We rode the new 2016 Brutale 800 on the Ronda road at the end of January, on the world press launch, and to be blunt, it was tremendous. While the new bike doesn’t look so different from the older model, it’s had an extensive revamp, both to the engine and the chassis, aimed at rounding off all the sharp edges, and making a smarter, cleaner, easier bike to live with.

Starting with the engine – part of the revamp has come about due to tighter noise and exhaust gas emissions regulations – the dreaded Euro IV rules. As MV’s tech guru Brian Gillen told us, the limits are so tight now, that they’ve been examining every corner of the motor for improvements, mainly for noise reduction. That extends to mundane parts like the starter clutch mechanism and the clutch covers, where careful design plus vibration and friction reduction can shave off a few tenths of a decibel here and there. The final result, on paper, isn’t too heartening: a drop of nine bhp is seldom good news. But at the presentation, Gillen tempers this news in two ways. First, he points out that even Jules Cluzel only spends just over a tenth of his time at full throttle, even on a fast track like Sepang. The implication being that us mere mortals will be spending far less time there…

But best of all, he showed us the new motor’s torque curve – a far flatter, smoother and capacious curve than the frantic trace of before. Less top end power then, but more, cleaner, stronger grunt where you need it on a naked bike.

The chassis has had a similar tweaking. Slightly more wheelbase and gently relaxed steering geometry turns the stability up a notch, perhaps the opposite of what you’d expect on a sharp middleweight supernaked bike. Add in a gentle update on the styling, and a move to the latest version of the Agusta engine management and rider aids package, and you’ve got a fairly heavy update.

On the road between Marbella and Ronda, the new Brutale was nigh-on perfect. The gruntier engine provides perfect propulsion even out of slower hairpins, while the added stability from the more relaxed chassis makes up for any slight slowing of steering response. The brakes are stupendous, the suspension plenty good enough for road use, and the new Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres were a proper revelation. Grippy as hell, laden with feel and quick to warm up, they made the Brutale feel virtually uncrashable.

The latest Agusta electronics suite is equally impressive. There are four riding modes – rain, normal, sport and a custom map you can tweak to suit yourself. These govern the throttle response, engine braking control, torque output and rev limiter characteristics, taming it all down in rain mode and going bonkers in sport. You also get a fantastic quickshifter that works on up- and down-shifts, complete with a sweet auto-blip throttle function. It’s one of the best standard systems around, and is properly addictive when you’re on the gas. Finally, there’s switchable ABS, and eight levels of traction control, allowing you to dial in just as much madness as you want.

So there you have it. The new Brutale 800 goes like hell, sounds incredible, grips like a mad thing, and has the handling and braking of a sportsbike. Add in the gorgeous styling and top-notch finish, and you can see why we’re happy to give it a proper thumbs-up in the posh middleweight naked stakes.