New Hotness from MV Agusta, Bimota and Vyrus | Euro Notes

MV Agusta's existing 675 sportbikes (shown) will soon have 800cc siblings.

WORDS: Alan Cathcart
PHOTOS: Alan Cathcart Archives

While MV Agusta manufacturing staff works flat-out to meet demand for its acclaimed 675cc F3 sportbike and Brutale 675 naked, the firm’s engineers are working overtime developing an upsized, 803cc version of its three-cylinder engine. This torquier triple will power a sportbike and naked set to debut at EICMA this year, along with the all-new R3 Rivale supermotard. This trio of 800cc models is expected to boost MV Agusta’s total production to 12,000 units in 2013, up from 8500 this year.

[Italian boutique builder Bimota is developing a supercharged version of the Ducati 1198 Testastretta engine to power a new model called the DB12 Compressore. Bimota is using a helical-rotor supercharger sourced from Australian company Sprintex, and anticipates more than 200 horsepower at the wheel—enough to outperform the 1199 Panigale V-twin engine that Ducati has refused to share with Bimota, wanting to retain exclusive use for at least two years.

[Speaking of supercharged Bimotas, the Vyrus 987 C3—a limited-production superbike hand-built by former Bimota engineer Ascanio Rodorigo, powered by a supercharged, 211-bhp Ducati V-twin and featuring a version of the hub-center-steered front end originally developed for the Bimota Tesi—is now available in an exclusive, 10th-anniversary edition costing upward of $100,000! The Honda 600-powered 986, is just $40,000.