As soon as someone says the name MV Agusta the first thing that comes to mind is Giacomo Agostini who won 6 world titles on-board MV Agusta's during the 60's and 70's. As soon as you swing a leg over the MV you can instantly feel that this is not a Japanese bike. The seat is hard and kept simple, keeping the bikes intentions known as you reach for the bars which needs a stretch in comparison to GSX-R's, Fireblades and the like.The bike i rode had Gilles Tooling rearsets fitted which are a lot higher than the standard ones and would need to be made lower if the bike was mine, simply to accommodate my long legs.Turn the key, wait for the electrics to switch on and the rev-counter to read redline and back to zero rpm before you can fire it up.
The 1000cc MV comes to life. The soundtrack is released via Arrow exhausts, four of them, all of which are under the seat. Pulling away doesn't require many revs thanks to the huge torque the motor provides which also makes the bike fairly easy to ride slowly in traffic but this is no commuter. At low revs and slow speeds the fuelling can be a bit rough but who cares about that because commuting in traffic is definitely not what you'd buy this machine for and as soon as the traffic is out of your way you realise what a bike this is. From pull away to 5grand there is a deep burble from the Arrow pipes and as you accelerate there is a definite change in tone from a burble to a howl. The sound is incredible. No other bike sounds like an MV. Crack the throttle open from closed over 6000rpm and you'll nearly jump out of your leathers as the MV produces a backfire loud enough to compare to a gunshot accompanied by a flame show. Of course the F4 1000 pulls like no other and it should, producing a claimed 166 hp @ 11750 rpm with 109nm of torque at 10200 rpm. Suspension is taken care of by huge 50mm Marzocchi front forks and a Sachs Racing rear shock which is fully adjustable for both dual compression calibration (high- and low- speed) and hydraulic control of the pre-load spring.
Often referred to as "the Ferrari of bikes" the MV is, in my opinion, the best looking bike you can buy new at the moment and the chances of seeing another on a Sunday morning run aren't great so the F4 is quite exclusive.Cornering is really impressive and that's all thanks to the sweet steering and amazing suspension. I could barely feel the bumps in the rough mountain roads we have in Cape Town. Cruising on the highway brings out an interesting, unexpected quality out of the bike, that being how effective the screen is. Even though the bars are positioned low and quite far forward the F4 is capable of munching miles on the highway as the air is routed straight over the top of your lid which means nothing on our chest. It was surprising to realise how much weight is on your wrists as there is no wind on your chest helping to hold yourself up. The brakes work really well and have amazing feel on the lever but are lacking slightly in outright power which is really no problem at all as even on the track feel is much more important than pure braking power. This 2004 model doesn't have radially mounted calipers, something that the newer versions do and I'm sure that's simply to keep up with the times. Head shakes are taken care of by a top of the range steering damper from the Swedish firm, Ohlins.
The big question: Is this worth the extra money over a Jap bike?
The answer is, if you can afford it, yes! The example i rode is actually for sale with 5000km's on the clock for R180 000 and is in brand new condition. That is the rumored new price for the 2009 ZX-10. You still want to ride the same as everybody else?
Clark#70
