MV Agusta Gets “Lucky” At EICMA 2022

After over a year of teasing pictures of prototypes and even some “lucky” journalists in Europe getting the opportunity to test these prototypes, MV Agusta’s latest pair of adventure bikes have finally been revealed in the flesh at this year’s Milan Motorcycle Show. 

Of the pair, the Lucky Explorer 5.5 was developed along with the Italian bike maker’s Chinese partner, QJ Motor - the same company which also makes Benelli bikes, among others. On the other hand, MV Agusta claims that the Lucky Explorer 9.5 was developed entirely in-house. Styling-wise, both bikes take cues from the 1980s Cagiva Elefant rally bike and we think they do strike a great balance between modern and retro.

The smaller of the two ADVs, the Lucky Explorer 5.5 uses a 554cc liquid-cooled parallel twin motor that puts out 47.6PS of power and 51Nm of torque, which isn’t that far off from the output figures of QJ Motors’ other mid-displacement ADV, the Benelli TRK 502, and just like the 502, this 5.5 is built around a tubular steel frame. 

The 5.5 weighs 220kg dry (again, quite similar to the Benelli) and packs a 43mm inverted fork that’s adjustable for pre-load and rebound, along with a fully adjustable rear monoshock. Braking hardware comes courtesy Brembo with Bosch ABS as standard. 

To ensure its touring credentials, it’s got a massive 20-litre fuel tank and to help it tackle the rough stuff, it gets tubeless spoke wheels (19-inch front and 17-inch rear) wrapped with Pirelli Scorpion tyres. And let’s not forget the massive ground clearance of 210mm, the downside of which is a stratospheric 860mm seat height.

The Lucky Explorer 9.5, on the other hand, gets a 931cc inline triple engine that’s derived from the likes of the MV Agusta F3. In this ADV guise though, it makes 124PS and 102Nm. An interesting bit here is that the six-speed gearbox is electro-actuated and comes with an automatic clutch. 

The 9.5 is built around a steel twin spar frame with a bolted-on steel trellis subframe. The seat height is adjustable between 850 and 870mm, and MV Agusta claims that even the positions of the handlebar and footpegs can be adjusted to suit a variety of riders. With a dry weight of 220kg, it weighs the same as the 5.5 and gets a similar 20-litre fuel tank. 

There’s top drawer braking hardware here like Brembo Stylemas at the front along with cornering ABS. Along with this, the suspension here is a set of fully adjustable electronic Sachs units at both front and rear, and the 9.5 too gets tubeless wire-spoked wheels, but this one has a 21-inch front. 

Electronic aids like traction control, launch control, cruise control and rider modes are standard on the 9.5, workable through a seven-inch colour TFT dash with smartphone connectivity.

Given that Moto Royale has all but ceased operations in India, it’s almost impossible that we’ll get to see these bikes here any time soon. That said, who knows if Adishwar Auto Ride, the guys who have got us Benelli, Keeway, Moto Morini and Zontes, can leverage their connection with QJ Motor to at least get the Lucky Explorer 5.5 to India.