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Motorcycle Investor mag

Our bikes: MV Agusta F4 1000 hits the road

(by Guy 'Guido' Allen, September 2023)

It's been an entertaining week in the Chateau Guido shed, with the 2006 MV Agusta F4 Nero finally getting on the road with fresh tyres and rego

It's fair to say that things are a little out of control in the shed at the moment, and I've been falling behind on jobs, in a good way of course.

You see I've been on a bit of an acquisition spree in recent times and, without going into all the ugly detail, one of the top priorities has been getting the MV Agusta F4 back on the road after a relatively brief lay-off with the previous owner. In lovely condition with just over 3000km on the odo, it was acquired from old mate Roger.

It's a bit of an oddball model known as a Nero. Then local importer Paul Feeney spotted a niche for a black F4 1000 S, which wasn't in the model line-up at the time. MV obliged by building 21 Neros for Australia only, a mix of mono- and bipostos, in a satin black. Other than the paint, and the plaque on the steering head, they were standard F4s. (See the contemporary New Atlas story on the announcement.)

Aside from needing fresh rubber (it was on the original tyres) a few little things needed looking at. With a Power Commander fitted it was running rich to the point of fouling plugs, so we've disconnected the aftermarket unit for the time being and will have another look at the tuning with the help of someone with an up-to-date dyno. With fresh spark plugs, it's running just fine on the stock ECU.

You have to love the minor irritations that come your way, such as a flaky left front indicator. The front units are in the mirrors, which are a work of art and a delicate pain in the arse to work on. In this case contacts were troublesome. Of course moments after it sailed through the roadworthy test, it went on the blink again (or not, if you'll pardon the pun...). No matter – something to be sorted one quiet morning over a cup of tea.

While I was chasing some other minor issue, I had cause to remove the left fairing panel. Access is incredibly easy, with a set of Dzus fasteners, and the whole thing comes off in a couple of minutes without resorting to tools. In fact, it's very much like a Ducati 916 to work on, right down to the flip-up seat/tailpiece. Hardly surprising, since it both were designed by Massimo Tamburini.

Speaking of Tamburini and design, like the 916 the F4 is designed for people much smaller than me. Author Ian Falloon assures me Tamburini was about 5'6" (168cm), which may well have influenced his product. If you're tall, Falloon says the go is to get a 999 series designed by Pierre Terblache, who is more like 6'1" (186cm) and built a lot more adjustability into that series.

Right, so having got this far are there any conclusions? One or two, though I've barely scrubbed in the tyres and will have a whole lot more to say after a proper ride.

It's over a decade since I last rode an F4 of any sort (750 or 1000) and I'd forgotten just how tiny they feel. The ride position is as tortuous as that on the 916.

However once you fire it up and have a play, comfort is pretty low on the mental radar. It makes a wonderful howl from the distinctive high-mounted four tailpipes and there's enough horsepower (166hp/122kW claimed) to keep you amused. It's light and sharp and responsive.

And it looks bloody wonderful when you survey it over a post-ride glass of wine...