If you’ve eagerly been awaiting MV Agusta’s big reveal of its two Lucky Explorer Project adventure bikes, the wait is finally over. On November 23, 2021, the team from Schiranna proudly introduced the Elefant’s adventurous descendants: the 9.5 and the 5.5. They both bear a strong family resemblance on the surface, but are very different creatures underneath the skin. 

The Lucky Explorer Project 5.5 was developed by MV Agusta in partnership with QJ Motors. It’s powered by a 554cc liquid-cooled, four-stroke, inline twin that makes a claimed 35kW (or 46.9 horsepower) at 7,500 rpm, as well as 51 newton-meters (or 37.6 pound-feet) of torque at 5,500 rpm, mated to a six-speed gearbox.  

Suspension-wise, the 5.5 gets a 43mm upside down KYB telescopic fork setup with both rebound and spring preload adjustment. The rear suspension is a KYB monoshock with rebound, compression damping, and spring preload adjustment. As for brakes, the 5.5 benefits from Brembo calipers all around, with a pair of 320mm floating discs up front with four-piston calipers, and a single 260mm disc in the back with a two-piston caliper. Bosch ABS comes standard, and the wheels are an alloy spoke 19-inch unit up front and a 17-inch in the rear.  

Gallery: MV Agusta Lucky Explorer Project 9.5 and 5.5

Seat height on the 5.5 is 33.8 inches, and it has a 59.2-inch wheelbase, 8.3 inches of minimum ground clearance, a dry weight of 484 pounds, and a fuel tank capacity of 5.3 gallons. It also comes fitted with a 5-inch TFT dash with Bluetooth connectivity and a GPS sensor. 

The Lucky Explorer Project 9.5 is a whole different story, and features MV Agusta’s newly-developed 931cc liquid- and oil-cooled four-stroke triple at its heart. MV says it was developed specifically to power this bike, all while maintaining the same exterior dimensions as its 800 triple. This configuration makes a claimed 90.5 kW (or 121.3 horsepower) at 10,000 rpm, as well as 102Nm (or 75.2 pound-feet) of torque at 7,000 rpm. Depending on your preference, you can choose either a six-speed gearbox or the Rekluse clutch MV offers on some of its other models.  

Suspension consists of a 50mm Sachs electronic USD fork up front, with remotely adjustable rebound, compression damping, and spring preload. Fork travel is 8.66 inches. In the back, there’s a Sachs progressive electronic monoshock featuring rebound, compression damping, and spring preload adjustment. Wheel travel is 8.27 inches.  

As for stopping power on the 9.5, you get a pair of Brembo Stylema monobloc four-piston calipers up front, along with dual 320mm floating brake discs. In back, you get a single 265mm steel disc with a two-piston Brembo caliper. Continental MK100 ABS comes standard, and includes rear wheel lift-up mitigation and cornering ABS. Wheels are of the tubeless, spoked variety, and are a 21-inch unit up front and an 18-inch unit in the rear.  

Seat height on the 9.5 ranges from 33.46 inches to 34.25 inches. Wheelbase is 62.2 inches, and minimum ground clearance is 9.02 inches. Dry weight is 485 pounds, with a fuel tank capacity of 5.28 gallons. Other features on the 9.5 include a 7-inch TFT dash offering both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, LED lighting all around including DRL and “bending function” [sic], cruise control, launch control, 8-level traction control, and an immobilizer. 

Pricing and availability information have yet to be revealed, but we’re certain that the Lucky Explorer Project has probably piqued the interest of more than a few adventure fans worldwide. What do you think of MV’s newest dynamic duo? 

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