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Well, that’s put the cat amongst the budgies….
Acting on the advice of Thumper and Radar I moseyed over to Ed Cosker’s Superbikes in Collington and took out MVs’ first bespoke tourer, the Turismo. I was given the base model, less well specced than the flagship Lusso (with its semi-active suspension, heated grips, centre-stand, sat-nav, etc.), but still providing some good options.
The controls are very simple and can be changed on the move by the left thumb: the Mapping option is then chosen by double-clicking the starter button with the right thumb. Simple.
The technician advised starting out with ABS and Traction Control on, in Touring mode, so I did. The seat was a tad high for a shortarse so I was tiptoeing, but the bike felt so light that this wasn’t as much of a problem as it could have been.
Starting off felt a bit vague and clattery until the revs increased. Up to 3000 revs the MV sounded like a bee in a box but then that gorgeous 800cc triple started singing. And from 5000 – 10000 rpm the song transmogrified into that grin-inducing MV snarl….
So I wended my way up through Tenbury Wells and Bewdley to Clee Hill, stopping there for a very quick photo shoot. The Turismo is very compact and light, cornering easily and giving the confidence to chuck it into bends and power out even on bumpy country lanes. The 800cc triple pulls strongly from 3000rpm to the limiter in top gear but to get the most out of the experience I found it best left in 4th through the bends, only changing up on the longer straights when three-digit speeds are attained in very few seconds.
The suspension was quite firm, but then again this is no adventure bike: although the riding position is very comfortable and upright the MV technicians said it easily kept up with the MV F3s and even the F4s on England’s byways, where top speed isn’t everything. Although I’m tall in the saddle there was absolutely no turbulence at head height, although my chest did get a bit buffeted.
Not everything was perfect: the rear brake was pretty much non-existent and the front end dived quite a way under hard braking; I found it noisy at very low revs and will need a lowering kit for my next time out.
The comprehensive instrument panel seemed a bit cluttered at first but soon became clearer with use – the digital rev counter wraps nicely around the numerical speedo in the middle: gear position and fuel indicator above, computer options below. All available at one glance.
At Clee Hill I changed the Mapping option to Sport (the Rain and Custom maps weren’t relevant at this point). Now I’m a boring touring kind of rider, never owned a sportsbike in my life, but somehow I much preferred the Turismo in Sport mode. It might be that I was getting used to the bike, but the ride back via Ludlow, Leominster and Bromyard was such fun.
The exquisite sound, great acceleration and perfect handling create an impressive package. Add the slightly radical looks and I must admit that my first liaison with an Italian bike made a very good impression.
I’ve arranged to return to Collington next year with co-tester Debs to try out a lowered Lusso. I did straddle one lowered by 25mm but it was still too tall – there is a 40mm lowering option that might help a bit.
So I still need a run on Thumper’s 1200GS to see what a properly working Beemer gearbox feels like, as otherwise the big GS tested was impressive. And it would be rude not to book a test ride on a Ducati some time, but somehow my personal favourite bikes after a season of test riding are all triples: Trumpets XRx & Explorer, and now this MV Agusta Turismo.
Hmmmm……….
I told you that the MV would tickle your fancy!
My fancy was tickled and my interest piqued. God knows what it’ll do to my wallet…. :
I linked your review to the MV forum, had a couple of replies:
I have almost 6K miles on an XRx, am looking to add the Turismo as a second bike. If he wants my experience with the XRx, point him my way (plus I had an ’08 GS for about 6 years). The Turismo interests me because it seems to be a bit more towards the sport side of things and…well…it’s Italian . The XRx is a very good bike, and for a shorter rider it works well. In my case I’m 6’1″ and I ended up getting a *higher* saddle to give me more legroom. Interested to see how the Turismo fits me.
and
If he is thinking about going for the MV the lower suspension option does cause issues with the sidestand. The MV site does list a lower seat option (not very low though!).
I linked your review to the MV forum, had a couple of replies:
I have almost 6K miles on an XRx, am looking to add the Turismo as a second bike. If he wants my experience with the XRx, point him my way (plus I had an ’08 GS for about 6 years). The Turismo interests me because it seems to be a bit more towards the sport side of things and…well…it’s Italian . The XRx is a very good bike, and for a shorter rider it works well. In my case I’m 6’1″ and I ended up getting a *higher* saddle to give me more legroom. Interested to see how the Turismo fits me.
and
If he is thinking about going for the MV the lower suspension option does cause issues with the sidestand. The MV site does list a lower seat option (not very low though!).
Thanks Radar – interesting….. Ed Cosker said they’re doing a lowered Turismo Lusso with matching panniers that I can have a go on any time, but he needed to check the handling first; I’ll need Debs for that.
So many options, so little wifely tolerance! Anyway, we’ll see whether 3 weeks touring Spain on the TDM changes her mind!More feedback from the MV forum
Radar………..your mate needs to learn how to spell……it’s Agusta !You spelt it Augusta..I have corrected it now…you will get me shot
More feedback from the MV forum
Radar………..your mate needs to learn how to spell……it’s Agusta !You spelt it Augusta..I have corrected it now…you will get me shot
Haha! The curse of a classical education….. Did I spell MV correctly? :-[
More feedback from the MV forum
Radar………..your mate needs to learn how to spell……it’s Agusta !You spelt it Augusta..I have corrected it now…you will get me shot
Haha! The curse of a classical education….. Did I spell MV correctly? :-[
You are certainly a classic!
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