MV Agusta’s Brutale 800 Rosso brings top-shelf racing technology to the table for the everyday rider. This muscular little stoplight burner boasts over 100 ponies at just over 400 pounds and comes with a robust electronics suite to help you keep it under control. Aggressive, edgy lines and a sporty mien complete the package.

Yeah, the MV Agusta Brutale Rosso is not billed as a pure-D racing machine, however this bike is every inch a stupid-fast machine and demands respect as such. Much of this is due to the beating heart which is a water- and oil-cooled, in-line triple set in a transverse-mount orientation in the frame. It’s shot in black just like its surroundings so it almost disappears into the black hole under the tank.

Racing technology shows up in the cases. The counter-rotating crankshaft pulls the front end down when it’s spooling up for the front contact-patch integrity.

Dual over-head cams time the valves with four poppets per cylinder and Diamond-Like Carbon treatment at the followers for long service life. Bore and stroke mic out at 79 mm and 54.3 mm, an oversquare layout that ends up with a 798 cc displacement and seriously-hot 12.3-to-1 compression ratio.

The 2022 MV Agusta Brutale Rosso produces 112 horsepower and 62.6 pound-feet of torque. All that power flows first through a slip-and-assist clutch, then through the racing-style cassette-type six-speed transmission that comes complete with an up-and-down shift-assist feature to eliminate missed shifts.

A chain-type final drive carries the power to the rear wheel with an overall drive ratio that turns in an MV Agusta Brutale Rosso top speed of 147.2 mph. It goes 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in a mere 3.45 seconds, and 0-200 km/h (124 mph) in 12.30 seconds. Yeah, it’s like that. As I said, it’s a stupid-fast bike.

As for electronics, the Brutale Rosso rocks a generous package that starts with a ride-by-wire throttle control and MV Agusta’s Motor & Vehicle Integrated Control System for overall control. A Torque Control feature lets you dial in the power delivery with four mappings from which to choose to suit any conditions. The Traction Control system comes with eight levels of intervention to complete the under-the-hood controls.

This machine is an artistically shaped lump of mechanical muscle that wastes not an ounce on superfluous bodywork and vanity items. Like a sprinter crouched at the blocks, the trim rear end and forward visual weight give the Brutale line an all-up-front look that just oozes confidence and poise.

Up front is quite possibly the smallest fender I’ve seen on a production bike. It’s clearly engineered for low-drag penetration with a built-in spoiler effect in the slotted uprights.

A cyclops headlight splits the night with a DRL ring for daytime safety and LED lightbars for the blinkers. Up top, a vestigial flyscreen completes the edgy visage and protects the instrument display around back.

The first real evidence that this isn’t a pure racing machine is in the handlebar which actually has a little rise to it. This makes for a more comfortable riding position than you can get with clip-ons.

Ram-effect intake ports ride at the shoulders ahead of the strongly flanged fuel tank and narrow waist that enables even the most extreme body English techniques. This lets you go ahead and drag that knee, you marvelous maniacs.

The pilot’s seat rides 830 mm (32.68 inches) off the deck, which is a tad tall for short riders, but not unexpected given the overall build. It comes stock with a pillion pad and fold-up footpegs for one very brave passenger.

A high-and-tight taillight rides in the terminus of the tail, well out of harm’s way. The rear end is clean through the lack of a mudguard so it relies on the swingarm-mount hugger and subframe belly pan to contain the fling.

One really cool detail is the pass-through under the pilot’s butt. I don’t know if it’s just an aesthetic feature, or if it helps keep your nethers from overheating, but there it is.

Tubular-steel members make up the Trellis frame on the Brutale Rosso. It’s kept rather inconspicuous by the blackout paint that homogenizes the overall look so well.

The lightweight aluminum single-side swingarm has pivot plates to reduce both sprung and unsprung weight for the benefit of the rear suspension. This makes it supple and responsive as you’d expect from a racebike proper.

USD Marzocchi forks float the front end on 125 mm (4.92 inches) of travel and 43 mm tubes. Out back the Progressive Sachs monoshock takes care of business with 130 mm (5.12 inches) of travel. Both ends benefit from the full trifecta of tweaks so you can dial in your ride just where you like it.

This bike has lots of go, so it necessarily comes with plenty of stop. Dual 320 mm front discs and four-bore Brembo calipers operate ahead of another twin-pot Brembo anchor and 220 mm disc. The ABS comes courtesy of Continental with its MK100 unit. It delivers corner-sensitive protection complete with a Rear Wheel Lift-up feature that reduces stoppies under hard braking efforts.

A set of cast, 17-inch wheels round out the rolling chassis in a 120/70 ahead of a 180/55. The rubber comes with a “Z” speed rating that’ll take everything you can dish out and more.

I’m not exactly overwhelmed by the color selection since Ago Red over black is the only colorway this year. That said, it’s a sharp-looking finish that fits well with its spicy temperament. The 2022 MV Agusta Brutale Rosso costs €13,400 .

Ya know, it can be difficult to beat an Italian stallion in the looks department. I didn’t even try, and instead went straight to Italian giant Ducati for its Monster naked-sport model.

The Monster comports itself in much the same manner— naked, aggressive — and looks like it’s moving fast even at a standstill. Seriously, these two are like sisters from another mister as the Duc rocks a teensy-weensy front fender of its own with a similar headlight/DRL arrangement and tiny flyscreen up top.

The Monster looks a little more trim around the engine, This is mainly due to the position of the exhaust headers, of which there are two with only one of them visible upfront. This leaves the rear exhaust pipe running close to the monoshock but with a heat shield to help prevent shock fade.

The Duc does take on a little bit of extra structure with a somewhat mudguard-style mount for the plate and blinkers, so it isn’t quite as squeaky-clean out back as the Brutale. Power comes from a 937 Testastretta L-Twin plant to the tune of 111 ponies with 69 pound-feet of torque on tap. Against 112/62 on the Brutale, it’s a difference that makes little difference and you won’t detect it in the ol’ heinie dyno.

Electronics are also fairly similar overall, so again, not much to choose between the two. Price, however, is a different story. The Ducati Monster rolls for €10,701 which leaves a significant amount of cash on the table against the Brutale’s sticker.

“Holy smokes sports fans, this thing is a weapon on wheels. It boasts racing capabilities but in an everyrider arrangement that allows for a somewhat relaxed riding positions compared to a full-on racebike. But, once again, this bike goes way too fast for you to ever do it justice on public roads unless you hit the Autobahn or something.”

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “The Brutale Rosso is the base model and the least expensive in a five-Brutale lineup this year. The Brutale 800 Rosso and the Brutale 800 RR share the engine 798 cc engine, though the magic that is the RR manages to produce 30 horsepower more.”