Motorcycle specifications MV-Agusta800 Dragster RR SCS 2021 No need to tame it

A grumble on the corner. Impatient, noisy, somewhere between a screech and a growl. Nothing less than a bubbling 3-cylinder, Italian it seems. Once up close, we discover the nervous, compact allure of an MV-Agusta 800 Dragster RR. It stands still, lurking, ready to pounce. You expect it to go off like a bomb. The rider holds on to the controls... and quickly turns the throttle. All of a sudden, the duo burst from the scene - yet the clutch lever has never seen the fingers of a hand. What kind of witchcraft is this?

It's called SCS. A.k.a. Smart Clutch System. An automatic centrifugal clutch developed by Rekluse. The system engages or disengages the gearbox without any action on the part of the user. The shifter takes over from there (with foot action, of course).

MV-Agusta has implemented the SCS to enable the kind of quick starts that are difficult to achieve with a conventional system. A fine little piece of technology, weighing just 36 grams more than a standard clutch, it fits into the dedicated housing without any modification to the engine or crankcase, and costs around 500 euros more.

This "semi-automatic" Dragster is naturally entitled to all the improvements of the Dragster RR; shared with all the brand's 800 cc machines. An engine with a whole host of optimized internal parts, the preservation of 140 hp, an exhaust reworked into a white-knuckle weapon, a stiffer chassis and recalibrated suspension, a major electronics upgrade - they don't fake it in Varese. Two things stand out first: the 5.5-inch TFT screen and the complex headlight, now equipped with bend lighting technology. Hidden in the bowels, additional riding aids include a 3rd-generation Up&Down shifter, an IMU for ABS cornering, improved traction control and anti-wheeling, cruise control and optimized engine management.

The essential chassis remains the same, with a frame combining tubular steel trellis and aluminum plates, 43 mm Marzocchi inverted forks fully adjustable, monobracket, Sachs shock absorber also adjustable throughout, steering damper (now adjustable), Brembo brakes with 4-piston radial calipers and 320 mm discs at the front - 2-piston caliper and 220 mm disc at the rear, 120 mm and 200 mm wide tires, and a dry weight of 175 kilos.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos