I doubt there’s any person in the world (motorcyclist or otherwise) that doesn’t want to ride this and/or own it, right? Just looking at the thing immediately makes one conjure up images of having it sitting proudly in their garage, right, and justifiably so? If beautiful motorcycles were rated on a scale of one-to-ten this would be the proverbial 11, right?
So, for that reason alone, I think it’s well worth the asking price of R259,000 and, yes, you read that correctly, over a ‘quarter-bar’ for a ‘mere’ naked bike. How can that be you ask, as you spit your fresh morning posh Columbian coffee across your new Persian rug? Now here’s my point; people pay extortionate amounts for the aforementioned rug, more than this bike in some cases and say; ‘but it’s worth it, just look at the craftsmanship’, which is most certainly the case for this particular bike as well.
The MV Augusta Brutale Corsa is nothing but a brash ‘rich man’s’ version of their basic Brutale 1090 covered in ‘rich-man’s’ bits, and I absolutely love it. So much so I’m thinking of selling some of my internal organs too but one, then again they’ve had a hard life to say the least and my shriveled kidneys and liver are only probably worth R25 on the black market with current street value, so I’ll need another plan. You’ll also have to be quick because only two are coming to SA, so I’ll have to sign out now because I’m just off to rob a bank.
Mindless gibberish aside this is one very serious motorbike with a very serious attitude. For a start the Brutale 1090 motor in its ‘cheap’ form only produces 144hp, the Corsa, however, will rip around to 11,900rpm and spit out 158hp when it gets there, and just below that at 10,200rpm it will make a hefty 100Nm of torque. As you can see this powerful unit is quite a revvy thing on paper but still puffs out plenty of mid-range to make wheelies and daily commuting nothing but a simple pleasure. 
The 1078cc (don’t know why it’s called a 1090 then), DOHC, 16-valve, radial-valve unit is basically the same engine found in MV’s F4 with bigger pistons, but doesn’t rev as high, ideal for its intended street abuse, er, use. It does enjoy the same level of electronics as their superbike though, with eight levels of traction control, different power modes and loads of other stuff that I just switched off because I prefer the bike to be unconfused, if you know what I mean? But one interesting point about the ABS on the Corsa, which is new to MV, is their ‘race’ ABS mode. This isn’t as abrupt or intrusive as the normal road set-up and has RLM (Rear wheel Lift-up Mitigation), or in ‘window-licker’ terms it means the rear wheel won’t leave the floor as those horrendously powerful Brembo callipers come into action when an over-eager grab at the front brake lever is deployed. And while I’m on about the brakes, you just have to see and believe the quality of the billet levers, master-cylinders, billet top triple clamp and those stunning ultra-light wheels, and, well, just about everything else on the bike as well. Öhlins front forks are top of the range also, as is the Sachs rear shock and there’s a cute little steering damper under the ‘bars and I’ve no idea who makes it, but it’s another class addition.
Then let’s chat about the paint and styling on this 183kg (dry) Italian drool machine…
The Corsa paint job is very special and took more hours in the spray booth to perfect than the top left hand image in the Sistine Chapel, made that up actually, but I’m sure MV will appreciate it and I’ll forward them my address for the inevitable t-shirt – MV that is and not Michelangelo’s marketing and tourist department. And to blend in with the pearl paint is that striking white hand-stitched seat that also comes with a matching rear seat cowl in the box. And talking of cowls I believe Simon Cowell has just bought one of these. Made that up as well, but you could see the arrogant twat riding one of these, right?
Riding the Brutale Corsa is certainly as good as the sum of its parts. It feels, dare I say, a bit Japanese, which is a good thing. The suspension is plush but firm when needed, a trait not normally associated with Italian ‘planks’ that crush your internal organs over every bump in the road. It’s comfortable, turns effortlessly quickly, wheelies when you want, does over 260km/h, which I never saw (honest officer) and makes a sound better than a famous rich and bloated opera singer, pissed at a karaoke party. As for the looks, well, would you lick an Italian supermodel/actress (can’t think of one off-hand), but you catch my drift? And finally, would I buy one - fuk yeah!
Now go to www.mvagusta.co.za to find out if there are any Corsa’s left and to see the latest range of MV motorcycles. Also go to our Video Section right now to watch the 2Wheels TV shoot riding this same bike.
