Comments on: EICMA: 2010 MV Agusta F4 Details Continue to Build Up the 186hp Hype Machine

By: m.primo

m.primo — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:20:38 +0000

The design updates are interesting. Side by side, the 1098 looks almost like the F4, arrow tail, single side swingarm, and the mirrors. The only update I wanted to see on the F4 was for MV to sharpen up the bike a little. Give it a modern feel. With these new cues, the MV from what I can see will look like a Corsa and Silver lively (red/silver) 1098. IRONY.

Pick any of the big 4 from Japan. The only differences is really what color do you want or what exhaust flavor you want…undertail, side, or shorty. They have the same characteristics, same high revving I4. 16,000 RPMs really. You get a new one every 2 years with more power. I owned a Gixxer 750 and was all about it until I saw a red 998 in person next to mine.

I’m not going to lie, I bought my F4 1000R and my 1098 (i’m not rich either, I’m in the military) purely for the aesthetics. I’m looking into buying an 05 R1 Raven again for the aesthetics.

seriously, if you’re not Casey Stoner, Mr. Rosi, or trying to make your way up on the AMAs, what does a spec sheet do for you. If you’re riding on the I5 from San Diego to L.A., what’s 10 hp and 2 seconds quicker from 0 to 150 mph do for you??????
Even if you’re on a Katana, LOL, Katana, you’re faster than 90% of the cars on the road….and i’m done.

By: Patron

Patron — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:08:27 +0000

That’s it…I’m buying an MV. You’ve convinced me. No…but I’m sure the bike hauls when you really put the hammer down. It just still looks dated to me. Not ugly, just dated. I can’t get past the fact that the styling just doesn’t do it for me anymore. I mean when the 916 came out, that was the sexiest bike on the planet. Just a work of art. And it ran too. Then eventually it was morphed into that horrible 999 creature. Another good example where an update went horribly wrong (I tend to agree with you with the R1 heading in the wrong direction…but it has grown on me a bit). But the 1098 returned to the 916 roots. The 1098 should have been the next generation after the 996. It looks updated and fresh but kept the soul of the 916.
And Wil, nobody needs you to justify your F4 ownership. I’ve never criticized anyone for the bike they ride. Not even for riding a Katana. And those bikes are just ghastly. But certainly not an F4. If you ride, that’s enough. Own what you want. That’s what is so great about bikes. There is one out there for every taste. And I agree the R1 is a dime a dozen. But they are still nice bikes. There is no denying that. But I don’t go for the Japanese crotch rocket either. I like my bikes to be different. My 05 XB12s is the most bizarre looking bike out there I think. Some call it ugly, but it looks like something Mad Max would slap together and ride. And it’s the most streetable bike I’ve owned. And I’ve owned a bunch. Thanks why I love it. It’s pure utilitarianism. Literally just two wheels and an engine. And that little bastard hauls with a competent rider on top. And now with my new SM purchase just days away….ok…now I’m getting of topic…just excited. Anyway, Like the F4. I just think it could use some updates IMHO.

By: Jake

Jake — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:34:37 +0000

Oh and there is nothing wrong with a touch up here and there, but again this concept of complete redesigns….. I just don’t get. But even those little touch ups can go wrong. As I said to me the 04-06 R1 is one of the best looking bikes I’ve ever since period. but those small changes that they made for the 07-08 R1 just killed it for me and that was before the mess that is the 09 R1. I’m honest enough to admit that I will never ever truly push any of these bikes to ther absolute limits so looks and styling are important to me. The bike can’t be a pile of crap but the looks definately matter. And to me the last good looking liter bike that came out of Japan was the 04-06 R1 everything else to me has been hideous

By: Jake

Jake — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:30:29 +0000

Patron first of thanks for a reasonable reply because it’s not often you get that on the web!!! lol But again as someone who has ridden MVs extensively on the racetrack as well as having owned 4 R1s and regularly ridden numerous other modern sportbikes (get to ride almost all the new models each year) on the track. I can tell you the handling of the MV is excpetional. The front end and feel of it can’t really be put into words. So yes 10 years on it’s still good in that dept. Even when it was still a 750 the motor was never as bad as the press made it out to be. the problem was that people were afraid to ride the bike hard. When ridden hard and aggressively it smoked. You also had to be completely committed to riding it hard but if you did you were rewarded for the effort. But I always thought that was part of the thrill of track riding and sportbike riding pushing limits and riding hard pretending to be a SBK or MotoGP rider. lol

But the problem has always been the weight. It has always been on the heavy side compared to other sportbikes. and after that people just couldn’t get over the price tag which is something that I never concerned myself with (no I’m not rich either).

By: Wil

Wil — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:08:02 +0000

Some people are happy buying a new Japanese bike every 2-3 years, and others are happy paying double for an MV that still looks great after 10 years.

Some people enjoy throwing $$$ blinging up a Japanese bike, but make no mistake… A suped up R1 is still an R1. A dime a dozen.

I don’t feel I need to justify the F4 ownership experience. Some people are happy living under the glass ceiling. Others realize the glass is not an obstacle.

Oh BTW, the F4 beat the R1 for the 2007 Master Bike. Apparently the experts thinks the MV can more than hang w/ the best of the best.

http://www.mvagustausa.com/web-mvagusta/news/0507_masterbike.html

By: Patron

Patron — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:09:37 +0000

when they first came out about 10 years ago, they may have looked to beautiful to risk a crash…but not today. though i like you dont believe there is such a thing. and i wont lie and say i’ve ever riden one of these, but i doubt that it handles as well as an R1. i’m sure they handle really well. I never said they were garbage. changing the styling every 3 years, no…but after 10 years an update might refresh peoples intrest in the bike.

By: John Holland

John Holland — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:23:14 +0000

MV you big tease! http://bit.ly/KsCJQ

By: RSVDan

RSVDan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:37:24 +0000

What jake said.

By: Jake

Jake — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:29:11 +0000

If you’ve never ridden or owned one then you really can’t comment on the performance of the bike. As someone who has owned one the only thing “hollywood” about the bike are the owners who are afraid to use them as intended. I can tell you from personal experience that they are great handling fast bikes.

Unlike most I guess I don’t like this stupid trend of redoing the looks of a bike every other year. I absolutely hated the last 2 versions of the R1 with the 09 being the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen. While I’d put the 04-06 R1 as some of the best looking bikes ever. Bikes these days have no identity. I mean you see a Porsche 911 and you know right off the bat it’s a 911. A Lamborgini, etc……. I think the MV is still one of the best looking bikes ever especially compared to what’s coming out of Japan lately (and I’m not some Euro snob either). These days the press has every thinking bikes need to be redesigned every couple of years which I think is completely stupid

The biggest problem with the MV has always been the weight which is something they just continue to ignore. If they would work on dropping weight instead of bumping up CCs and new paint jobs then the MV wouldn’t get as much flack as it gets.

But the other problem is that people (the press include) spend to much time looking at the bike instead of riding the bike like it should be ridden. I get pissed everytime I hear or read someone say it’s to beautiful to trash or I wouldn’t want to risk crashing it. It’s a motorcycle that needs to be ridden. Again as some one who has owned 3 MVs and have ridden each one of them as hard as any Yamaha or Suzuki I’ve owned I can tell you they are more then a match for the other bikes out there.

By: Barry Russell

Barry Russell — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:36:50 +0000

#MV Augusta F4: a gorgeous rear view http://bit.ly/1bcAcE