MV Agusta Equips the Brutale And Dragster 800 RR with Semi-Automatic Clutch

MV Agusta’s inventory has no shortage of utterly stunning two-wheelers, including the vicious Rush 1000, Superveloce 800 and the smaller, yet potent F3 675.

However, the fierce monstrosities by the names of Brutale and Dragster 800 RR, remain the most impressive of the bunch. These untamed animals are powered by a savage three-cylinder DOHC mill, with a generous displacement of 798cc and a six-speed gearbox. This bad boy will gladly deliver up to 140 hp at 12,300 rpm, along with a solid torque output of 64 pound-feet (87 Nm) at 10,100 rpm.

This sheer power makes MV Agusta’s Brutale and Dragster 800 RR fully capable of reaching an astounding top speed of 152 mph (244 kph). The first weighs as little as 386 lbs (175 kg), while the latter is even lighter, with a dry weight of no more than 370 lbs (168 kg).

Briefly speaking, these wild machines are simply spectacular, and the fact that they also happen to sit on the lower end of MV Agusta’s price range makes for a couple of sexy packages that’ll have you drooling. Nonetheless, as thoughtful innovation is a key ingredient in any prominent manufacturer’s recipe, these two phenomenal bikes just received an exciting new feature that makes them that much better!

You might already be familiar with the Italian firm’s praised Smart Clutch System. This technology was first introduced by its parent back in 2018, and was later equipped to MV's handsome Turismo Veloce sports-tourer. As such, the fact that the Smart Clutch System was recently adopted by the Brutale and Dragster 800RR doesn’t really come as a surprise.

I mean, if this setup works on a motorcycle and the market appreciates the new addition, it only makes sense to consider adapting it to your other products as well, right?

In a nutshell, MV’s Smart Clutch System allows the rider to shift between gears without using the clutch lever. This is made possible by a semi-automatic setup, based on the Rekluse clutch design; an aftermarket component you will often see in the off-road world. At low rpm, the clutch will disengage to prevent the engine from stalling.

When revs are increased, the clutch is re-engaged by small wedges that slide out of an expansion disk, allowing power to be transmitted to the rear wheel. As a result, the rider may choose to completely forget about the clutch lever when shifting gears. However, if you’re the type of rider that likes to stick to a tradition approach, you may also continue to use the clutch as you would on any other motorcycle.

Although this isn’t a groundbreaking technology by today’s standards, it is certainly more refined than its predecessors. Sure, MV Agusta’s Smart Clutch System doesn’t go as far as Honda’s revolutionary DCT, which is fully automatic, but manual gear shifting seems to have become an incorporated part of a rider’s nature and there’s no breaking away from it, at least for some. Therefore, it’s relatively safe to assume that MV’s innovation will remain a highly appreciated feature.

In comparison to the standard Brutale 800RR and Dragster 800RR, the variants armed with the Smart Clutch System will only cost you an additional $1,000! Now, that’s what I call a cost-effective upgrade.

We are left wondering which model in MV Agusta’s mighty range will be the next to receive this semi-automatic clutch setup. What do you think?