Among all the new metal shown off at Milan’s EICMA show in November was a novel new engine from MV Agusta, the Italian purveyors of motorcycling exotica. The five-cylinder motor is set to power the company’s next generation of motorcycles, and promises a staggering 240bhp in its top spec.
Full details of the new engines, and the motorcycles they will power, are still not clear although details are starting to emerge. MV will take a modular approach with the new engine, to give capacities between 850 and 1150cc, which will presumably mean a differing bore and/or stroke depending on the capacity and application.
The distinctive design essentially sees a twin crank configuration with three-cylinders on the front and two on the rear. It’s configurated in a square format, rather than a vee, giving it the nickname Quadrato – Italian for square. The result is a super compact engine which is significantly narrower than an inline four and shorter than a typical V4.
Multi-cylinder engines are renowned for their smoothness, and we would expect nothing less from this jewel like creation.
MV Agusta has confirmed development of the Quadrato is well underway at its R&D HQ in Lombardy. They say it weighs less than 60kg, making it lighter than Ducati’s 1103cc Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine, and capable of over 240bhp at over 16,000rpm – with 135Nm of torque at 8,500rpm.
The inherent nature of the five pot motor should make for a highly tractable engine which combines excellent bottom end manners with a screaming top end, without the need for complex and heavy variable valve timing systems. Features like electric water and oil pumps bring new thinking to motorcycle engine design and should further enhance both efficiency and responsiveness.
There’s no news on what bike the Quadrato engine will debut in, but MV Agusta have confirmed it will appear in a wide range of models, including naked, supersport and touring machines, and that the debut ‘…is planned for a highly anticipated model that is currently no longer in the (MV Agusta) line-up’ adding that it will be unveiled ‘in the coming years.’
While the five-cylinder MV Agustas will likely be out of reach for the everyday motorcyclist, we think it’s great to see this iconic brand pushing the boundaries and creating motorcycling exotica. It promises to be something really special!
