MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 review

“Shit,” I cursed as I checked my mirrors and raised my left arm in the air to let the highway-speed traffic behind me know I was in strife. I was out in the far right lane of a three-lane highway and MV Agusta’s Turismo Veloce was missing and spluttering under acceleration, a bevy of warning lights lighting up on the dash advising me of something I was well and truly aware of.

I coasted to the emergency lane and stopped, heart racing, and then I laughed. Because instead of activating cruise control on the Italian touring bike I’d hopped on just 10 minutes prior, I’d activated the very similar pit-lane speed limiter instead, with its very similar graphic on the bike’s somewhat crowded TFT full-colour five-inch dash.

I took off again, slightly embarrassed, but secretly loving the fact MV Agusta’s first touring bike comes equipped with a pit-lane speed limiter – it’s a delightfully unnecessary nod to it’s rich 62-year legacy of racing success. And as I accelerated quickly to merge back among the morning commuters, I realised (when used correctly) it’s a handy feature on a bike like this, especially in the many highly policed and enforced stretches of roads dotted around this country.

Because of where I live these days, most of my test periods begin with an hour-and-a-bit long freeway dash which provides a beaut opportunity to get acquainted with a bike before I start asking the hard questions.

Mind you, the MV asked a hard question straight up of me, and that’s its 850mm seat height. It’s a long way up, and I certainly am not, but the $23,990 rideaway Turismo Veloce’s waistline is corset-tightened narrow which means once you’ve clambered onto her perch, your legs don’t need to go around anything to find their way to the ground. Even for a five-foot-nothing rider like me, there’s plenty of confidence at a standstill.

A thumb of the starter and the recognisable rasp of the Italian-made triple comes alive. The clutch is light – though it matters naught considering how effective the multi-directional quickshifter is – and as I take off, I’m reminded of the oh-so MV Agusta throttle response. The Turismo employs the brand’s MVISC (Motor and Vehicle Control System) and its ride-by-wire results in one of the lightest-action throttles around and, while I’ve heard it described as too snatchy, I really like it.

The upright seating position puts you above every passenger vehicle on the road and combined with its wide bars, it made picking my way through Melbourne’s morning commuters quite enjoyable. Once out on the freeway, straight away I’m impressed with the windscreen and the protection it offers – it’s a box every touring bike must tick.

It’s a two-position height-adjustable screen, which offers 60mm of variability, and it’s actuated by a clever one-handed doodad which can be changed on the fly. Importantly, changing the height at highway speeds doesn’t upset the bike and both positions offer an effective wind break depending on your speed (and height, of course).

As well as the aforementioned ride-by-wire throttle, or indeed because of it, the MV Agusta offers more than enough electronic aids. While there’s no IMU on board, which facilitates the latest lean-angle sensitive electrickery like cornering ABS and so forth, the Turismo Veloce boasts switchable ABS, eight-levels of traction control (as well as off) and four-way switchable engine modes in Sport, Touring, Rain and Custom. There’s no electronically adjustable suspension on this version, but its higher-end Lusso sibling offers it.

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The variable weather gave me plenty of opportunities to test the different modes in their appropriate environments. And while I felt I ought to constantly switch between the different modes as the weather and the conditions changed, the wily folk at MV Australia had dialled into the Custom setting a mode which it believes showcases the Turismo Veloce at its best. In the end I realised they were exactly right and I left it there, regardless of the conditions, with the onus back on me to modulate the outcome. Well, not entirely.

MV Australia’s Custom setting unleashes all of the Turismo Veloce’s 110hp (81kW) of (Sport mode’s) power, but reduces the severity of the throttle response, which is often half the battle in slippery conditions. Likewise, ABS is set to level one for the least amount of interference, traction control is set to level three, just below halfway, and whether I was splashing around in an inch of water or sailing through warm and dry switchbacks under the sun, the motorcycle is so engaging that I was rarely looking for more (or less) in terms of the power – the way it was delivered or the computer-generated interference out to save my bacon.

For the record, power is reduced to 89hp (66kW) in Touring mode and reduced even further when Rain mode’s activated, down to 78hp (58kW). It’s an easy adjustment to make, thumbing the starter button to switch between the modes. All of the other settings and switching (and there’s plenty of them) occurs via the left-hand switch block and is a simple left and right to toggle through and a direct push to select.

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Though I will admit that, despite a couple of attempts, I couldn’t get my phone to pair with the Turismo Veloce’s instrument cluster via Bluetooth. It’s fair to assume it’s the age and condition of my device which prevented it, as I could see there were already of couple of previously paired devices showing up the list which proves the system works.

Good thing too, probably. Who wants to be able to read messages and see who’s calling when they’re cruising through the wine country on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula? Not me.

Certainly not when the revs increase and the jewel in the Turismo Veloce’s crown comes alive. You see, a lot of motorcycles have hugely capable but largely nondescript engines, big lumps of rapidly moving parts designed to propel a two-wheeled vehicle in an effective and efficient manner. Other motorcycles, however, employ engines which are both effective and efficient, yet offer an extra level of engagement to an already charming riding experience and the MV Agusta is one of those motorcycles. Because just like the pit-lane speed limiter, the 798cc three-cylinder engine is a yet another delightful nod to its racing heritage.

The engine began life in the firm’s F3 675 supersport machine, the bike that MV Agusta hoped would return it to world championship glory for the first time since Phil Read crossed the line of the 1974 Czech Grand Prix to win the 500cc title for the Italian marque some 39 years earlier. Entered the 2013 Supersport World Championship, it scored three podiums in its first year before scoring seven podiums including three wins the following year to finish runner-up to Honda’s Michael van Der Mark.

It was also about the same time when manufacturers began realising that existing platforms could be used to create a swag of different models to cater to different segments of the market — it was a harsh but true reality for the likes of MV Agusta, which up until that point produced purely race or race-bred finery.

And so in 2015 MV Agusta unveiled its first-ever touring bike, the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce which was powered by a retuned 81kW/80Nm version of that beaut 108kW/88Nm sportsbike engine.

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Don’t be fooled by the reduced numbers, its delivery is decorated in mid-range torque, its willingness to spin is fast and free and its note nothing shy of tre pistoni symphony.

Five years down the road and this latest version boasts a couple of updates to ensure the bike whose moniker translates directly as Tour Fast is the best iteration yet.

Updated switchblocks address ease of everyday use, a tweaked ECU is about smoothing out the delivery to make it slightly less track-day and a little more all day and the new red frame means you’ll never forget its native Italian lineage.

The Sachs/Marzocchi suspension is sportsbike firm and fully adjustable and offers excellent feedback and stability when the scenery begins to blur. I didn’t ride two up, nor did I have any weight in the panniers when I had the options fitted, but the bike is equipped with quality componentry which leaves my with zero doubt that it would comply equally as well in the fun stuff with a pillion and or luggage.

The radial-mounted Brembos are far more capable than the majority of us, offer the good feel and plenty of power we’ve come to expect.

The thing that sticks with me about the MV Turismo Veloce over every other similar capacity touring bike around is its width. Both across its front fairing and in its waistline, it’s significantly narrower than its contemporaries which means it’s lighter at a standstill, it’s more nimble at speed and it’s less imposing when you’re trying to manhandle the thing into that awkward parking spot at whatever destination you’ve chosen to tour to.

This, too, is complemented by knee indentations in the 20-litre tank which keep it narrow not only when you’re stopped, but when you’re hustling along, too. It mightn’t seem much, but when you’re my height and adorned with my strength, it could be the difference between owning a bike and overlooking it.

It boasts a really handy twin USB outlet below the instruments, adjacent to a pair of not-so handy compartments moulded in the inner fairing. They might just be big enough to fit a chapstick perhaps, or a toll tag, but you wouldn’t get a phone or a wallet, or anything else you’d otherwise carry in your pocket when you’re touring on a motorcycle.

For a touring bike which costs around the same as a kitted-out Triumph Explorer, for my money there’s a couple of glaring omissions. There’s no centrestand, a small but handy addition to a touring bike – it’s better to have a motorcycle upright and level when you’re strapping on gear and luggage. Speaking of, the panniers aren’t standard (no, they demand a $2200 premium — that’s almost 10 per cent of the bike’s purchase price to turn a so-called touring bike into one with luggage capability).

And there are no heated grips. And the only thing worse than not having heated grips at 5.30am on a sleety Melbourne morning, is having a heated-grips graphic on the screen taunting you that if you wanted to enjoy this luxury, then you actually needed to cough up another $3600 for the Lusso variant, whose graphic isn’t greyed out and whose grips will duly transform into toasty warm goodness.

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But for the three, frankly, rather insignificant blots on the Turismo Veloce’s copybook (they can all be fixed with aftermarket accessories), there’s a swag of things I love. Not least that it’s festooned with typically gorgeous MV Agusta design touches; the triple outlet exhaust exits – stunning. The bold hollow design of the tail, the single-sided swingarm, the brash bright-red frame, the way the rear indicators are integrated into the rear hugger — it’s the beauty of owning an MV Agusta and goes a long way into coaxing the couple of grand extra the Italian marque often asks.

It’s the couple of extra grand that buys you the exotic head-turning ways of a brand which, despite diversifying into different sectors of the marketplace, has remained staunchly true to its rich racing heritage. It’s a few extra bob which buys not just a motorcycle, but an engaging experience, and I reckon it’s money well spent.