Prepare Your Pocket for MV Agusta's LXP E-Gravel Machine: Designed To Dominate an Industry

Over 11 decades later, this crew is keeping up with ever-shifting industry trends and is attacking a different kind of two-wheeling chapter, e-bikes. Yes, e-bikes, just as Harley, Ducati, and other major industry players are doing. Why? A few reasons, but one is the growing demand for these EVs.

When a crew like MV Agusta starts developing an e-bike, you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be the bee's knees in terms of capability, style, and above all, tradition. Yes, tradition; that's a lot of what you pay for when you decide to drop some cash on a big name-brand machine. Nonetheless, the LXP E-Gravel bike we'll be looking at today brings part of Agusta's heritage.

Now, the LXP is part of a special project that Agusta is showing off to the world. The Lucky Explorer Project, as it's been dubbed, pays homage to the Elephant Lucky Explorer heritage that the company is known for. You know, that Paris-Dakar-destined Ducati present during the 1978 desert trial.

Looking closely at the colors that the E-Gravel displays, the resemblance between the icon and the modern spin-off is more than apparent. A carbon fiber frame is coated with a white shade, and Italy's stripes can be spotted on the seat tube and battery pack. But this bugger isn't just for show and packs a rather beefy setup, one that doesn't have a price on it yet.

For example, because it's an e-bike, Agusta chose to integrate a 350-watt-hour battery into the downtube. By the looks of it, it seems removable, so you could easily double your range if this manufacturer sells separate packs. What is this battery powering? Nothing more than a Mahle X20 motor, and considering I've ridden a bike with this motor, I recommend it for an e-bike that still gives you a bicycle feel; it offered my legs just the right assist I was looking for.

Now, with a 250-watt-hour battery, an X20 system I've ridden before would offer me a range of around 80 kilometers (50 miles). However, with the 350-watt bugger we have here, the E-Gravel is said to offer a range of up to 140 kilometers (87 miles). Sure, that's in an ideal setting. Nonetheless, it's quite the range if you ask me.

The rest of the bike isn't lacking in attention either. To help you get the most out of your adventures and ensure that some changes in terrain don't mean you have to stop riding, Agusta drops a Fox 32 K Float fork on the front, offering some suspension and smoothening out bumps. Looking closer at the frame, I could even spot rack mounts for the rear and several water bottle mounts for the main triangle. This means you can embark on bikepacking adventures with ease.

Speaking of ease, since Italians like to keep things in-house, a Campagnolo drivetrain and brakes are in place. With a 1x13 setup and a cassette range of 9-42T, your gravel adventures should feel slick nonetheless. 700x45C tires bring extra softness and help with grip too. With a few other touches, you're looking at a 13.4-kilogram (29.5-pound) machine.

As for pricing, we'll have to wait until Agusta reveals these details. But, based on the sort of specks we see here, I wouldn't expect to see a price lower than $6,000. After all, some of this gear adds up to a solid few thousand on its own. Once you factor in the brand name, carbon fiber, and know-how, you can see why I feel it won't be any cheaper than that. More expensive is clearly a possibility; It's an MV Agusta vehicle. Get to riding and wear a helmet, please; do it for yourself.