When it comes to Italian bikes, there are few that can compete with them when it comes to looks. The F4 is quite simply stunning, without a doubt one of the best-looking modern sports bikes on the planet. It isn’t all about looks though, it has so much more to offer, least of which the incredible F1 derived inline-4 engine. With a fantastic racing history and some of the most innovative engineering, there is so much more to this pretty Italian than looks alone.
Here’s what makes the MV Agusta F4 one of the very best bikes on the market today.
The MV Augusta F4 Has A Sleek Design
It didn’t change much design-wise over the years, only a few tweaks here and there. This is not a bad thing at all, in this case, there really is no need to fix something that isn’t broken.
We need to dwell on why it is so beautiful, it isn’t any Italian bike designed by a board room. It is rolling art passionately conceived by the “Michelangelo of motorbike design;” Massimo Tamburini. The same man who gave us the gorgeous Ducati 916 and almost every Bimota motorcycle worth remembering. He is also no longer with us, so when they get around to developing a new version of this bike the designer will have the unenviable task of trying to improve on something created by an absolute legend. Something Ducati tried to do in the 90s and failed rather spectacularly.
F1 Engine
If you put an actual Ferrari engine in a motorcycle, that would be something. This is about as close as you will get.
It was a collaboration between Ferrari engineers and those at the then Cagiva motorcycle group, and the engine they developed was based on the engine Ferrari used in their F1 cars in the early 90s. The initial version was a 750cc that made around 130 horsepower, what made it unique was the sound it made, impossible not to compare to a 90s Ferrari. In part, this was thanks to the one key feature they shared; radial valves. The radial valves have an effect on both the intake sound and the exhaust note, nothing can quite compare. For the most part, the basic engine architecture has stayed the same since then, just getting more electronics and a little more displacement.
Chassis And Suspension
Right from the factory, this is a track machine off note, able to glide through corners effortlessly. It is, however, by no means a track-only bike.
Most manufacturers will launch a track-focused version of their bikes with so much demand for special editions these days, MV Agusta is no exception to that rule and has a list of options for those looking for a track machine (pictured above). The stock F4 was meant for the street, it is a true-blue superbike built to take on public roads as much as anything else. It is by no stretch of the imagination the lightest bike out there, nor is it the highest spec but it will give you a lot of joy in the corners with huge grip and 190 horsepower, more power than you will ever need.
The MV Augusta F4 Is Worth It
It is a legend of a machine, and it is sad to see it reach the end of its production life. Like any motorcycle, it has its fair share of issues. The electronics that have been repeatedly updated still don’t work quite as well as they should on a modern bike, and like any superbike, it isn’t going to eat up the miles with any degree of comfort. It also has somewhat disconcerting power delivery, a known drawback for any machine using a radial valve setup is that pretty much everything sits right at the top of the rev range. So, although they tune it to have something of a mid-range, after nothing at all down low, it will then go through the solid mid-range and hit a flat spot at around 10000 rpm, then suddenly you getting shot out a canon.
All of that becomes completely meaningless if you just catch a glimpse of it while walking away. You will then forget any reservations of the cost of ownership the second you get that inline-4 revving close to the limit. It will go down in history as one of the most beautiful machines ever designed and, in a few years, it will be worth more than you will pay for an old dealer stock model leftover from 2019, truly a modern classic.