The fantastic fellows at Motopia New Mexico recently picked up MV Augusta as one of their line of machines. They’ve always been pricey high-end, very exclusive sportbikes — or as long as I’ve known about them. They recently got themselves back under the control of the family that created the brand in 1945 and according to the Motopia boys, are very good about sharing profit with the dealers, something not many motorcycle brands do; it’s a very tight margin business that goes dead from about November to April. (Seriously…if you want a bike, don’t wait ‘til “riding season”. Help your local guys out by buying off season and getting in for service work during the winter months.)

I’d seen these Superveloces a few times around town. They are simply stunning. From the torpedo tube/porthole front headlight to the matching singular tail light, there’s nothing on this bike that isn’t beautifully thought out. Every line, every curve cuts through the length of the bike. The triple exhaust with heat shielding (which actually works!) give a nice aggressive flair. The dash is the usual full-color iPad junk that everyone is doing now, but it’s well done and flipping through the menus is easy with a dedicated thumb switch. I didn’t take a pic of it, so here it is off their website…

The version I took out is the inline triple Superveloce. The mill turns out 147hp at the redline of 14,000rpm…which despite being very aggressive on the throttle during my test ride, I never got close to. Ripping it up or flagrantly breaking the local speed limit, I never got about 10k. It’s got a tenor exhaust tone and you can tell that the metals are most likely titanium and other lighter alloys in the engine noise. You can flip it through sport, race, rain, and “custom” modes. I just left it in the stock sport mode. It’s got their EAS 3.0 quick shift transmission. What does that mean? No damned clue, but it shifts fast — enough so the gear indicator lags slightly behind, which is no big deal at speed, but almost caught me stalling while not in neutral at a stop. It’s a six speed. Top end is somewhere around 150mph/240kph. I didn’t get there, but got close. The whole thing weighs in at about 380lbs. It’s light and the weight sits low.

Which is good, because the rider doesn’t sit in the bike — like a normal motorcycle or something like the Ducati Panigale. You perch on it, much like the old Ducati S4R and the lower center of gravity makes the vehicle feel much more planted. I was riding in 20mph winds with 35ish gusts; the bike was stable throughout the ride. The rear seat provides a good bolster that holds you in position. Sitting on it in the showroom, I suspected this would be a “15 minutes and you have to get off”-type sportbike, but I did a full hour on the MV and only the last ten minutes was I feeling any discomfort. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the wrists, which I suspected; it was the hips from the slightly cramped leg position and my elbows (no clue why).

My ride included some in-town traffic, interstate, small road sweepers and mountain twisties with a 2000’ elevation change. Around town, you’re not really getting out of third gear and the bike gets a bit warm, but wasn’t terrible. (It was a warn day, as well.) Getting onto the highway, I had a lot of traffic with a small gap that would allow me to get out into passing lanes, so I romped on the bike and got her from fifty to the ton in about two seconds or so in third gear. Once up to sixth, the bike was calm and quiet at 6000rpm. I got off and onto the small two lane highways that go around the back of the Sandia Mountains (studiously obeying the speed limits, of course) and was in fourth pretty much for the usual 50-60mph speeds. Once on the Crest Road that winds 13 miles and 4000’ in climb with 120 turns, including some sharp switchbacks, I really let the bike play.

While riding, the nose of the bike was just visible below, and provided a nice “artificial horizon” for some of the turns. I wasn’t doing race track style leans, but I did give it a fair amount of tip over at go to jail speeds. You didn’t need to do more than look down with your eyes to see the instrument panel and mirrors — which do vibrate a bit under power. It turns smoothly and well — easily on par with any other big name race bike out there.

On the run back into town, I had I-40 pretty much to myself for about three miles and put the spurs to the bike. Smooth and fast power delivery, minimum buzz on the handlebars (but a lot on the mirrors), and it rolled over the three digit mark with aplomb. For most people, there’s more than enough bike to keep you happy. I love triples for the fast torque (about 65 ft.-lbs. or 88nm) they provide and blipping and laying off the throttle for engine braking allowed very quick passes, speed drops, and coupled with the excellent suspension and dual front Brembo brakes, navigating traffic aggressively is a doddle.

I finished by ride with a simple “Wow!” It really is bloody marvelous.

There is a liter-bike version of the Superveloce with MV’s 4-cylinder they use in one of the Brutale models, but I haven’t had a chance to ride it yet. It seems a titch faster, but the specs on the website seem to be pretty much the same. For looks, the “98” limited version of this machine is stupefyingly beautiful is a deep burgundy with silver accents.

So is it worth it? At $24,500 MSRP plus set-up, this is a pricey machine for a cheap bugger like me, but for the Ducati/BMW/Aprilia crowd, I suspect this is fine. The workmanship is top notch — fit and finish is simply wonderful, the look is unlike the bug-headed monstrosities most sport bikes have become, and performance is more than adequate for the street hooligan or amateur racer. So, yes — it’s well worth it.