It is amazing how far the world has come in a few centuries—from one corner of the world unknown to the other to what we have today. I’ll give you an example. Imagine this: an Indian guy standing in Germany, conveying his feelings in English about an Italian motorcycle. So much has changed but some things have remained constant. One of those things is the value of art. I am not going to talk about paintings or sculptures but the Italian motorcycles I alluded to earlier. It is an MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RS and it is unanimous that MV Agustas are nothing if not a piece of art! 

Since we have already started on the topic, let us continue with the looks. MV Agusta is famous for making drop-dead gorgeous motorcycles; the F3, the F4, the Superveloce, and so on. The Brutale 1000 RS is no exception. It is stunning to look at. I know we often use the word sculpted for a lot of motorcycles but it has never felt more appropriate for any other motorcycle. Winglets seem like an abomination on some motorcycles but on the Brutale 1000 RS, even those odd appendages look amazing. 

There is so much to take in when it comes to the Brutale 1000 RS. It is not a motorcycle you look at. It is a motorcycle you witness. The tank, the shrouds, the headlight, the tail, and so on; it has so much to admire regardless of which angle you look at it from. Then there are highlights such as the slash-cut quad exhaust pipes… on any lesser motorcycle they may look like simple pipes cut at an angle but on the Brutale 1000 RS, they look diabolical. Then there are the wheels. I haven’t seen better wheels since perhaps the Lamborghini Reventon. 

Whatever the asking price, you simply pay it for a motorcycle that looks like that. If you pay the amount though, you get a lot more than just looks. The Brutale 1000 RS packs some very impressive specs. A 998cc inline-4 that makes 208 hp of power and 116.5 Nm of torque. Combine that with a dry weight of 186 kilos and you have a motorcycle that should be properly fast. And if you are sick of the 299 km/h limitation, well, MV Agusta has the speed listed as over 300 kays an hour on their official website. The Gentlemen’s Agreement was probably scorched by the flames from the exhaust. Then again, a motorcycle named Brutale cannot be expected to be a gentleman. 

The performance of the Brutale 1000 RS should have been impressive but nothing spectacular, right? After all, I have ridden many 200+ bhp motorcycles so it should not shock my system anymore, right? Wrong! There’s a reason why I feel like the Brutale 1000 RS is one of the most impressive motorcycles I have ridden in a while. It is a little paradoxical. As you slot it into gear and get a move on, it is almost benign, a little hesitant even because of the fueling. It almost feels underwhelming. 

This is where most people might develop a prejudice. Keep your mind open though and do what you are supposed to do with a 208 hp hyper naked… wring it! Once the revs cross around 8000 rpm, it lives up to the name Brutale and then some. I am not exaggerating when I say this but the acceleration past 8,000 rpm straightens your arms. It is violent and terrifying and exciting beyond measure. It is fury incarnate. Inline-4s are supposed to be peaky but still, most of them are linear. This is not. 

This is an orchestra that starts with a hiccup and the crescendo is something that only someone like Hans Zimmer can conjure up. I will reiterate that I have ridden fast motorcycles but acceleration this violent is something that I can only compare to perhaps the H2. And I will reiterate that it is so profound because it happens so late in the rev range and below that it is almost… too tame. That is why it is a shock to the system and that is why I loved every bit of it. 

A testament to Axor’s march forward, the X-Cross is one of the best off-roading helmets we have come across. It is just as ready for the tarmac in the dual-visor trim!

I might risk turning the traction control off on many motorcycles but not on this one. Not even with the Supercorsa SPs doing their job splendidly. That is despite the chassis being sublime and the suspension system being very supportive. That is despite the Brembo braking system and ABS promising to have your back. That is the measure of how violent the Brutale 1000 RS is when you prod it. 

It is portable and powerful so the function bit is sorted. That said, the Acer Swift 5 does not skimp on form either with its aerospace-grade CNC-machined aluminium body.

The Brutale 1000 RS is a fantastic handler, looks stunning, and has all the electronics you can ask for in a motorcycle. It sounds fantastic and captivates a million eyeballs as you ride it around. But once you find an open stretch to allow the engine to stretch its legs, you will realize that perhaps the money you have spent was just for this engine… or the peculiar power curve! 

They say there are no bad motorcycles nowadays and it is true to some extent. But it is motorcycles like the MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RS that proclaim that even among the great ones, some stand out.