MV Agusta enters the ADV market with a very competent premium product, and with that comes a premium price tag.

Some riders might not want to hear it, but adventure bikes are the two-wheeled equivalents of SUVs. That said, the ADV segment is the fastest-growing in motorcycling, and the bikes available are among the most practical for the road, with relaxed ergonomics (though mostly for taller riders) and sport-bike-like handling on pavement, and they’re agile enough off-road to greatly expand one’s riding possibilities. You can say that MV Agusta is late to the party by introducing its first ever ADV bike only this year, but let’s call it fashionably late, because after riding the 2024 MV Agusta Enduro Veloce for 250 km along some of Sardinia’s twistiest roads, it has proven that, on pavement, it has what it takes to compete in a category populated by highly competent machinery.

What Makes It Tick

The Italian maker of premium motorcycles has decided to take a slightly different approach when building its first adventure bike; it has decided to stick with its heritage and build one that leans more toward the sportier side of the ADV spectrum. A promotional video shown during the technical presentation at the bike’s launch in Sardinia showed mostly sport-bike-like footage of the bike at speed and winding paved roads.

At the heart of the Enduro Veloce is an entirely new, compact and lightweight (just 57 kg), 931 cc inline triple that claims 122 hp, and 75.2 lb.-ft. of torque, 85 percent of which is available from 3,000 rpm. The engine runs a high 13.4:1 compression ratio, which requires premium fuel. An interesting feature that’s usually seen on race bikes is a cassette gearbox, which can be removed from the right side of the engine without splitting the cases.

I love the character of inline triples, whether be it by Triumph, Yamaha or MV Agusta, as they offer a powerband that sits somewhere between a V-twin and an inline-four: tons of bottom-end torque, and lots of pulling power up top. While Triumph has resorted to a T-plane crankshaft for its triple-powered ADV bikes (uneven 180/270/270-degree firing order), which further broadens the spread of torque, the Enduro Veloce retains a conventional 120-degree firing order, in keeping with MV Agusta’s more sporting character. The MV doesn’t give up much bottom-end power compared to the T-plane Triumphs, and it absolutely rips up top, all the while producing that intoxicating inline-triple drone.

The engine is fed by Mikuni ride-by-wire EFI, which is backed by a multitude of ride modes and traction control settings. On the exhaust side, there’s an electronically controlled valve that opens fully by 4,500 rpm, giving the triple a supersport-like growl when accelerating through the…