Finally, We Know More About MV Agusta's Insane 5-Cylinder Motorcycle Engine

MV Agusta was a tad sneaky at EICMA this year, as while the company launched all its normal products—the first since its split with KTM—the Italian marque dropped an all-new engine sitting behind plexiglass. But that was it. No press release, no fanfare, no nothing. Yet, the engine concept was probably the coolest, wildest thing to come out of the show. 

Why? Because it's this insane 5-cylinder motorcycle engine that's shaped like a trapezoid. And, from what we could see, it looked pretty production-ready. But again, MV Agusta remained mum about the whole thing, which was pretty odd. I even reached out to the brand following the soft debut and asked a whole load of questions about the motorcycle engine, yet I didn't hear back at all. 

Was the engine a mass hallucination? It wasn't.

Now the Italian brand is dropping a bevy of specs on the Cinque Cilindri engine concept, and saying that it is destined for production. Oh yeah, you're going to be able to buy a 5-cylinder motorcycle in the near future, though it might take a year or two before that occurs. 

In a very tongue-in-cheek announcement, MV Agusta called the Cinque Cilindri's debut at EICMA an "unexpected appearance", in its press release, owing to the fact that it was the star of the show with everyone and their mother talking about the concept motor. 

The press release then goes on to tell us a whole lot more about the engine and its design, stating, "With a modular displacement range from 850 cc to 1150 cc, the platform is capable of delivering over 240 horsepower at more than 16,000 rpm and up to an astonishing 135 Nm of torque (100lb-ft) at 8,500 rpm, all while maintaining exceptional smoothness and compactness."

Furthermore, MV Agusta states that the 5-cylinder layout doesn't require variable valve timing thanks to its firing order and inherent balance, but utilizes a "U" shaped crankshaft design, as there's one for the front 3-cylinder, and another for the rear 2-cylinder. How that works is anyone's guess, but I'd love to see it moving. The brand also relayed that the design is actually narrower than an inline-four, while also being shorter than a V4, making it a helluva compact engine. 

But here's where it gets super interesting. According to MV Agusta, a motorcycle with this engine is coming. This ain't no concept engine. 

"Developed to redefine expectations across multiple segments - from Supersport to Naked and Touring - this new platform marks a bold step forward in MV Agusta’s ongoing pursuit of perfection," adding, "The debut of the 5-cylinder engine is planned for a highly anticipated model that is currently no longer in the line-up, which will be unveiled in the coming years." What motorcycle that is is anyone's guess, as MV Agusta has a big touring and adventure motorcycle, it has a supersport, a cafe sport, and sport machine.