Italian motorcycle maker MV Agusta has unveiled its new Lucky Explorer motorcycles at the 2021 EICMA Motorcycle Show in Italy. The Lucky Explorer name comes from MV Agusta’s past and was used by the Cagiva Elefant, a popular motorcycle that found its calling in the Dakar Rally. Borrowing from this lineage, MV Agusta has unveiled the Lucky Explorer 9.5 and Lucky Explorer 5.5 adventure motorcycles with different displacement engines. The motorcycles though are “projects” for now but there is a strong chance that the Italian bike maker could be eyeing the ADV segment next with these machines.
The Lucky Explorer uses a new 930.63cc three-cylinder engine that shares its underpinnings with the 798cc motor in the MV Agusta line-up. The new unit is a bored-out version and develops 123PS at 10,000RPM And 101.6Nm of peak torque at 7,000RPM. The motor gets a new cylinder head, intake and exhaust valves, as well as counter-rotating crank, conrods and main bearings. The bike rides on 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels. Suspension duties are handled by Sachs with a semi-active, long-travel setup. This includes 220mm of travel at the front and 210mm of travel at the rear.
The Lucky Explorer 9.5 has been designed to be a proper ADV machine with a ground clearance of 230mm and a seat height of 850mm. The dry weight stands at 220kg. If it enters production, the bike will take on the Triumph Tiger 900, BMW R 950 GS and the likes in the segment.
Meanwhile, the Lucky Explorer 5.5 draws power from 550cc, twin-cylinder motor that originally belongs to MV Agusta’s Chinese partner Qianjiang. It’s the same firm that owns another Italian brand Benelli, along with QJMotor. The liquid-cooled parallel-twin motor develops 48PS at 7,500RPM and 51Nm at 5,500RPM. The bike is more of a soft-roader on the same lines as the Honda CB500X but does come with a 210mm ground clearance and a 20-litre fuel tank for fewer stops when touring. The bike rides on a 19-inch front and a 17-inch rear spoked wheel.
