MV Agusta RVS#1 revealed

A WHILE AGO ago MV Agusta teased the existence of its new special projects division, Reparto Veicoli Speciali, and now it’s fully revealed the arm’s first project.

Called, suitably if unimaginatively, RVS#1, it’s pretty much what we expected to see. A scrambler-styled take on the existing Dragster 800, dripping in more RVS-branded bling than you could shake a leather-wrapped, diamond-tipped, CNC-milled, billet titanium stick at.

If over-the- top is your thing, it’s pretty nicely done.

There’s substance behind all the glitter, too. Engine-wise, it’s the expected 800cc triple, in 150bhp, Euro4-legal form. The chassis is pure Dragster 800, too, as is most of the bodywork. But the new headlight, big and round in that retro-scrambler style, hides a clever multiple-LED setup that lets it change its lighting pattern and range depending on speed and lean angle. It’s the sort of thing that will probably become the norm on bikes in a few years’ time, but at the moment it’s an exotic idea.

The twin additional spot lights, stacked low on the right hand side, are less likely to be influential on future mainstream models. They’re just weird for the sake of it.

Hand-made goodies include the fuel tank, inset with titanium strips because, well, why not?

The honeycomb-patterned stitching on the seat is the sort of thing you’d expect to see on a supercar rather than a bike. And those front brake discs, from Braking, look insane in a circular-saw sort of way.

Despite adding bits to the bike, weight has been reduced by 8kg to 160kg, which sounds promising in performance terms. Each one also comes with a race kit comprising a titanium exhaust, quick release fuel filler, race ECU and various carbon and titanium bolt-on goodies, all in a branded wooden box that will look lovely sitting in anyone’s garage.

How much and how many are the remaining questions. One answer is likely to be a large number, the other a small one.