option via the dash and leave the rest to the bike.
Knobblies and a touch less throttle response in off-road mode would make the Enduro Veloce more manageable in the dirt. I would also love to see the Smart Clutch System found on some of MV’s other models fitted to this bike. This automatic clutch set-up, developed in conjunction with American clutch performance technology company Rekluse, allows you to engage first or second gear when the bike is stationary without pulling in the clutch lever. It provides precise throttle control off-road and is also great in traffic.
As a side note, MV Agusta is aware of concerns that the stock paper air filters are not sufficient for Australian off-roading conditions (fine sand and dust), so all new Enduro Veloces can be fitted with foam pre-filters on request, such as the one on the test bike. No doubt more robust aftermarket units would be a good choice for regular off-road work.
As the sun went down behind the mountains, it was time to head out of the bush and back on the highway. But before I did, the dimming light allowed me to fully appreciate the high-resolution seven-inch TFT screen, which I soon discovered is customisable with three main and five secondary colours. Another nice touch is the ‘inertial’ mode display that you can select on the screen, which shows acceleration along the longitudinal and lateral axes of the bike, as well as front brake pressure, throttle control opening and lean angle in real time.
As darkness descended, I was appreciative of the LED backlit handlebar controls, although I’m not a fan of the actual switchgear. It all seems a bit plasticky and cheap for a premium bike, some switches rattling and others sitting off-centre. At least the cruise control is better than on other MVs; you activate it on the lefthand side switchblock. On the righthand side, however, the launch control and speed limiter buttons are inexplicably part of the same unit, which is just weird.
I filled up close to base and discovered that, despite riding the bike relatively hard, I’d somehow achieved a fuel consumption figure of 4.9L/100km, which is less than the factory’s claimed 5.6L/100km. That’s a first! I also hope that this will be the first of many new MV Agusta models that reach our shores.
In my opinion, quirky but seriously capable bikes like these keep the motorcycling world interesting. May MV Agusta emerge from these uncertain times with more motorcycle art for us to admire. As old mate Persius might have said, per aspera ad astra… through hardships to the stars.
SPECIAL PARTS
Genuine accessories (MV Agusta call them ‘special parts’) available for the Enduro Veloce include (all prices are rrp including GST but not fitting):
Touring windshield: 80mm higher and 40mm wider than the standard one – $200.20
Panniers set: Comprises mounting frame, screws and two aluminium panniers (right 33 litres, left 39 litres) with MV Agusta logo, rear handle and hooks for external straps – $3011.80
Top case set: Includes a support bracket, mounting plate and 44-litre box with a passenger backrest – $1241.35
Termignoni Slip-on: Titanium unit with carbon-fibre end, MV Agusta logo and carbon cover. Weighs 3.7 kg less than the stock item, is plug-and-play with the original manifold and requires no mapping update – $3052.50
Headlight protector: Made of anodised aluminium and has an MV Agusta logo – $231.88
Engine Skid plate: Made of high-strength aluminium – $800.69
Crash bars kit: Made of 25mm stainless steel tubes, the kit is easily installed using original mounting points. Contains internal wire routing for the spotlight set – $567.77
Spotlight set: Manufactured in black aluminium, installation is only possible with the crash bars kit – $583.83
edi’s dakar time warp
Those of a certain vintage will remember Italian rallying motorcycle racer and four-time Dakar winner Edi Orioli. Orioli’s January 1990 Paris-Dakar win on the Lucky Explorer Cagiva Elefant 900ie was hugely significant for Cagiva and Ducati, which had spent the previous six years challenging for an overall win but never quite achieving it.
The MV Agusta LXP Orioli is a basically limited-edition (500 only) Enduro Veloce with all the fruit and a colour scheme reminiscent of the Lucky Explorer bikes. As well as being numbered, each bike is personally signed by Orioli.
The LXP has all the standard equipment of the Enduro Veloce, plus rigid aluminium side cases, crash bars, spotlights, bash plate, Termignoni titanium exhaust, motorcycle cover and certificate of authenticity. Its ride-away price is $47,595, if you can get your hands on one.
dawn of a new era of models
Despite changes in the ownership structure, MV Agusta is in a very strong position – “arguably the strongest in its history” according to MV Agusta’s brand manager in Australia, Adam Beehag. The Sardarov family is taking back control of the company from KTM, removing it from any ongoing financial issues.
In 2024 MV sold 4000 models worldwide, a 116 per cent growth on 2023. It also achieved a 99 per cent parts availability rate covering models up to seven years old. It aims to reach a target of 270 dealers/service outlets this year, while nine new models have been developed in the past 18 months.
“MV Agusta is committed to working diligently to ensure the continued success of the marque well into the future,” Beehag told AMCN. “Our dedication to providing support to our customers and fans remains steadfast. We are enhancing our customer service initiatives to ensure that every MV Agusta owner receives the highest level of care and support.
“In addition, we are excited about the upcoming release of several new products that showcase our commitment to innovation and excellence.
“We look forward to a strong and prosperous future.”
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
Capacity 931cc
Type Three-cylinder, DOHC, 12 valves
Bore & stroke 81.0mm x 60.2mm
Compression ratio 13.4:1
Cooling Liquid
Fueling Integrated ignition-injection system with three injectors, Mikuni throttle bodies
Transmission Six-speed
Clutch Wet multi-disc hydraulic clutch
Final drive Chain
PERFORMANCE
Power 91kW (124hp) @ 10,000 rpm (claimed)
Torque 102Nm @ 7000rpm (claimed)
Top speed 220km/h (claimed)
Fuel consumption 4.7L/100km (tested)
ELECTRONICS
Type Not given
Rider Aids Traction control, front lift control, torque control and launch control, Electronically Assisted Shift (MV EAS 4.0) two-way quickshifter
Rider modes Urban, Touring and Off-Road– plus the option to set custom All-Terrain mapping
CHASSIS
Frame Main frame is a double beam cradle. Rear frame is a bolt-on trellis. High-tensile steel tubing is matched with forged components.
Rake Not given
Trail 118mm
Wheelbase 1610mm
SUSPENSION
Type Sachs
Front: 48mm upside down telescopic fork, rebound-compression damping and spring preload external and separate adjustment
Rear: single shock absorber with rebound and compression damping and spring preload adjustment, 210mm travel
WHEELS & BRAKES
Wheels Spoked and tubeless with Takasago Excel aluminium hubs and rims
Front: 2.15 x 21 Rear: 4 x 18
Tyres Bridgestone Battlax A41
Front: 90/90ZR21
Rear: 150/70ZR18
Brakes Brembo Continental MK100 ABS with rear wheel lift-up mitigation and cornering function
Front: Dual 320mm floating discs, four-piston calipers
Rear: Single 265mm disc, two-piston caliper
DIMENSIONS
Weight 235kg (dry claimed)
Seat height 850mm or 870mm
Width 980mm
Length 2360mm
Ground clearance 230mm
Fuel capacity 20L
SERVICING & WARRANTY
Servicing
First 1000km
Minor: 7500km
Major: 30,000km
Warranty Four years, unlimited km
BUSINESS END
Price $35,495 (ride away)
Test bike fitted with engine skid plate, crash bars kit and spotlight set – total ride away price, $37,447
Colour option Ago Red/Ago Silver
CONTACT
