Personally I would have loved to see what a collaboration between Harley-davidson and MV Augusta would have produced. We will never know, but this just released F4 Superbike shows again and again that the Italian manufacturer is at the top of its game. Serious money issues, for sure. But I place MV Agusta well above all sport bike manufacturers for design and technology.
The advertising theme of the F4 Superbike launch is “Can Perfection Be Improved Upon?” Engine was redone with the radial-valve, inline-four engine producing 186 horsepower, 12-horse more than the the 2009 version. Body has been completely re-designed to improve performance by lowering weight by 22 pounds.Multiple Sport and Rain engine control maps, Marelli 7BM ECU controlling eight fuel injectors, , variable-length intake manifolds and traction control. Exhaust gases exit via four square under seat outlets. Suspension is a fully adjustable inverted 50mm Marzocchi up front and a remote reservoir rear shock from Sachs. Brembo monobloc calipers clamp down on dual 320mm front discs. more at MV Agusta. http://www.mvagustausa.com/
I wonder if HD had an influence here. Three clues that they might have.
Styling did not change.
Heavier.
Less horsepower.
Mike. It’s exactly the opposite. Styling changed, lighter, more horsepower. Thanks god Harley didn’t have any negative influence on MV Agusta!
I do not see how in the short period of time that the Mo Co has been involved that they could have had any design influance on the F-4. and if so By Who ?
Massimo Tamburini and Sergio Robbiano were the masterminds behind the F-4.
I do know that Massimo Tamburini was let go when the Motor Co took over . Why?
Harley explainsed that Massimo was retiring, not so in an open letter by Massimo. Probably one of the best in recent history. Like him or not . He is a man of few spoken word.
Man those are beautiful bikes. Anyone know what the long term maintenance is like on them?
Kind of sad that MV Agusta was / has been a pawn for several years even before Harley Davidson came on the scene.
Next week the Company goes up for sell to ?
It is difficult to understand how such a well built and engineered vehicle was developed under such conditions that were prevalent. Hence their dmise
MV AUGUSTA maint. program pretty much mirrors a Ducati. 1k(2hrs), 6k(3hrs), a 12k valve check and belts change (7hrs) Of course, if you plan on beating the crap out of it, expect closer maint intervals
Harley only purchased MV Agusta to help the Harley-Davidson get a better foothold in the European motorcycle market, once H-D realized sales growth had stopped in the US market, and they needed to move into other markets to continuje growing. H-D probably never had any intention of injecting much money into MV to help it grow. Look at Buell going to source its 1250cc sportbike engine from another european manufacturer rather than from MV, a Harley owned company.
The MV Agusta was and still is a wonderful sportbike, particularly when it was first introduced 8 years ago….
But I’ve tested them and did not like riding them….too top heavy and a difficult pwoer band. It was never raced in World Superbike, in part because it wasn’t competitive.
Unfortuneately the sport and technology have now moved far beyond them now. A Japanese 1000cc Superbike for $12,000 is a better bike, stock. While bikes like the new Aprilia RSV4 and BMW RS1000R have set new sportbike standards.
And any Ducati dealer can sell you a street legal World Championship winning 1198R that produces 200hp from a normally aspirated 1198cc V-twin, does 200 mph and weights just 380 lbs and has adjustable electronic traction control.
As for FREDP, I own 9 Ducati’s and none of them has never needed to see a dealer for recommended scheduled maintenance. My buddy has 55,000 miles on his 1994 Duc 916 model with only (1) dealer valve adjustment/belt change.
HD influencing MV would be like…….
Well, like the Three Little Pigs influencing Frank Lloyd wright.
Sorry, but someone had to say it.
-nicker-
nicker
Now that is funny. but oh so true.
Well, all kidding aside, ya talk to people and what comes across is that owning a HD is all about “the Harley Experience.”
For some of us that involves “experiencing” an American motorcycling legacy.
And foot-clutch/Hand-shifting is at the heart of that experience…… …… for me anyway.
Others want technology
As time goes by the technology moves that product further from the legacy.
Bridging that gap is problematic, like trying to be all things to all people.
It’s not a value judgment, it’s simply that MV and “the HD experience” are mutually exclusive.
We saw it with the V-rod….. nothing wrong with that scooter……. great technology, but very little linkage to the “experience.”
Just the way i see it……….
( the little pigs were a bonus….. 🙂
-nicker-
Fuji,
Can you post a link to Tamburini’s open letter? I’d love to hear his side of the story.
Thanks
jed
I will try my best to find it.
My gears are turning trying to remembr where it was at . . but i will try . Mission on! .
jed
Have not found what I’am looking for at this time but chk this out.
http://www.fasterandfaster.net/2009/10/claudio-castiglioni-we-must-now-go.html
Thanks Fuji!
Fuji’s link reference also led to another link where Levatich per his words describes his, (HD), thinking in the purchase of MV in the first place. Might be interesting to some.
In conversation with Matt Levatich, the man in charge of MV Agusta…
Do not know why the link did not show but if it does not do so this try just go thru Fuji’s referenced link click on the red highlighted name Tamburini and when that link opens its a/the link for the “in conversation with levatich” link at the bottom/following of that writeup.
In conversation with Matt Levatich, the man in charge of MV Agusta…
jed
I have looked high and low for the Tamburinni statement,
Thinking back it struck me that the article on Tamburinni may have been in print.
I checked past issues of Cycle World to no avail.
What was noteworthy about the article was that it is in conflict with the press releases that I have read so far. It is out there some where.
Still on a mission
This bike looks expensive and beautiful. My 2000 Kawasaki zx1200 has 90,000 hard ridden kms, 187 horse less than 500 lbs. Little maintenace so far, although eats tires, brakes and chains. Small price to pay for 200mph!
Out searching I found this photo, just to indicate how far out designs must be in time before being introduced.