The raison d’être at MV Agusta should be abundantly clear by now, as the Italian company has added yet another “more affordable” model to its otherwise exclusive motorcycle line. After creating lower barriers to ownership in the Brutale line with the Brutale 920 and Brutale R 1090, we now see the F4 line getting the same treatment with the release of the MV Agusta F4R Corsa Corta. Dropping an “R” off the MV Agusta F4RR, the MV Agusta F4R is a lower-spec version of its 197hp counterpart (other publications will differ on this horsepower value, we’re sticking to the power fiure listed in kilowatts by MV).
Though featuring the F4RR’s shorter-stroke Corsa Corta motor, the MV Agusta F4R makes only 191hp (6hp less than the F4RR), due to a revised engine map and the lack of hand-ported cylinder heads. Still with plenty of power on-tap, not to mention 84 lbs•ft of torque, & full titanium cylinder valves, the 2012 MV Agusta F4R with its 423 lbs dry weight should make the spec sheet warriors happy. Other changes include lower-spec suspension, a MAG-welded frame, a revised traction control system, and a €18,800 price tag.
Replacing the Öhlins forks and shock from the F4RR, the MV Agusta F4R features fully-adjustable 50mm Marzocchi forks, and fully-adjustable Sachs rear shock. While the F4R keeps the monoblock Brembo calipers of the F4RR, the Brembo radial master cylinder has been replaced with a Nissin unit that has an integrated fluid reservoir. Similarly, the Öhlins steering damper from the F4RRR has been swapped for another maker’s unit on the F4R.
To further reduce costs, MV has even made changes to the F4R’s chassis, and has employed a MAG-welded chromoly steel tubular trellis frame (the F4RR uses a TIG-welded frame construction technique). The chassis also includes an aluminum single-sided swingarm, which the Italian company boasts weighs a paltry 11 lbs. On the electronics side of things, MV Agusta says it has improved upon its traction control system with a new algorithm, and the MV Agusta F4R will have two rider-selectable TC maps available to the rider via handlebar controls.
Pricing in Italy is set at €18,800 including VAT, though international pricing has not yet been set. We’d expect to see the 2012 MV Agusta F4R hit US soil with a $19,000 price tag, which should unsurprisingly put it right in competition with the base model Ducati 1199 Panigale. Let us know in the comments how the MV Agusta F4R tickles your fancy. Would you buy one instead of a Panigale?
Source: MV Agusta
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I’m sold on the MV. Even with a lower price point, it still manages to sport some world class componentry. And, a “paltry” 191 HP still puts the bike squarely in the range of the S1000, Panigale, RC8R, RSV4, and most of the other big guns. As for the hardware changes and engine differences, I’m sure that MV isnt going to send out a subpar machine. I mean… come on now, they’re not some other half-assed Italian marque who floods their line with model revamps and half completed project bikes just to inflate their product line. Several brands come to mind, but… MV isnt one of them. I’m sure the performance will still be worthy of the name… and, I myself would buy one in the White and Charcoal scheme before I’d fork out for a Duc.
The only thing that bums me out is that MV should have come out with this instead of the 2010. It was already in the works and lets face it the market for MV is pretty small and mostly repeat owners. So after all their talk about being smarter they are making the same mistakes over and over that keep putting them in the red. Now they have basically 3 versions of the same bike to support. Not smart for a small company. I wouldn’t have purchase my 2010 MV if I had known this was coming out. I expected the usual MV “special editions” but not a new motor format. Guess it doesn’t matter to them because they already have my cash, but it does show me that I was wrong to go back to MV thinking they had learned from the past. So my current MV will most likely be my last
It’s a fast and capable bike for sure, but as far as I’m concerned the first gen F4/Brutale were the real masterpieces. The 2010 redesign was a real letdown for me. They should have either left the original design alone and just upgraded the dirty bits OR they could have gone out on a limb with a complete redesign. Obviously the latter option is very risky as it would be very hard (impossible?) to top Tamburini’s originals, but what they ended up doing was just insulting. Slapping a bunch of half baked plasticky looking bits (F4 pipes, Brutale rad guards, etc..) on top of the originals and calling it a day is a complete travesty IMO. More power and TC is nice and all but that’s not the main reason most of us buy these bikes. They used to be rolling pieces of art you would never get tired of looking at. Sadly not anymore…
How good is the dealer support with MV??? I have a couple of Ducs and an Aprilia so I was wondering…
@dc4go
Dealer support is good