MV Agusta

2024 MV Agusta range leaked

By Ben Purvis

The first details of MV Agusta's next-generation model range have been revealed thanks to documents filed with the National Highway Safety Administration in the USA - confirming a number of planned new and revised machines.

It's one of those catch-22 situations that manufacturers face. They must register some details of bikes before they're allowed to sell them - in this case, MV provided VIN decoding information to the NHTSA, which needs them to be able to oversee model recalls - and those details get published. In this instance, they've been published before the bikes have been launched.

Brutale RR

MV's VINs (vehicle identification numbers) include characters to identify which model range a bike is from. The NHTSA document shows these characters and which bikes fall into those ranges, revealing the existence of several machines that have not yet been unveiled. 

Starting at the top of the list, there's the 'B1' range, which is made up of the three-cylinder Brutale and Dragster models. Along with familiar names, the new document lists 'Brutale 950' and 'Dragster 950' in this range. 

The move from the current '800' capacity (actually 798 cc) to '950' (really 931 cc) is a logical one, as an enlarged 931 cc version of MV Agusta's triple has already been revealed, powering the upcoming Lucky Explorer 9.5 adventure bike. While the adventure bike has a modest state of tune, with 124 hp - 16 hp less than the most powerful version of the smaller, 798 cc triple - it's clear that the additional capacity could be used to boost performance in the Brutale and Dragster, taking them past the 150 hp mark.

Superveloce 1000

Next, there's the 'F1' range, related to MV's faired three-cylinder bikes, the F3 and Superveloce. Although these are also likely to get the '950' engine eventually, it's not listed here. What is shown, though, is the 'Superveloce 98 Edizione Limitata', which has yet to be launched. Since the very first MV Agusta was the '98', developed during WW2 and entering production shortly afterwards, there's a good chance that is what is being referred to here. 

There's also a possibility that the name relates to 1998, which is the year that Claudio Castiglioni revived MV Agusta by launching the first generation F4, now approaching its 25th anniversary in 2023 and thus potentially worthy of a limited-edition celebratory model.

Then there's the 'E1' range - 'E' is for 'Explorer' (not electric!) - and this is the 9.5 version with the 931 cc triple. While we've seen that bike already, two additional versions are listed here: the Lucky Explorer (shown as 'LXP') Premium and the Lucky Explorer Orioli. The 'Premium' is likely to be a fully-loaded model, with luggage and accessories as standard, while the 'Orioli' refers to Edi Orioli, who won the Paris-Dakar rally twice aboard Lucky Strike sponsored Cagiva Elefant bikes - the inspiration behind the Lucky Explorer.

The 'B7' range is made up of MV's four-cylinder, 1000 cc models - the list shows three variations of the Superveloce 1000. Originally previewed last year as a proposed Superveloce 1000 'Serie Oro', the bike is due to reach production with two additional variants, the 'Superveloce 1000 R' and 'Superveloce 1000 S.' Those will be lower-spec, lower-priced versions, following on from the limited-edition 'Serie Oro' model.

Finally, there's the 921 S and 921 GT, listed as the new 'J1' model range. The 921 S was shown last year as a concept, but is clearly heading for production. It takes its inspiration from the 750 S of the 1970s and uses a 921 cc four-cylinder engine that's derived from the 750 cc design in the original F4. The 921 cc capacity was briefly used in the Brutale 921 more than a decade ago, but the engine has been reworked to gain dummy cooling fins for a convincing retro style.

921 S

The 921 GT has not been seen, but logic dictates it's a more comfort-oriented version of the same bike, with styling inspired by the 1972-1974 750 GT. Taller, wider bars, a dual seat and lower pegs will distinguish it from the 921 S.

Despite all this information, the NHTSA list still includes some mysteries. The '1B', '2B' and 'E2' model ranges are simply listed as 'not currently imported into the USA' - leaving some questions over what they are. The 'E2' range is the smaller, Qianjiang-made Lucky Explorer 5.5 adventure bike, with its 550 cc twin-cylinder engine, while '1B' and '2B' relate to restricted-power versions (1B is 35 kW/47 hp, 2B is 70 kW/94 hp) of the Brutale, designed to suit A2 licence rules.