MV Agusta Reveals Superveloce 1000 Serie Oro

A neo-retro stunner.

MV is leaning hard into its heritage with this, the Superveloce 1000 Serie Oro, the latest – and arguably most stunning – addition to the neo-retro family that started with the Superveloce 800. In typical MV fashion, the Superveloce 1000 lives up to the brand’s “Motorcycle Art” mantra, but does so with functional technical and stylistic solutions.

Based on the Brutale 1000 RR and retaining its frame, single-sided swingarm, and obviously its engine, MV’s design team then went to work wrapping it in all new skin that pays homage to the past while looking squarely at the future. Stylistically, the SV 1000 draws its inspiration from MV’s own 500cc Grand Prix bike of 1972, significant in the fact it was the first GP bike to sport front wings for downforce – long before the trend became popular in modern-day MotoGP.

On the SV 1000, the wings also feature a vertical bargeboard. Together, airflow along the bodywork provides both downforce and helps with cooling efficiency. More than a functional piece, MV designers made it a point to integrate the front wing design into the nose of the bike, where it integrates with the body panels, except for a small portion just underneath the headlight. This, MV says, makes the SV 1000 “stand out significantly from competitors, who adopt an approach essentially focused only on function, compromising stylistic development (form).”

Being a Superveloce, premium materials are a top priority. With the SV 1000, MV says it has pushed its technical limits further than it has before. Brian Gillen, MV’s R&D Director, explains:

“With the Superveloce 800, we created the neo-retro supersport category. We have now gone even further, adding to the range and creating a neo-retro hypersport bike. We have drawn on our history as a technological pioneer, but the Superveloce 1000 Serie Oro goes far beyond a look back at the past. Application of technology has not been focused solely on the bike itself but on the entire manufacturing process: from design and development tools through to industrialization. Technology features throughout the process, from start to finish: 3D scanning, computer fluid dynamics, 3D modeling, and virtualization. One example is our analysis of carbon-fiber production processes and choice of multiple build technologies, both manual laminate and forged, based on real usage requirements. They have specific characteristics that we can utilize, such as the reduced thickness and multi-directional resistance of forged carbon fiber. Technology, not only for the component itself but the entire process. We have been able to employ new technologies that until just a few years ago would have been considered futuristic, and which we have used to explore the relationship between style and engineering.”

In case you didn’t catch that, the SV 1000’s bodywork is made entirely of carbon fiber. Depending on where the panel is on the motorcycle, it was either manufactured using the traditional laminate process or via carbon forging. These carbon panels are also optimized for thickness and resistance based on its function on the bike. Pretty trick stuff.

Another neo-retro nod to the past is the carbon fiber brake covers. While they serve a functional purpose in cooling the calipers and guiding incoming air towards the radiators, MV also humorously notes that the covers are “evocative of drum brakes of old.” More aero tricks can be found all over. For example, the split lower portion of the lower fairing not only generates downforce, but it also creates a vacuum behind the oil radiator, helping to expel the hot air. Overall, MV says, the SV 1000 generates a little over 86 lbs (39.2 kg) of downforce at 198 mph. Yes, that’s a bit of a fantastical number considering there aren’t many places you can actually take the bike that fast (let alone owners who will do it), but I suppose it’s nice to have numerical validation for the technology.

The only element of the SV 1000 that’s not carbon fiber is the fuel tank, which is made from a thermoplastic resin, also to keep weight down. Otherwise, says MV, there are 40 carbon fiber elements.

Getting to the mechanical bits, like mentioned earlier the Superveloce 1000 Serie Oro is based on the Brutale 1000 RR, using the latest evolution of the 998cc inline-Four engine with the updated second balance shaft. Inside you’ll also find titanium connecting rods, 16 titanium radial valves, cam followers with DLC coating, and an updated exhaust manifold. The result is a (claimed) 208 hp at 13,000 rpm (212 hp with the racing kit) and 85.9 lb-ft (116.5 Nm) of torque at 11,000 rpm.

While they were at it, MV engineers revised the ECU mapping and the MV EAS 3.0 electronic gearbox for smoother clutchless shifting in both directions. Cornering ABS and Rear Lift Mitigation were also updated. These technologies along with the switchable traction and wheelie control all rely on the information provided by the IMU.

No surprise, the Superveloce 1000 Serie Oro will wear Öhlins suspension, this time of the electronic variety. In the front is a NIX EC with TiN coating. Compression and rebound adjustments can be made electronically, but preload adjustment is still manual. In the rear is an EC TTX shock with similar adjustment to the front. It’s mounted to a single-sided swingarm with an adjustable pivot either 4mm up or down. An electronic Öhlins steering damper rounds out the Swedish bits. Brembo Stylema calipers are mated to 320mm discs, while a 220mm disc and two-piston caliper are in the back.

As for the wheels themselves, the forged aluminum pieces are a trick design done exclusively by MV’s design house, CRC. The five-spoke wheels feature a red accent spoke within them to visually offset the eye. At the tail of the bike you’ll find the distinctive four-tip exhaust reminiscent of the F4. This set is made in titanium from Arrow.

A 5.5-inch TFT display gives the rider all the information they need to know from the comfort of the saddle, which, MV says, was not designed to be extreme like the Brutale 1000 RR it was based on (though we’ll be the judge of that). The bars are higher and further back compared to a standard supersport, and the footpegs are adjustable to suit different body types and rider preferences.

The MV Agusta Superveloce 1000 Serie Oro will be a limited-production motorcycle, and like all Serie Oro MVs, they will be individually numbered with a unique tag on the top yoke and a certificate of authenticity. Further still, each bike will also include a racing kit, should the owner desire.

As of press time, availability and pricing were not available.