Mv Agusta F4
MV AGUSTA F4
True, an MV Agusta is no motorcycle for a tightwad, but the new base model F4, at a mere $17,498, is a smoking deal at $2k less than last year's F4R. One-hundred sixty-five horsepower seems like enough nearly all the time, and we don't need the Ti rods and electronic Öhlins suspension of the $24,998 F4RR to get to the mine every day. The farther up the mountain the mine is, the more you'll appreciate the MV Because around town, its stretched-out riding position is the raciest, its square-edged seat the cruelest, its damping among the harshest and its exhaust collector must've been farmed out to Char-Broil. Flighty low-rpm fueling and a grabby clutch don't help its case any. On the other hand, fire-engine-red paint stirs up primitive hunting-with-Ago memories, the new four-holer exhaust is stainless sculpture, the single-sided swingarm is a thing of beauty and the whole bike is covered in trick doodads, Dzus fasteners and eccentric-adjustable foot levers and things upon which you could pass many happy Snap-on hours.
Crotchety as it is around town, once running free on a piece of fresh-paved deserted mountain road, the MV has almost zero problems. The issues it has are out of its control: U.S. road maintenance, speed limits and big-city population density. What pain it inflicts is paid back tenfold in pleasure when you find yourself in its environment. Almost as oversquare as the BMW, the MV's high-rpm inline-Four has an exhaust shriek that takes a back seat only to the Aprilia's V-Four honk, and a step or two in its powerband only makes it more exciting to ride (it reminded Steve Rapp of an old Superbike with flatslide carburetors). Big deal: eightlevel traction control means you can just twist the 165-hp grip, anyway. Brakes are as firm and powerful as any here, though the discount-bin F4 gets no ABS.
What's wrong with the MV is that its electronics package is a not-so-intuitive thing to navigate, though once you figure it out, which you would do if you owned the bike, it offers good options and good basic TC (which we may look back upon and wonder how we lived without). But you won't as easily be toggling through on the fly like on the Aprilia. As for the abrupt low-rpm fueling, that's an easy thing to fix, and a roll of pipe wrap would not only correct the midpipe heat issue, it might even mark you as a urologist hip enough to find acceptance in multiple social circles. Much improved for '13, the MV just wants a little owner involvement. And with a motorcycle this beautiful, who doesn't want to get involved?
UPS • Beautiful to behold • Bright projector-beam headlight • Classic MV soundtrack all the way to 14,000 rpm
DOWNS • "Thanks MV," says Dudek, "now 111 never have children" • Fueling needs fine-tuning at low revs • Confounding ECU interface
PERFORMANCE PER DOLLAR
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GREG WHITE
Host of Greg's Garage, fast/smooth ex-roadracer, motor and bicycle nut, big talker, video genius
Height: G-foot-3 Weight: 195 lb.
1 Aprilia R5V4R APRC ABS 2 Suzuki GSX-R750 3 Honda CBR600RR 4 Honda CBR1000RR 5 BMW S1000RR 6 MV Agusta F4
Hit a fast, sweeping road and you are hard-pressed to find something to complain about. The engine revs ultraquick, makes good power and that awesome sound... Blake Conner
