Last year, MV Agusta pretty much dislocated our jaws with the unveiling of the Rush 1000, the supernaked based on the already bonkers Brutale 1000. The limited run, 300 units of the Rush 1000 that were launched, sold like hot cakes and for 2021 MV Agusta have gotten the bike back with a cleaner heart, sharper geometry, smarter electronics and a funky paint scheme inspired by fighter jets.
In 2021, the MV Agusta Rush 1000 retains its aggressive styling with sharp edges and creases. The design is quite polarising and in most cases, an acquired taste. The lenticular disc on the exposed side of the rear wheel is still present and it also displays which bike of the 300 it is. The 2021 avatar of the Rush 1000 gets a new colour scheme with two different shades of grey accented by bright yellow stripes. MV Agusta calls the colour scheme ‘Light Army Grey Matt Darky Army Grey Matt’.’
The Rush 1000 now gets a greener 998cc inline-four mill that now complies with the more stringent Euro5 emission norms. Like most other 2021 MV Agustas, internals of the engine have been reworked with additions like diamond like carbon coating on the tappets and low-friction primary drive gearing which has helped MV Agusta retain the same performance figures while complying with emission norms. Speaking of figures, the Rush 1000 puts out 205bhp at 13,000rpm and 116.5Nm at 11,000rpm. Slap on the race kit that includes an SC Project exhaust system and a race spec ECU and the power figure goes up to 209bhp at 13,600rpm.
The Rush 1000 continues to use a chromium molybdenum steel trellis frame which MV says they have tinkered with to make the bike a better handler. The frame is suspended on semi-active Öhlins Nix EC fully adjustable USDs at the front and a semi-active Öhlins SC TTX fully-adjustable monoshock at the rear. Braking continues to come courtesy Brembo Stylema calipers mounted on 320mm discs at the front and a two-pot Brembo caliper mounted on a 220mm disc at the rear. The Rush 1000 also gets an electronically adjustable Öhlins steering damper to help keep things in check. The Rush 1000 gets a seat height of 845mm. The bike has a dry weight of 186kg and the capacity to hold 16 litres of fuel
The electronics on the bike have also been updated with a new IMU unit, Continental MK100 cornering ABS system and the latest version of MV Agusta’s quickshifter system which has been better calibrated for smoother shifts. All of the rider aids can be accessed via a new 5.5-inch colour TFT screen which is bluetooth and GPS enabled for additional connectivity.
The lucky 300 who get their hands on a 2021 Rush 300 will also receive a race kit with an SC Project Exhaust and a Race ECU which bump the peak power figures and reduce the dry weight by 2kg. Also available as optional extras are an AGV Pista GP helmet and an air force style jacket that have the same design as the bike.
The MV Agusta Rush 1000 sits at the peak of naked bike performance and is rivalled by a select few like the Ducati Streetfighter V4 and the Kawasaki Z H2. And as to whether or not the bike will come to India, it would be safe to assume that it wouldn’t considering the exclusivity of the bike and the fact that MV Agusta doesn’t have any representation in India as of today.