First Ride: MV Agusta’s New Dragster Sounds Ferocious, but Its Bite Can’t Match Its Bark
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As I climb through the switchbacks of Angeles Crest Highway in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, the MV Agusta Dragster RR SCS America’s three-cylinder motor roars underneath like it’s got a chip on its shoulder. Three slash-cut mufflers—exiting the right side of the chassis, beneath the rear LED light—let everyone know of my imminent arrival; more so when I hammer back through the gearbox on the quickshifter and hear that snarling and barking motor designed to be wrung as hard as possible. This bike’s ride is worth it for the soundtrack alone.
One of Italy’s most storied motorcycling manufacturers, MV Agusta has endured a tumultuous history over the past 50 years. Passed from one ownership entity to the next, the brand has recently undergone a partial acquisition (25 percent) by KTM and the Pierer Mobility Group (the latter backed by Russian billionaire Timur Sardarov), which represents the best chance MV Agusta has at sustained stability since the days of Count Domenico Agusta’s stewardship beginning in 1945.
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With MV Agusta’s newfound injection of capital comes the release of the $28,247 Dragster RR SCS America, comprising only 300 numbered examples and solely available to the North American market. Since 1973, there have been five other MV Agusta machines to wear the red, white, and blue colors, the first of which was the legendary 1973 750S America and the last being the 2018 Dragster 800 RR America.
With 140 hp on tap, the latest Dragster variant uses the Smart Clutch System (SCS) 3.0 that effectively makes this a tip-tronic motorcycle, whereby you only need to use the clutch if you’re trying to pull vigorous drag starts. Having a motorcycle with a clutch you never need to touch makes the riding experience a little odd, especially when you pull up to the lights and don’t pull the clutch lever in; but it’s something you quickly get used to.
Stiff, taught, and focused, the chassis of this Dragster is not the most forgiving, and the machine wants to be ridden hard. Yet its lack of electronic-suspension adjustment is a concern and a surprise, especially considering a motorcycle of this caliber and price point. So too is the braking package. The Brembo M4.32 calipers and master-cylinder setup is over a decade old and, given the America’s premium positioning, we’d expect at least the Stylema calipers that adorn so many of the world’s top sports motorcycles. The feeling at the lever, especially in the early/light application stages of braking, also leaves something to be desired, although ample braking power itself is never a question.
The bike is equipped with all the usual electronics you’d expect, like a six-axis IMU, adjustable traction control, and wheelie control, the adjustment of which has been drastically improved over the years and is done through the 5.5-inch TFT dash. Also an improvement from past Dragster models is the feeling at the throttle twist grip. Our previous rides of the Brutale 1000 RR and RS left us extremely disappointed in this regard, but the three-cylinder 800 cc versions never suffered anywhere near as much. The torque delivery is not quite as smooth as some of the competition, but it has been vastly improved over time.
MV Agusta admits that up to 15 percent of its models never get ridden, but are left in private museums, living rooms, or garages as display pieces. This percentage may be even higher for the Dragster RR SCS America, as who’d want to scratch that stunning carbon-fiber wheel cover? There are other machines in the MV Agusta lineup that offer higher performance than this bike, but none that carry the allure of a model that, really, has only had five iterations in half a century.
Click here for more photos of the MV Agusta Dragster RR SCS America.
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