Road
Test – MV Agusta F4 – 1000cc
Have
you ever gone into a bike shop and seen a jacket you thought looked great but
you believed it wouldn’t fit you? You try it on and it takes a bit to get
into, but then you find that when you zip it up, the fit is perfect and it feels
just like a second comfortable skin.
This happened to me just recently, not a jacket though, nup this was a motorcycle, an MV Agusta F4 – 1000cc to be precise. I’m six foot on the old scale, or 183cm for you metricated types. As I slid onto the very beautifully sculptured machine, it was as though the MV was tailor made for me. My knees hugged the scalloped tank and my feet positioned onto the footpegs with precision, my hands fell onto the grips and I became one with the F4.
The
fit was so comfortable and felt so natural that I felt that the bike had become
a true extension of my body, almost to the point of being a “cyborg”. I was
able to corner hard as if by will alone, just look along the line I wanted to
take and there I went. The liquid cooled four cylinder engine which produces
125kw at the crankshaft with 11,750 revolutions showing on the tacho spins to a
maximum 12,700 revs and gives a documented top speed of 300kph in top (sixth)
gear. My new powerful cybernetic body lifted the front wheel off the tar in the
first 3 gears, and it was only my desire to keep my identity secret that kept me
from trying harder (that and fear of losing my license). Speaking of said
rider’s license, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to sock some money away for those
inevitable speeding fines.
Front
brakes are twin floating 300mm diameter disks complete with Nissin six piston
callipers, they’re held up by upside down forks and hold attractive star
shaped alloy rims shod with 120/70 Michelin tyres. 
A
single sided swing arm holds the rear brake comprising a single 210mm diameter
disk with 4 piston calliper with the same alloy rims and 190/50 tyres. There are
more adjustments for the suspension than there are fans of Kylie.
The fairing offers a surprising
amount of protection considering its size while the mirrors are free of
vibration even though they are spaced a little close together (who cares!). Seat
elevation is 810mm even though it seemed less to me, possibly because of the
handle bar height. Controls are standard fair with an analogue tacho and digital
readouts for speedo, fuel etc. Speaking of fuel, there’s a very decent fuel
capacity (20litres).
You’ll require $34,605.00 to
put an F4 on the road, but you’ll save heaps over any other sports bike as you
won’t need to change the exhaust, the standard system (4 pipes exit from under
the seat) transmitting the engines power to a delightful bark.
If you aren’t six foot tall and 90 something kilos, don’t despair, you have a hankering for this exotic piece of Italian thoroughbred, the footpegs and foot levers are multi-position adjustable as are the handlebars, so it may still fit you glovelike as it did me.
So join those legends of MV Agusta history, Surtees, Agostini, Hailwood and even our own Darryl Beattie (he’s almost an MV ambassador), slide yourself into an F4 and feel the power coursing through your new body, plus it’ll never look so good.
May your lid never skid
Test bike supplied by John Brisan Motorcycles, Cnr Hannell & Greenway Strs Wickham NSW – 2293 Ph49694500 Fax49612825