All Tests – 2013 MV Agusta F4 Test: the prestige of the senses – Too much electronics kills electronics …

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2013 MV Agusta F4 test: the prestige of the senses

All Tests - 2013 MV Agusta F4 Test: the prestige of the senses - Too much electronics kills electronics ...

With its F4, MV Agusta has so far offered one of the most beautiful sports motorcycles on the market. In 2013, the Italian manufacturer tries to combine beauty and efficiency: the Varese Super (be) bike gains in both performance and sophistication…. Test.

Too much electronics kills electronics…

Then comes the time to gradually go around to tackle the last part of the curve and concentrate on the next one. And it is at this precise moment, alas, that the so far idyllic picture darkens slightly…

On the one hand, because of the not really transparent reactions of the ride-by-wire accelerator: as on the first generation of Aprilia Shiver, the device lacks smoothness and especially predictability. Concretely, the opening of the intake butterfly valves controlled by the power plant is sometimes done gently and progressively, sometimes with a certain dryness making it difficult to apprehend the arrival of power..

And while it is possible to intervene electronically on a whole bunch of parameters (engine brake, injection or torque curve, throttle sensitivity, etc.), the transition between the moment when the throttle is cut and the one where you accelerate causes a noticeable jerk.

However, the six bikes present during this test did not react exactly the same way at this level: some were "electronically" much more developed. On the other hand, two models presented an electrical connection problem at the level of the ignition key, which resulted in engine cuts and the impossibility of exceeding 10,000 rpm! On motorcycles sold 16,990 euros (F4 standard), 19,290 euros (F4 R) and 24,290 euros (F4 RR), it looks a bit messy…

Likewise, the new "EAS" shifter fitted as standard on the three F4s also lacks a bit of focus. Extremely advanced, this device allows for the first time on a production motorcycle to go up AND down gears without disengaging (read the "Electronics" part of our technical point). As on a MotoGP, it is the ECU (Engine Control Unit) which takes care of synchronizing the throttle opening and managing the engine brake..

In practice, this feature requires you to completely revise your habits: when downshifting, you have to do violence to yourself not to touch the clutch before pressing down on the left pedal! The first tests are naturally a little hesitant, then you get used to it quite easily: tumbling down full blast in a curve and "falling" three reports without worrying about anything other than its braking and its trajectory even turns out particularly exhilarating !

The only "problem" here again comes from the sometimes inconstant nature of the system: the management of the engine brake, for example, is not always strictly identical from one turn to another. In these conditions, difficult to maintain concentration and confidence…

Finally, this "EAS" sometimes lacks smoothness on upshifts and downshifts, while a few false dead points at full load were noted. There again, the finding was not completely similar from one motorcycle to another: on some, the reports passed like butter, without any of these "snags" felt on others….

Verdict: everything to please, but…

A bit perplexed by these differences in behavior, the editorial staff of Site begins its third and last "run" with the one who oversees the Superbike range, the magnificissima F4RR !

If aesthetically the flagship of the F4 offer hardly differs from the other two versions, technically it’s a different kettle of fish (read our Technical point, precisely)! Equipped with titanium connecting rods and a forged crankshaft, its engine is able to take 600 additional revolutions, which allows it to claim almost six more horsepower (200.8 hp at 13,600 rpm) !

Above all, this block has even less inertia than that of the F4 and F4R thanks to the weight gained on its mobile crew. The gain is noticeable from the first acceleration: as incredible as it may seem, this MV Agusta of 998 cc takes its turns almost as quickly as a 600 cc! So much so that you have to change your bearings, as if you were riding a totally different motorcycle.

On the 876 meters of the short pit straight, for example, the bestial "RR" gave us an impressive 287 km / h, or 4 to 5 km / h more than at the controls of the standard F4. At this speed, this gap is not trivial: the entry of the rapid left turn which follows the straight line literally jumps to the helmet. !

Fortunately, with its Brembo master cylinder, the F4RR’s brake lever provides better feedback than on the "stock" F4. Thanks to this and its overpowered monoblock calipers, catching up with this optimistic arrival in a cannonball curve is just a formality! Likewise, the F4RR’s electronically adjustable Ohlins fork performs better at the start of the race than the Marzocchi element: mass transfer under braking is less marked, in favor of front axle precision..

The competitors of the MV Agusta F4

  • Aprilia RSV4 R APRC : 184 hp, 179 kg dry – € 14,999 (€ 18,990 Factory APRC)

  • BMW S1000RR : 193 hp, 204 kg in running order – € 17,250 (HP4 € 20,990)

  • Ducati 1199 Panigale (standard) : 195 hp, 188 kg all full facts – € 19,190

  • Honda CBR1000RR : 178 hp, 200 kg all full facts – € 13,290

  • Kawasaki ZX-10R : 200 hp, 198 kg all full facts – € 16,199

  • KTM RC8 R : 175 hp, 185 kg dry – € 16,890

  • Suzuki GSX-R 1000 : 185 hp, 203 kg all full facts – € 13,999

  • Yamaha YZF-R1 : 182.1 hp, 206 kg all full facts – € 15,999

A kilo lighter (190 kg dry), the F4RR also offers less resistance to change of angle and to markings in bends: the relative reluctance felt on the handlebars of the standard F4 has disappeared. This runway flower goes from curve to curve with the ease and ease of a Bolshoi dancer and comes out with the strength of a bodybuilder. !

Despite its excellent traction, the stormy 201 hp F4RR logically end up compromising the grip of the 200 mm wide rear tire. Fortunately, the anti-slip adjustable on eight levels and disconnectable watches over the grain and intervenes – gently – in case of evasion..

MV Agusta must now refine its electronic package to bring it to the level of this sculptural factory of pleasures and fantasies. An update that should come fairly quickly, because the manufacturer has listened to our comments and has already demonstrated its responsiveness in the past – in particular by resolving the small injection problems of its recent F3.

Hopefully this is the case again, to prevent the first of the 1,500 buyers that the manufacturer intends to seduce in the world in 2013 with this F4 (all models combined) from wiping the plaster….

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