Very few companies dare call the motorcycles they make luxury. That's because the word in itself is not suitable for a machine that has one riding fully exposed to the elements. Sure, you could use the word to describe the big touring motorcycles, but not even they come close to what cars in this segment have to offer.
You'll understand, then, why I raised an eyebrow when hearing about the world's first "luxury all-terrain bike boasting exceptional performance, equipment and design."
The phrase is used by Italian bike maker MC Agusta to describe a motorcycle it showed this week at the 2023 EICMA Show in Milan. The bike is officially called LXP Orioli, and it is one of the few motorcycles ever made to honor a human being.
The Orioli in the bike's name is a reference to Edi Orioli, an Italian racer considered in some circles one of the best rally racers that ever lived: the man has four Dakar wins to his name, in 1988, 1990, 1994, and 1996.
The LXP particle, on the other hand, stands for Lucky Explorer, and manifests itself through the colors the bike maker spreads on the ride's component parts: green, red, and white - all of them hues that were "a symbol of adventure riding in the 1990s."
So, we've got ourselves a new adventure bike. But where does the luxury part fit in? According to MV Agusta, that is a word that describes the LXP Orioli best because of the "equipment, technical features, choice of materials and attention to detail." Let's see.
The bike is built around a perimeter frame made of a light aluminum alloy and lacks any rear subframe. It is supported on the ground by the two wheels. They are sized 21 inches at the front and 18 inches at the rear, have been shod in Bridgestone tires, and are held in place by a Sachs fork up front and a mono-shock of the same make at the rear.
Photo: MV Agusta
In the middle of the frame sits the engine of the Orioli. In this case we are talking about a new liquid-cooled 931cc powerplant, designed as a three-cylinder. The thing is surprisingly light, tipping the scales at just 57 kg (126 pounds) – and that makes it about 10 percent lighter than its direct competitors, MV Agusta says.
The powerplant has been tweaked to develop 124 hp at 10,000 rpm and 102 Nm of torque at 7,000 rpm. The numbers manifest themselves as an incredible sound that comes out the specifically developed exhaust system.
Depending on needs and uses, the bike can be made to run in three configurations, namely Urban, Touring, Off-Road and Custom All-Terrain. On top of that, the suspension system supports wheel travel adjustments of 210 mm front and rear, while the bike's ground clearance sits at 230 mm.
That sounds great and all, but we're yet to see where luxury comes in. After all, we've seen bikes equipped with things such as above before. Well, a deeper look at what the Orioli has to offer in other departments might clear things up a bit. It won't convince us this is a luxury motorcycle, but at least we understand where MV Agusta is coming from.
Take the instrumentation of the ride, inspired, we're told, by what can be found on premium cars. The bike relies on a 7-inch TFT screen, a size not often seen on a two-wheeler, to which a device can be connected through either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Then we have the two rigid aluminum side cases. They are offered as standard on the bike, and they offer a total storage space of 71 liters (19 gallons). Nestled between them is a seat that can be height-adjusted to either 850 mm or 870 mm off the ground.
Photo: MV Agusta
MV Agusta will make only 500 LXP Orioli motorcycles, and each of them will be shipped to their owners complete with a special box. Inside it, the Italians will hide a Termignoni titanium exhaust that should cut the weight of the bike down by around four kg (8.8 pounds) when installed. A motorcycle cover and the bike's certificate of authenticity are also included in the box.
As for colors, there is only one scheme available, a mostly white design with touches of green, red, and black.
When presenting the motorcycle MV Agusta also said customers should expect to get their LXP Orioli at the end of the first quarter of 2024. As it usually does, it made no mention about the price it will ask for one.
The motorcycle is already shown on the company's configurator, but the only way you can actually learn more about pricing and availability in your region is to get in touch with the bike maker.
So, there you have it, the world's first luxury all-terrain bike. But is it now?
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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