MV Agusta’s Brutale 1000 range isn’t a sportbike platform, but it treats the RR trim like one. While it isn’t a full-faired bike, the House of Schiranna equips the Brutale 1000 RR with clip-ons, high foot pegs, and track-ready Ohlins suspension. To cater to street riders, however, MV offers the big Brutale in RS trim. After the Italian brand unleashed the 2022 RR variant in June, 2021, it's now time for its road-going sibling to bask in the spotlight.

To equip the Brutale 1000 RS for the street, MV ditches the clip-ons for yoke-integrated handlebars. The steep rise not only relaxes the rider triangle but perfectly frames the new 5.5-inch TFT dash. The designers also specially developed the RS foot pegs to accommodate the relaxed riding position. Along with the ergonomic adjustments, MV also swaps out the Ohlins electronic suspension for a fully adjustable Marzocchi fork and fully adjustable Sachs monoshock.

Gallery: 2022 MV Agusta Brutale RS

Despite the differing suspension and rider triangle, the RR and RS share the same swingarm, trellis frame, and inline-four engine. For 2022, the liquid-cooled, 16-valve, DOHC, 998cc powerplant benefits from Diamond-Like Coated (DLC) coated tappets and sintered valve guides. The internal upgrades reduce heat and increase reliability while also producing less emissions. However, the redesigned exhaust pushes the Brutale RS over the Euro 5 hump.

While the engineers cleaned up the inline-four to meet modern emissions regulations, they also retained the hypernaked’s 13.4:1 compression rate, 208 horsepower, and 86 lb-ft of torque. Brute force isn’t the Brutale’s only trick though. The platform also gains a Continental MK100 IMU module with highly refined traction control and lean-sensitive ABS.

The new 5.5 TFT dash isn’t just for looks either. Riders can connect the interface to the MV Ride App to customize settings directly from a smartphone. Equipped with both GPS and a Mobisat tracker, the RS also displays turn-by-turn navigation. At €25,500 (≈$30,000 USD), the 2022 Brutale 1000 RS is €6,800 (≈$8,000 USD). With the RR and RS sharing so many components, the street-oriented Brutale 1000 is a great alternative for those that don’t need clip-ons, high pegs, and electronically adjustable suspension.

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