HIGH-END Italian manufacturer MV Agusta has brushed off one of the most famous names in sport bike history — again — to create a limited edition Brutale.
The new Brutale 800 RR America pays homage to the MV Agusta S America 750 of 1975 — a blisteringly fast, beautiful-handling four-cylinder superbike which was, alongside the Laverda Jota and Ducati 900SS, Europe’s counter-punch to Japan’s onslaught of high-performance road bikes.
The European trio matched the Japanese bikes for straight-line performance and killed them in the corners.
But they didn’t have a hope in the showroom.
While Japan was fine-tuning its cut-price mass-produced pump-em-out-by-the-thousands production line manufacturing techniques, Europe was still engaged with its wildly-expensive uber-exotic build-em-by-hand-with-love-and-affection approach. As a result, while Honda could give us a 750 Four for a little over $2,000, MV Agusta was proudly asking around $6,000 for the S America. Result? Honda (and friends) took over the world; MV went bust.
But not before giving us the S America, thankfully. (The bike reportedly achieved a 13.06 second standing quarter-mile with a 105.14mph terminal speed, and a top speed slightly north of 130mph. MV was the king of the racetrack for eons, having won 37 world championships between 1952 and 1973, including sixteen 500cc titles in just 18 years. Not bad, eh?)
Mind you, it’s fair to say the old S America has held its value. While you can still pick up a good old Honda Four for less than $20,000, you’re unlikely to find an original America for less than $100,000.
Of course, the reincarnated MV Agusta company has played this card before. In 2012, MV rolled out a four-cylinder Brutale and wrapped it in red-white-and-blue paint and gave it the ‘America’ moniker.
Doing it again might be stretching the friendship for traditionalists but, hey, you use what you’ve got — right?
MV says the new America has been developed on the basis of the Brutale 800 RR platform.
Starting with a redesign of the gearbox – MV says it’s smoother and more precise meshing – the bike is “brimming with technical upgrades”.
“A new balance shaft and redesigned primary transmission, optimised shaping of the intake and exhaust cams plus new valves are just some of the many improvements on this bike,” the company says.
“Electronic engine control has also been upgraded with new algorithms and engine mappings.
“Traction Control has been refined even further by honing strategies and calibration. Chassis development has also proceeded apace: the engine is now attached to the frame, boosting the overall rigidity of the bike. Another new feature is the rear cush drive system, designed to maximise riding comfort.
“This numbered Special Edition has plenty of distinctive features, starting with a metallic blue colour scheme that catches the light with shimmering iridescence. The tank sports a star-studded motif, just like the one on the 1973 750 S.”
We haven’t seen pricing for the new America, but we figure you’ll probably need a budget slightly north of $30,000. Bikes are due to land in Australia in June.
Further reading
We haven’t ridden one of these, but we have bought ourselves a ten-year-old four-cylinder Brutale 910R. See our report here.
Learn more about the original here. 
Enjoy our work? Like us on Facebook.
