MV Austa F4 S versus Yamaha YZF-R7.

MV Austa F4 S versus Yamaha YZF-R7.

Japan versus Europe: high-end bikes

Noble, expensive, shrouded in legend: high-end bikes. MV Agusta F4 S versus Yamaha YZF-R7.

There’s a steak that couldn’t be more juicy. Tasteful and super-tender, grown on the back of a cow that grows up in the lovely Emiglia Romania, quietly chewing the cud, enjoying the good life. The Fiorentina, a steak for connoisseurs, and, as the Italians say, the best cut of meat in the world. Except maybe the Kobe steak. This also thrives on the back of a cow, but certainly on a very special one. Namely, on someone who spends the days of his existence fattened by beer, living in a state of gentle intoxication and being gently massaged by a Japanese beef passerby. It is easy to imagine what tender steaks such a pissed-off animal would deliver. The best in the world – as the Japanese say. So twice the best, but which meat actually tastes best?
The answer to such questions of faith is of course only possible on a philosophical level. Does Kurosawa make better films than Fellini? Does the Shinkansen travel faster than ICE or TGV? Is it better to keep smiling, or is it better to blurt out your opinion and mood? Do the Japanese build better high-tech bikes than the Europeans? Let us consult MV Agusta F4 S and Yamaha YZF-R7. One thing is clear: the MV carries the spirit that made the Italian Renaissance a symbol of perfect aesthetics. Everything looks good, the style popes from Varese have given every component, no matter how small, technical beauty in perfect form.
The composite frame, single-sided swing arm, impressive upside-down fork and extravagant rims is not only uniquely delicious, it also drives that way. Everything seems to be right, from the geometry to the weight distribution to the arrangement of the moments of inertia around the MV’s many axes of motion. A unique driving experience, a mix of high-precision, playful handling and fantastic roadholding.
On the other hand the R7? Compare the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel with the simplicity of Japanese ceramics. Outwardly, the Yamaha hardly makes a stronger impression than an R1 or R6. But she wears ?? Japanese reserved ?? Parts that gently lead the fan to faint. For example, there is no technical need for a chain tensioner, milled out of a solid aluminum block. Rather for the swingarm modeled from wafer-thin aluminum sheets, which secretly keeps black with the lightness of its unsprung mass, its contribution to the favorable mass distribution and its torsional stiffness. Not to mention the finest engine internals made of titanium and coated aluminum, two-stage fuel injection or Ohlins spring elements. Less ceramic than samurai sword ?? an inconspicuous metal object, forged with infinite effort.
The R7 makes no secret of its racing purpose. On the contrary, it behaves downright disgusted in everyday operation: There is hardly any other motorcycle that serves normal driving as badly as a Yamaha YZF-R7. Simply horrible the performance characteristics up to 7500 rpm? At this speed, the Yamaha already runs over 80 km / h in first gear. How does that feel? Think of a congested city, folded yourself on the motorcycle like the symbolic monkey on a grindstone, always using the clutch and throttle to keep an engine happy, which doesn’t feel like running and chokes all the time. Hell on two wheels, because no Japanese designer ever had everyday practicality in mind when building the R7. The Yamaha is supposed to do only one thing: be fast on racing asphalt.
And sure enough it is. With 138 HP in the production version slightly modified by Yamaha Germany? very, very neat for a 750 in-line four-cylinder. Above said 7500 rpm, Yamaha’s most expensive car accelerates like a cannonball, and when it is moving, the mega-tight gearbox fits the rocket from Fujiyama country like a dream. And what a landing gear! Fantastic handling, incredible steering precision, unshakable driving stability, hammer brakes, cloud-7 spring elements. But wait – they come from the Swedish manufacturer Ohlins. Wasn’t Kayaba or Showa good enough? The answer can be found in international networking: Ohlins belongs to Yamaha, that’s it.
Conversely, a Showa fork secures the ground contact of the MV front wheel or Nissin stoppers slow down the dynamism of the Italian. Here, too, networking helps, if necessary and in the future it will probably increasingly also go beyond the boundaries of the mentality area. The Japanese parts do not change anything in the spirit and character of the MV, just like a Harada does not shape the Aprilia brand into the Japanese label. Spirit and tradition are too deeply rooted, their fruits ripen too colorful and juicy. It is amazing that the inline four-cylinder of the MV, although in principle quite similar to one or the other Japanese kindred, sounds different and also runs differently than its slit-eyed brothers. Not better or worse, but different. Like no other Japanese motorcycle, the Agusta is dedicated to the search for a new design language, but it satisfies the needs of a broad group of buyers.
The extreme sports driver will find pure pleasure in extreme driving in it, just like on the R7. But who just wants to own a wonderful motorcycle without wanting or being able to exploit its potential? For whom the feeling of driving something special is more important than exploring the limits? Who takes pleasure in admiring looks and doesn’t want to waste any thoughts on lap time? He only finds his happiness in the MV. It can, but doesn’t have to. An R7, on the other hand, only wants to be fast.
W.What remains the bottom line? A question of faith. For the Italian, things have to be good AND beautiful, while the Japanese are satisfied with the knowledge of the spirit IN the machine. In purely mathematical terms, this duel goes to Europe.

Technical data: Yamaha YZF-R7

Engine: water-cooled oven-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, two overhead camshafts, four valves, intake manifold injection, displacement 749 cm3, rated output 78 kW (106 hp) at 11,000 rpm, max. Torque 72 Nm (7.3 kpm) at 9000 rpm, six-speed gearbox. Chassis: bridge frame made of aluminum profiles, tires 120/70 x 17; 180/55 x 17, wheelbase 1400 mm, spring travel f / r 120/138 mm. Dimensions and weights: Seat height * 820 mm, weight with a full tank * 205 kg, load * 97 kg, tank capacity / reserve 23 / 4.8 liters. Price VAT included. and ancillary costs 44990 Marks * MOTORCYCLE measurement + stable, handy, precise, flawless suspension elements, finest technical details – sitting position unsuitable for everyday use, engine up to 7500 rpm extremely uncultivated, very high consumption

Technical data: MV Agusta 750 F4 S

Engine: water-cooled four-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, two overhead camshafts, four valves, intake manifold injection, displacement 749 cm3, rated output 93 kW (126 hp) at 12200 rpm, max. Torque 74 Nm (7.5 kpm) at 9000 rpm, six-speed gearbox. Chassis: tubular steel frame, tires 120/65 x 17; 190/50 x 17, wheelbase 1412 mm, spring travel f / h 118/120 mm. Dimensions and weights: Seat height * 820 mm, weight with a full tank * 219 kg, load * 151 kg, tank capacity 20 liters. Price incl. and ancillary costs 32,995 Marks * MOTORCYCLE measurement + impeccable chassis, brilliant feedback, sophisticated engine, good sound, perfect finish – with the best will in the world we can’t think of anything

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