After a 42-year hiatus, MV Agusta is returning to the Grand Prix Championship. This iconic Italian motorcycle brand will not be competing in MotoGP however, and instead MV Agusta will make its return in the Moto2 category.
Partnering with the Forward Racing team, MV Agusta aims to take advantage of the rule changes for the 2019 season, which will see a 765cc Triumph three-cylinder engine replacing the 600cc Honda four-cylinder engine that is currently in use.
This change in the spec-engine rule will likely upheave the Moto2 Championship, and MV Agusta wants to be part of that sea change. As such, the bike you see in the photos here will be the machine that launches MV Agusta’s assault on the GP paddock.
To make the MV Agusta Moto2 race bike, MV Agusta is leaning heavily on its experience with its three-cylinder platform, and as such you can see some strong ties between the Moto2 bike and the F3 supersport.
Both bikes share a hybrid frame, that has steel trellis design mated to an aluminum plate. The swingarm is also aluminum, CNC’d into form with an integrated pressed sheet.
The fuel tank is easily visible, poking out from underneath the tail section. This helps to centralize the fuel load, and means the characteristic of the race bike won’t change drastically as the fuel is consumed. It also means that the “fuel tank” is really a large airbox cover.
Feeding that air box is a central air inlet, which has the same diamond shape as the headlight on the F3 supersport, again helping to draw a line between the two programs.
Suspension is by Öhlins, and the wheels are forged magnesium pieces from OZ Racing. The 675cc motor is obviously from Triumph, and it comes with a slipper clutch from FCC and an exhaust from SC-Project.
MV Agusta lists the specs on the Moto2 bike as having a 24 rake, 104mm of trail, a 1382mm wheelbase, and a dry weight of 217kg (478 lbs) when the rider is included, per Moto2 rules.
Contrary to popular belief, MV Agusta’s Moto2 project was done in house, in association with its technical partners. Still, with Moto2 a fiercely competitive racing class, it will be interesting to see how the project does on its opening season.
In terms of development, MV Agusta looks to be behind its competitors. Earlier this year, we already saw the new Moto2 bikes from Kalex, KTM, and NTS on the track with Triumph, testing the new three-cylinder engine.
It’s not clear if MV Agusta has been on the track yet with its Moto2 bike, though last we heard from the brand, they were aiming for this summer for testing, which likely means that they are heading to the track as we speak.
MV Agusta has told us that they are in to Moto2 for the long-haul though, and are well aware of the learning experience ahead of them. With a veteran Moto2 team helping the Italian brand, MV Agusta has a strong partner in Forward Racing.
And now, we know that they will have the most beautiful bike on the grid as well.
Source: MV Agusta
