The MV Agusta 921 S concept reinterprets past style and blends it with the technology of the future. It is not a refined exercise in style, but rather a conceptual foretaste of a new category of bike that will be developed and presented in the coming years.
MV Agusta heritage was the starting point for project development. Its roots lie in company history, specifically the 1970s, when MV Agusta developed many models that still now, half a century later, stand out as an example of style, personality, elegance and technology.
The 921 project was born last spring on the intuition of Brian Gillen and Stephen Zache, who looked to the 1973 MV Agusta 750S with the aim of using it as the base for a futuristic model, albeit one still firmly anchored to tradition and history.
The challenge with the 921 project was to break free of the traditional framework of the retro segment, which tends to propose a technically updated replica of a past model. In contrast, the MV Agusta project creates a new technological and design architecture, that pre-empts solutions and ideas that are truly forward-thinking. The 921 will not be a modern, or should we say contemporary, replica of the 750S, but a tribute to that beguiling bike.
The line is very horizontal, like the café racers of the 1960s and 70s. And the shapes also retrace the proportions of the past. The concept’s body is stripped right back to leave room for the brand-new in-line four engine. It is this piece of engineering that takes centre stage with mechanical details that become part of the aesthetic and define the character of the bike at first glance. This is also down to a combination of cutting-edge technology and research into the materials. Integration, another important aim of the project, materialises in the futuristic technology, which is nevertheless in keeping with the past.
The technical equipment is cutting-edge, from the chassis with oversized swingarm to the wheels, produced with a combination of carbon fibre cover, spokes and forged rim, and from the four exhausts exit
positioned under the engine, to the intriguing aluminium front brake cover, a styling solution that is also functional, they carry air to the callipers and allowing them to cool more rapidly. The frame retraces the celebrated MV Agusta new-generation configuration, with a welded steel tube trellis and aluminium alloy side plates.
The position of the instrument panel is original, with a circular section as in the past but with the addition of a touch screen. Resting on the tank, it ensures that the futuristic handlebar and beautiful machined from solid steering plate remain visible. The handlebar is inspired by solutions used in cycling time trials. Two short race-inspired semi-handlebars are secured to the aerodynamically-contoured central section created in forged aluminium in differentiated sections.
The entire tail section is created with the aim of facilitating the switch from an Alcantara-covered single seat to a two-seater saddle. It takes just a moment to go from one configuration to the other, and style coherence is guaranteed in what is a very appealing context, thanks also to the rear LED tail light assy. The round headlight gets an exciting style boost with a perimetral area of DRLs, a decorative metal ring and a powerful central light. The rear section of the light is in metal, with a winged design that recalls that used to dissipate heat in air-cooled engines.
As for the engine, the in-line four has been redesigned and delivers 115.5 hp at 7000 rpm, with 116.5 Nm of maximum torque. Many technical solutions add to the overall performance, from revised intake ducts to a more efficient liquid-cooling circuit, and even new camshaft profiles, designed to offer a particularly progressive throttle response, which amplifies the ease of use. A countershaft reduces second order vibration. The rods and pistons are specific to this four-cylinder unit, as is the entire intake system (throttle bodies and injectors).
