Unlimited Editions
Unlimited Editions
Ducati 999R Xerox VS. MV Agusta F4 1000 Senna
BLAKE CONNER
THE CYCLE WORLD GARAGE IS NOT exactly ready for a Popular Mechanics photo layout. There are rat traps in the corners, black widow spiders in every shadow and despite our best efforts the place is a mess. So it is with great shame that we admit to parking two of the finest Italian masterpieces ever created-the MV Agusta F4 1000 Senna and Ducati 999R Xerox-in this Newport Beach hellhole. Suffering the indignity of “the shed,” as we call it, is like throwing Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa on a rusty nail next to pinup calendars in the back office of the local body shop.
MV
F4 1000 SENNA
$29,995
Price...........$29,995 Dry weight........ 447 lb. A Ups Class-matching top speed Wheelbase........55.5 in. A Impeccable styling Seat height.......32.8 in. A Proceeds benefit charity Fuel mileage____27.5 mpg 0-60 mph.......2.9 sec. 'ft owns 1/4-mile......10.04 sec. T Hibachifor a seat @ 144.95 mph ▼ Grabby clutch Horsepower.....154.3 bhp ▼ Annoying compression @ 11,650 rpm braking Torque.......74.6 ft.-lbs. @ 10,000 rpm Top Speed.......181 mph
Bikes like these deserve better. They should be put on a pedestal for people to admire and drool over-of course, that pedestal should have a ramp attached because these beautiful motorcycles are meant to be ridden. We admit to being enamored and easily distracted by this pair of expensive exotics but not enough to keep Cernicky and me from dragging them out to the Streets of Willow Springs for a serious flogging. Negative implications of that weren’t lost on Mark, who said, “It wears on you knowing that these two would cost over $30K apiece to replace if they were lost to chance during track testing. Take a ZX-10R and GSX-R750, add an R6 and their combined cost is still only $30,400.” Ouch!
Before we headed out to Willow, we rode them like we ride any other test units. We commuted and sat in rush-hour traffic; Hoyer and I took them on afternoon espresso runs; we went on long weekend canyon rides. One thing was crystal clear early on: These bikes are no prima donnas.
The top-of-the-line Ducati 999R Xerox is as close to a factory racebike as is available today. This homologation special has a strong family resemblance to the standard 999, but a closer look reveals that this Xerox is no carbon-copy (I apologize). Like R models before, it differs from the base version in terms of actual displacement, measuring 999cc to kthe standard’s 998.
In the other corner, out of Varese, is the MV Agusta.
Tf the price of the standard F4 1000 didn’t scare you off, J;he $30,000 limited-edition Senna may. The bike comimemorates the late three-time Formula One chamI pion Ayrton Senna, a personal friend of MV Agusta President Claudio Castiglioni. A percentage of the F4’s profits are donated to the Senna Foundation in Brazil, which helps impoverished children.
The engines in these two thoroughbreds are diametrically different yet perform amazingly similarly. The Xerox packs a lot more than just one extra cubic centimeter of displacement over the regular-issue 999. It gets the short-stroke version of the 90-degree desmo L-Twin Testastretta engine with 104.0 x 58.8mm bore-and-stroke dimensions. The use of larger titanium valves and more radical cam timing improves cylinder-head flow. At i-t.~~ 4~1.tL'~I
DUCATI
999R XEROX
$32,995
Price...... .... $32,995 ^tlps Dry weight.. ..... 424 lb. ▲ Best chassis money can buy Wheelbase.. .....55.8 in. ▲ Ultra lightweight for a Twin Seat height. .....32.2 in. ▲ True exclusivity Fuel mileage ... 30.5 mpg 0-60 mph .. ____2.9 sec. Downs 1/4-mile ... .. 10.22 sec. T Junk mirrors (but who @ 139.4 mph cares?) Horsepower. ...137.2 bhp T Sitting in the hot seat @ 9780 rpm ▼ Only for the jet-set Torque..... . 77.9 ft.-lbs. ▼ Not for IBM employees @ 7960 rpm Top Speed..
the heart of the MV is a 998cc inline-Four with four radially positioned valves per cylinder and dohc. The new Weber-Marelli 5SM fuel-injection/ignition system helps achieve 154 rear-wheel hp and 75 ft.-lbs. of torque. Like the standard version, the Senna uses EBS (Engine Brake System), which eliminates back torque, in place of a slipper clutch.
Both of these bikes make serious power and despite not quite matching the sub-10-second quarter-mile times of some of the Japanese 1000s, they are just a tick behind. The F4 ran a 10.04 at 144.95 mph while the 137-hp 999R did a 10.22 at 139.41. Bragging rights go to the Senna when it comes to top speed, sprinting to 181 mph ahead of the Ducati’s 174, and topping all but the mighty Kawasaki ZX-1 OR ( 182 mph) from our recent lOOOcc shootout. Advantage Senna.
On the street, the Italian stallions were more than simply bearable. Most unexpected was the composure of the Xerox in everyday riding situations. Stop-and-go traffic didn’t faze the bike one bit, even in 100-degree heat, although riders wearing jeans felt like their legs were being rotisseried. At least that’s better than the F4, which barbequed more than just legs-guys, you know what we’re talking about...
The Ducati’s drivetrain is impeccable, with one of the slickest-shifting transmissions we can think of and the best dry clutch Bologna has ever fitted. “The Ducati’s clutch has nearperfect engagement, making the bike super easy to launch,” Cernicky said after doing quarter-mile times. The Senna’s transmission is equally precise, but the clutch can get a bit grabby, what Cernicky termed “the old dry-seize-wheezelurch-slip.” Didn’t seem to hurt E.T.s, though.
Both of these trellis-framed weapons have a couple of aces up their sleeves when it comes to chassis features. In fact, despite the 999R’s great engine, it’s the chassis that sets this bike apart. The R is all about handling, aided by a top-shelf 43mm titanium-nitride-coated Öhlins inverted fork and a fully adjustable Öhlins piggyback shock with highand low-speed compression damping adjustments. The Agusta also features fully adjustable high-end suspension with a 50mm inverted TiN-coated Marzocchi fork. Out back is a ride-height-adjustable Sachs shock with highand low-speed compression and rebound damping. MV claims the damper is 2.65 pounds lighter now due to the lack of a gas reservoir, a la Formula One practice.
Common to each are the forged-then-machined aluminum Y-spoked Brembo/Marchesini wheels; the difference being the MV’s single-sided-swingarm-specific rear rim. Ducati claims the wheels save 7 pounds over the cast versions, dramatically reducing unsprung weight and improving handling. Another common component group is the braking systems, with radial-mount Brembo monoblock four-piston calipers handling braking duties up front on both.
At 424 pounds, the Xerox weighs in 23 pounds lighter than the Senna and about the same as a Yamaha R1. The bike was put on an all-mineral diet, with magnesium used liberally, in addition to ample supplies of carbon-fiber, including the bodywork. The F4’s fairing/tailsection is a combination of plastic and carbon-fiber, but the bike lacks the ultra-light and trick mag bits.
To explore the limitations of these two fantastic bikes, we headed to the aforementioned Streets of Willow Springs. After spending more than an hour dialing-in the suspension on both bikes for the tight and bumpy track, Cernicky and I came to the conclusion that neither bike particularly liked the track, as they were simply unable to stretch their legs and utilize their high-speed stability. With $63,000 at stake, we decided that discretion was better than explaining to Commander-in-Chief Edwards why we had crashed. “That’s a serious wager for the return,” Cernicky said. “Trying to hustle the 999R cost me the shift lever (too much lean, not enough rear spring), and a close call on the F4 (crashed without crashing) was certainly sensational and close to disaster.”
Bottom line: We rode the bikes at 90 percent and lived to type another day, walking away from Willow with our jobs intact and plenty of information.
Braking performance is a wash, although the 999R does
have a better master cylinder. Turn-in and chassis stability? Another tie, but the Öhlins suspension of the Ducati simply glides over roughest of bumps, making it the clear winner in that department.
In fact, while these bikes are equally entertaining on the street, the racetrack is 999R territory, where its excellent suspension and smooth power delivery are hard to beat. Still, the F4 is a Four freak’s fantasy, putting up all the right performance numbers. The first question that many will ask is, are these two bikes really worth the extra money-$ 15,000 in the case of the Duck and $8200 for the MV—over their standard counterparts? It all depends on what you’re after. If it’s exclusivity, combined with attention to detail, then the answer is yes. For those of you who can afford either one of these luxury missiles, do yourself a favor and buy one of each, because it’s a lot easier than choosing between them. We wouldn’t kick either one of them out of our nasty garage.
