Attending MV Agusta’s launch of the 2014 MV Agusta Rivale 800 in France, our friend Iwan van der Valk from Testmotor.nl has been kind enough to share his thoughts and review regarding Varese’s newest machine.

Getting a chance to put the MV Agusta Rivale 800 through its paces on the roads near Nice, France, Iwan’s thoughts are timely, as MV Agusta is just a week away from debuting its next range of models at the EICMA show in Milan, Italy. – Jensen

It has been more than a year since MV Agusta announced the Rivale 800, its Ducati Hypermotard inspired new model. And here it finally is, ready to be delivered for early 2014.

The Rivale is the third motorcycle based on MV Agusta’s own 800cc three-cylinder engine, after the naked Brutale and the fully faired F3; and at this moment, it doesn’t look like there will be a 675 or 1090 version for buyers to chose from, as is the case with MV Agusta’s other models.

The Rivale 800 looks like a supermoto but the seating position goes more towards an elevated naked bike, with an unhindered view ahead. MV Agusta motorcycles are always very stylish and the Rivale of course is no exception.