MV Agusta aims to enter bigtrail segment; showcases two ADV prototypes at EICMA

After winning hearts with its big supersport bikes, Italian premium motorcycle brand MV Agusta is now eyeing to enter bigtrail segment. Keeping a focus on that, the OEM has showcased two adventure motorcycle prototypes at the Milan Motor Show.

In order to create a new bigtrail portfolio, MV Agusta has revived the Lucky Explorer nomenclature, which was used in Dakar Rally replicas of old Cagiva Elefant from the 1990s, which has become extinct now. The two adventure motorcycle prototypes showcased at the EICMA 2021, namely Lucky Explorer 5.5 and Lucky Explorer 9.5 take inspiration from the old MV Agusta Cagiva Elefant.

Although both the Lucky Explorer models were shown as prototypes at the motoring event, they look pretty close to production. MV Agusta is yet to disclose the specific release date of these two adventure motorcycles, but it promised to launch the two models in 2022.

Speaking about the motorcycles, the smaller Lucky Explorer 5.5, comes as the first result of a partnership between MV Agusta and the Chinese company Qianjiang, which owns Benelli and QJMotor brands. The Lucky Explorer 5.5 gets power from a 550 cc parallel twin-cylinder engine. This engine has been developed from the same motor that works in Benelli TRK 502. This 550cc two-cylinder engine is expected to form the base for MV Agusta's entry-level products in future.

The other model is Lucky Explorer 9.5, which is a litre class model. It draws energy from a 931 cc engine derived from the brand's 800 cc three-cylinder engine that currently works in the majority of the MV Agusta motorcycles such as Brutale 800, Turismo Veloce and Superveloce.

MV Agusta is also exploring other two-wheeler segments alongside the bigtrail. The motorcycle manufacturer has showcased an electric scooter as well, which draws inspiration from its supersport lineup.