Wow! I did my first ride on my Brutale I bought gently used with only 1,000 miles on the odometer. As you know, the break-in period still has another 600 miles so I can't go beyond 1,000 rpm. Not that I think I'll be beyond that stratosphere any time soon anyway!

My previous bikes have been a 2000 model BMW 1100R, a 2002 Yamaha Road Star Warrior (1,700 cc's), and a 2003 Honda ST1300. While I appreciated those bikes, I never felt the connection and absolute pride I feel when riding or showing off the MV. She is simply one gorgeous piece of Italian art! I installed carbon fiber upper and lower chain guards as well as a carbon fiber front fender which makes an already beautiful machine look even better.

My ride impressions, limited as they may be, are that the Brutale tracks on rails, makes extremely impressive power above 7,000 rpm, can be ridden calmly with ample power around 4,000 rpm and is the most flickable thing I've ever ridden. The roads were smooth but I could still tell that the suspension is way stiffer than I am used to. Fortunately, that can be dampened if I know the road conditions will deteriorate. The seat is hard and, knowing this, I bought a pair of bicycle pants to wear underneath when I go on longer rides. The rear mirrors are beyond useless. Does anyone know of a third party manufacturer of mirrors that makes anything for the Brutale yet? I've found no way to adjust the line of sight to fit anyone but a 5'2" Italian. This 5'10" Italian body simply can't use them.

Minor quibbles aside, I am absolutely delighted with my purchase. I can't wait to bring the Brutale to the next bike gathering and sit back to listen to all the oooh's and ahhh's. Any MV owners in the Austin are certainly welcome to write.

Thanks for reading.

Oh yeah! The sound.....she's a makeuh de beautiful sound!

-- Tom Solimine (tsolimine@amph.com), July 22, 2004

Answers

have you ridden a monster? i'm wondering how different the 2 beasts are? now i'm on a hunt for a brutale.

-- mod (mvf4s@excite.com), July 22, 2004.

Yeah, I rode a 750 Monster about 3 years ago and was not nearly as impressed with its ride, power and especially, build quality. Fairly shotty welds as I recall.

Night and day difference between the 750 Monster and the Brutale.

Good luck in your search. I stumbled across mine on eBay.

-- Tom Solimine (tsolimine@amph.com), July 22, 2004.

I have been very fortunate to have been given the keys to a Benelli TNT,MV Brutale and a Multistrada over the last week, I wanted to compare the alternatives to my S4R (I also run an F4 Senna)

Brutale

I really, Really enjoyed this bike, I did not want to take it back, if it had been a 1000cc I would have kept it, fantastic bike, just needs the 1000cc engine, still smiling, great bike

Handles Fantastic-WOW Easy to ride Great Around Town Comfortable and relaxed riding position Spot on fuelling

Front breaks need up-rated pads Mirrors are useless Indicator switch cheap Engine very underpowered Fuel Consumption £14 for 150 miles!

TNT

When I first saw the looks of this bike I thought wow, the test ride was very enjoyable, but at the end I was disappointed, don’t get me wrong I really enjoyed the 3 hours on the bike but I was left feeling that the product need more development and refinement.

Very easy to ride Handles really well Good mirrors Very comfortable

Fuelling needs sorting at low speeds Engine feels raw Quality of parts questionable, in a few 1000 miles

This is the bike that I wanted to dislike, Once you get over it’s looks, I love it and would have one

Multistrada

Easy to ride Good visability Nice engine, easier to use than 996 Good brakes FUN,FUN, FUN

Ugly looks Hard Seat

-- M Smith (info@f4spr.com), July 22, 2004.

Mod I had a 2000 750 Dark Monster when I test rode the Brutale. I had been off bikes for around 10 years, so when I first got the Monster I was delighted, but after a while a few things about it started to really annoy me. Vibrations: Firstly the low speed vibrations, the whole bike shakes if you ask it to pull from low revs, the high speed vibrations were worse, more buzzy and annoying, and at those high speeds, there isnt too much happening power wise anyway. My bike was struggling to get much above 165 km/h.The Brutale has hardly any buzz, and enormous high speed power up to about 200 km/h. Not that I do those speeds much but it is nice for it to be effortless when I do. Brakes: The Monsters brakes are very powerful Brembo's with a lot of initial bite..I managed a low speed fall off due to locking them up. They worried me. The Brutale has far more preditable brakes, though they dont feel like they are working much at first they are very powerful,they haul your speed down as if by magic.

Comfort:I used to get sore elbow joints on the monster from even a short ride, maybe the vibrations or the reach to the bars, never get that with my Brutale. I do get a sore back on a longer ride on the MV, but thats understandable.

Sound: I always hated the agricultural mechanical noise and the putt putt exhaust on the Monster, the Brutale's noise is sweet heaven.

Finish: the monster doesnt look like it has been when you compare it with the MV.

Price: the MV is twice the price of the Monster, it is at least twice the bike.

Like Tom said, chalk and cheese.

-- Ian Sylvester (sylvesterian@hotmail.com), July 22, 2004.

The Brutale should be compared to a Monster 900, NOT the 750. Being a twin, the Monster 750 is only equivalent to a 600cc inline-4. I'm sure the 900 version would give the Brutale a run for its money (performance wise of course, not looks).

-- JJ (jj33@netscape.net), July 24, 2004.

I actually had the chance to sample a 2000, 900SS Ducati last weekend (not a Monster I know, but the power thing should be comparable). I swapped rides with the Brutale, so comparisions were easy.

The Ducati felt exactly like the '75 900ss I used to ride way back then. It felt positively vintage. The motor has that incredible flat deceptive power delivery that only a Vee Twin delivers, but I doubt the 900ss would have out accelerated the Brutale, it just seemed to run out of puff, just when I thought it was about to kick in with the the real power.

Not as much vibration as my old Monster (maybe there was something wrong with that bike), and steering which had that 'on rails' feel which makes you need think ahead when approaching a turn, rather than the MV, which seems to know what you want to do before you do.

900 or not, dont think I will be going back to a Ducati too soon.

Also, recently I had a chance to ride an Aprilia Tuono. Now that thing had real, beautiful power, so deceptivly fast, made the Brutale feel like a toy when I got back on it. It bore out the warning the owner gave me when I took it "the Tuono is not your friend"... I loved it , what an animal. But the Brutale still wins for me, its so easy to ride.

-- Ian Sylvester (sylvesterian@hotmail.com), July 25, 2004.

i have an 04 brutale and an 04 monster 1000S. the brutale is my "sport bike" and the monster is my "hooligan" bike. the monster is easier to ride due to it being a twin and having torque down low. the brutale is much, much better finished and looks so much nicer. however, i must admit i love the sound of the ducati with it's vented clutch cover and arrow cf pipes. two different bikes IMHO. ray

-- ray (rwoo56@yahoo.com), July 30, 2004.