MV Agusta Updates The Superveloce Range For 2021

Peon Maface · April 7, 2021

MV Agusta today announced an updated range for the Superveloce family. What started as a limited-edition motorcycle with eye-catching styling inspired by MVs from the past has received so much fanfare that MV has pumped it into full production. So, what does a new year bring? Not much, except for one major improvement.

Hello, IMU

New for 2021, the Superveloce family finally joins the modern era of sportbikes and receives an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit, in case you didn’t know). However, instead of teaming up with a more well-known company like Bosch for the IMU, like many other manufacturers have, MV instead has partnered with a firm a little closer to home – Milan-based e-Novia.

An IMU isn’t very exciting to look at, but it’s a vital tool on corner exits.

The addition of the IMU brings with it the advantages you expect: Cornering-ABS and lean-sensitive traction control chief among them, both of which can now act in a more predictive manner instead of reacting strictly on variance in wheel speeds. The Front Lift Control (FLC) also takes advantage of the IMU to give maximum drive. Also new is the Launch Control feature, letting the rider launch the bike at full throttle, with the clutch the only thing they have to navigate. Of course, while not new for ‘21, cruise control is back. Much to everyone’s delight (or at least those of us on the MO staff).

Other electronic updates include new firmware and mapping to give the rider more precise and refined throttle control, and a third-generation of MV’s EAS QuickShift function that works in both directions, with revised settings for more precise shifts. From a multimedia perspective, the 5.5-inch TFT screen is still there, and the bike is still compatible with the MV Ride app. But now a new joystick on the left handlebar makes it easier to navigate the menus.

The new cockpit. Pretty similar to the old one, really.

And while MV suspects loving eyes will gaze upon the Superveloce, it’s doing its best to make sure nefarious eyes are thwarted by including the new bikes with its MobiSat tracking device, which allows you to locate the bike’s whereabouts anywhere in the world.

But What About The Rest Of The Bike?

Maybe the big news other than the IMU is the fact that the Superveloce is now Euro 5 compliant. Better still, MV says it hasn’t lost any of the 147 horsepower it made before. Credit there goes in large part to the all-new exhaust system from the headers all the way back to the silencers, though you can’t see any of that other than the triple-pipes out the back.

There’s a whole new exhaust system from front to back, though the triple pipes would be the only giveaway.

Inside the engine, improvements were made primarily to make the bike more efficient. DLC valve tappets and sintered valve guides help reduce friction, while new titanium valves lighten up the reciprocating mass upstairs. Down below we see new crankshaft main bearings, piston rod bearings, and countershaft bearings. Again, to reduce friction. Other changes include new fuel injectors, capable of 0.5 bar more injection pressure, and a new twin-flow oil cooler MV claims is 5% more efficient than the previous version. A new, stronger clutch basket is a notable change on the transmission side.

Not to be outdone, however, MV has graced the new Superveloce with new seat foam(!) to give your buns a little more cushion. And finally, a new color – Pearl Metallic Yellow/Matt Metallic Graphite – joins the existing, classic Ago Red/Silver combination.

Now marginally more comfortable!

Superveloce S

The newest addition to the family is the Superveloce S. Benefiting from all the changes the standard Super-V sees, the S version brings the flair for the elegant up another level. There’s nothing different about the S model’s lines, but when it’s adorned in white, for some reason it adds even more class to the package. Maybe it’s the additional gold lettering. Then again, the black wire-spoke wheels with gold rims also bring a cool style all their own. MV says the spoke wheels are a “tribute to the bikes of the past, but with all the efficiency and weight of a modern wheel.” Whatever that means.

Another stylistic change is a switch to a brown Alcantara seat, for that ultimate in luxury feel. A racing kit is available for the S model, which does away with the passenger seat (but keeps the Alcantara for the rider), adds a dual-outlet Arrow exhaust, and features a dedicated ECU mapping.