2023 MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RR/RS First Look

When MV Agusta’s 1000cc four-cylinder F4 engine first appeared in World Superbike, it was so poorly designed that catastrophic connecting-rod failures were common. Then MV Agusta’s chief project engineer Brian Gillen got involved, and now the same powerplant is both reliable and immensely strong, cranking out 208 horsepower at 13,000 rpm. It seemed there wasn’t much more to do. Yet for 2023 Gillen has once again improved that magic four in a big way.

While often smooth, inline fours are not fully balanced; they have an inherent secondary imbalance that intensifies as the engine revs higher.

One solution is to use very long connecting rods, say a center-to-center measurement that is 2.5 times the stroke. This is what many Formula 1 builders do with their flat-crank V-8s, as these engines also suffer the same secondary imbalance. While this is a mechanically elegant and rational solution, it generates taller engines, and when working within a predetermined set of dimensions, taller won’t work. Gillen has taken an alternative route; the new MV engine features a balance shaft turning at twice crankshaft speed.

In a time when so many manufacturers are abandoning inline fours due to tightening emissions standards, the 2023 Agusta 1000cc F4 engine is being evolved with the goal of making it one of the most refined and advanced engines of its type, both powerful and smooth. Both the 2023 Brutale 1000 RR and RS will use the new engine. In addition, both bikes have received minor aesthetic updates, most notably the new high-mount four-pipe exhaust.

The Brutale engine’s redesign is a meaningful step in the evolution of this production inline four, and representing a big effort by MV Agusta to stay at the top of the game.