2013 MV Agusta Brutale 675 Vs. Triumph Street Triple R – Video

It’s a time of feasting for fans of streetfighters and hooligans. The category is so chock full of badass nakeds we had to create a category unto streetfighters for our 2013 Motorcycle Of the Year awards. Between these two manufacturers alone exist 10 streetfighters of differing levels of performance. For this shootout we chose only two … an exceptionally good two!

2012 MV Agusta Brutale 675 Review

MV Agusta’s Brutale 675 was introduced in 2012, while Triumph’s Street Triple R received a makeover prior to entering the 2013 model year. The commonality among them is their 675cc inline-Triple engines, superbike handlebars and lack of sportbike bodywork. From here the two bikes diverge in performance mannerisms, technologies, price and visual appeal. Which manufacturer concocted a better middleweight two-wheel ruffian is what we’ll now determine.

“Relative to the Triumph, the Brutale’s motor delivers power like a two-stroke, with an immediate, jabbing response unlike any four-stroke production bike I’ve ridden,” says Chief Editor, Kevin Duke.

Coupled with a light throttle return spring, a disconnected-feeling Ride-by-Wire throttle and irregular low-rpm fueling, the Brutale lives up to its given namesake: brutal.

“As usual for recent MVs, the R-b-W throttle response lacks any grace,” laments Duke. “Of all the R-b-W throttles I’ve sampled, MV’s feel the least connected – it’s the bike’s worst attribute.”

2013 Italian Middleweight Streetfighter Comparo – Video

On the flip side is the Street Triple R and its nearly faultless fueling and power delivery. Compared to the MV, the STR feels incredibly refined, as though it graduated finishing school whereas the MV was a first year dropout. In a strange twist of hooligan etiquette, the STR may be too genteel, as if Triumph manufactured the hooliganism out of its hooligan bike. Much of this is attributed to the bike’s new, taller first gear that stretches to 77 mph before hitting the rev limiter.

2013 Triumph Street Triple R Review

“It will no longer wheelie off the throttle in first gear, necessitating a bounce and tug or a clutch drop,” wheelie-hound Duke complains.

“I think the final drive gearing and tall first gear really neuter the thrust compared to the B3,” says Matic. “In tight canyons, ridden next to the B3 the STR feels smooth, even, controllable, smoothly fueled, but a bit slower, especially when exiting tight corners.”

“Although similar in specs and intent, the Brutale makes the ST-R feel sluggish, both in its power production and its steering responses,” says Duke of the Brutale. While Matic’s impression of the Triumph is that it feels slow turning compared to the B3 but offers better stability and more even-temperedness during quick transitions. “It just does what you ask of it without any fuss,” says Matic.

Both machines wear name-brand braking components: Nissin on the STR and Brembo on the Brutale, the key difference being the radial master cylinder attached to the Triumph’s handlebar.

A slight touch of the Brutale’s rear brake, however, easily locks the rear tire, making it damn near useless outside of intended rear-wheel slides. The STR, on the other hand, comes equipped with ABS, eliminating slides – desired or not.

Which brings us to the technological differences a prospective customer has to choose between on these two fighters. Where Triumph brings the aforementioned ABS and adjustable suspension (lacking only rear compression damping) to the table, the MV foregoes these technologies in favor of ride modes and TC.

The problem for the Brutale is that the abominable low-rpm fueling renders Sport mode all but unusable. Choosing Normal mode calms throttle response but with the penalty of laggardly off-idle reaction. Thankfully there’s a Custom setting in which several parameters can be set, and the maps selected when we got the bike offered the best balance of responses.

MV’s TC is appreciated due to the Brutale’s hard-hitting powerband, while it’d be a wasted technology on the Triumph and its easily controllable power delivery. Therefore, it seems obvious to us that Triumph’s ABS and adjustable suspension are the sensible choice.

So it is, by virtue of its lesser price, standard ABS, adjustable suspension, vastly superior fuel mapping, better brakes and all-around user-friendliness, we deem the Street Triple R the better choice between these two bikes.

However, as Mr. Matic enthused in our discussions, the Brutale and its visual appeal and dramatic engine characteristics plucks his heartstrings more than the Triumph, providing an intangible argument for coughing up the extra $1k needed to purchase to the Brutale.

And while the MV’s flawed throttle response spoiled the experience for Duke, he nevertheless was seduced by the Italian diva. “Its symphonic engine note sounds way more exotic than the bike’s price,” he raves. “I hear what sounds like a baby V-12 as intake funnels slurp air and the short-exit exhaust piping blats music just behind my ears. I hated to give this one back.”