Motorcycle specifications MV-AgustaF4 1000 S 2006 Dreams with a big heart

the superb MV-Agusta F4 gets a new 4-cylinder engine. The old one lacked a bit of boot at low revs, but the new one promises to be mean. It uses the same technology, including radial valves, has been tested for 2 years, and is compact enough to fit into the same chassis as the F4. The engine produces 166 hp and 11 mkg of torque. Enough to turn this bike into a missile with model-like looks. Aside from the spark plug, which includes almost 70% new parts, the differences with the 750 are minimal: new colors, a bigger fork, a slight increase in wheelbase, new half-guidons, more efficient damping, a higher bubble, and a price that will twist your neck. That's relative, as the 1000 costs just €2,000 less than the 750, and features the same trellis frame, brakes, rims and pencil work that put the F4 in the pantheon of 2-wheeled machines. Perhaps we'd have liked the 1000 to have more of its own identity, but who cares? MV-Agusta machines are eternal!

you could admire it for hours and never tire of it. But the desire to share its fragrance will only grow. Once in the saddle, you won't be surprised by the Spartan comfort. An Italian thoroughbred has none of the tenderness of a Japanese. With the rider leaning heavily forward, you'll need to guide the beast with conviction. The MV is hot-blooded and demands that its lover be up to the task. A Ducati 916/996 enthusiast would not be out of place. Locked into the bike and buffeted by the frankly stiff damping, you'll enjoy a machine of formidable precision. Even though its raison d'être is strongly track-oriented, the F4 is a joy to handle on smaller roads. Once you've got the hang of it, you can open up wide. Once you've got over a slight roughness at the bottom of the rev counter, the engine delivers big muscle in the mid-range.

The weakness of the 750 has disappeared, but not the slight vibrations. Let's not forget that MV-Agusta is a small manufacturer, without the means to design machines as perfect (and polished) as the Japanese. Nevertheless, the level achieved is remarkable, and more. Gearbox operation is now almost perfect. More available, the engine also delivers impressive power, but with a certain progressiveness. It doesn't feel like a box of grenades under your arse, as with the Kawa ZX-10R, but it's still a very meaty mill. On paper, the MV's block isn't the most powerful of the latest 1000 sportbikes. But once you put it through its paces, it turns out to be the one that spits out the most watts at the rear wheel. Due to a certain inertia of the intake butterflies, throttle response is a little tricky. But do we think about this as we binge on the magnificent melody offered by the exhaust's renowned organ pipes?
Is all this reasonable? Certainly not, but you can't stop a dream in its tracks!

M.B
(test text inspired by J-F. Robert's article - Moto-journal n° 1 616
manufacturer's photos)