A quick ride on a firey Italian
Discussion
Can't argue with many of your observations, OP, pretty spot-on for just a test ride.
I bought mine just because of its looks (no test ride, it's how I roll
) and the only two problems I have are (as you said) my wrists can get very painful (6'3", 14.5 stone (snap!) and I suspect carpal tunnel issues) round town and the tank range - I get about 115 to reserve which is a ballache on a euro-tour when everyone else is on Blades or R1s and they can manage another 50 or so. I can't wheelie the bugger at all for some reason. They do get very hot.
The engine to me just feels "raw", very "hard" - it's hard to describe. Seems to have a lot of low down power too - I was using the OHs R1 last week and stalled it 4 times; the F4 would just have burbled off.
No regrets about buying mine - love it.
I bought mine just because of its looks (no test ride, it's how I roll
) and the only two problems I have are (as you said) my wrists can get very painful (6'3", 14.5 stone (snap!) and I suspect carpal tunnel issues) round town and the tank range - I get about 115 to reserve which is a ballache on a euro-tour when everyone else is on Blades or R1s and they can manage another 50 or so. I can't wheelie the bugger at all for some reason. They do get very hot.The engine to me just feels "raw", very "hard" - it's hard to describe. Seems to have a lot of low down power too - I was using the OHs R1 last week and stalled it 4 times; the F4 would just have burbled off.
No regrets about buying mine - love it.
Dog Star said:
Can't argue with many of your observations, OP, pretty spot-on for just a test ride.
I bought mine just because of its looks (no test ride, it's how I roll) and the only two problems I have are (as you said) my wrists can get very painful (6'3", 14.5 stone (snap!) and I suspect carpal tunnel issues) round town and the tank range - I get about 115 to reserve which is a ballache on a euro-tour when everyone else is on Blades or R1s and they can manage another 50 or so. I can't wheelie the bugger at all for some reason. They do get very hot.
The engine to me just feels "raw", very "hard" - it's hard to describe. Seems to have a lot of low down power too - I was using the OHs R1 last week and stalled it 4 times; the F4 would just have burbled off.
No regrets about buying mine - love it.
I found mine was running hot, I put in Evans Waterless Coolant & that has helped with the temps I bought mine just because of its looks (no test ride, it's how I roll
) and the only two problems I have are (as you said) my wrists can get very painful (6'3", 14.5 stone (snap!) and I suspect carpal tunnel issues) round town and the tank range - I get about 115 to reserve which is a ballache on a euro-tour when everyone else is on Blades or R1s and they can manage another 50 or so. I can't wheelie the bugger at all for some reason. They do get very hot.The engine to me just feels "raw", very "hard" - it's hard to describe. Seems to have a lot of low down power too - I was using the OHs R1 last week and stalled it 4 times; the F4 would just have burbled off.
No regrets about buying mine - love it.
ZX10R NIN said:
I found mine was running hot, I put in Evans Waterless Coolant & that has helped with the temps
The heat I was referring to, and I think Dog Star meant too, was the exhaust temperature, the exposed pipe kicks off a serious amount, even with the little heat shield parts on the pipe. It's a bit of a case of "Ze goggles, zey do nothing!" as they're tiny and barely going to make a difference. I could live with it though, Panigale owners suffer the same and as long as you keep it moving at a decent pace it's ok.With regard to wrist pain, I don't suffer from it thankfully, I use my core muscles and legs to take the weight, but the riding position of the F4 is definitely wrist heavy.
Baryonyx said:
More or less wristy than the T595?
Probably about the same, it's either wrist heavy or it's not. The T595 is bad because of it's silly wide bars that splay your arms and bring you towards the clocks, the F4 is wrist-heavy due to it's pegs, seat position and reach to the bars. I'd have to have a go on the T595 to see what it's like on the move, but I doubt a rider with a bit of core strength would suffer on either.
king He Man so I didn't struggle.Mastodon2 said:
ZX10R NIN said:
I found mine was running hot, I put in Evans Waterless Coolant & that has helped with the temps
The heat I was referring to, and I think Dog Star meant too, was the exhaust temperature, the exposed pipe kicks off a serious amount, even with the little heat shield parts on the pipe. Mine always has a little wee on the work carp ark floor cos it's got so hot and bothered.
Incidentally - I got mine last year (new, but 2010 model) and it's had to have quite a bit of recall work done on the heat shielding; the main fairing panels are now fitted with thin, rigid shield panels, the lowers have much better adhesive and all of the metal shields on the exhaust lowers (which were cracking and breaking after 3000 miles) have been replaced with much thicker ones with reinforced brackets.
I bought the 750 F4S version back in 2000 when it was new. It seemed to me that the handling is so damn easy that it's a perfect bike for a novice racer to build his confidence with. At the time I was a novice racer, having done half a season of British Endurance on an R1, so I found a sponsor who wanted to be one of the first to race the new MVs, and off we went. We had lots of reliability issues but the sponsor had lots of contacts and just got all manner of expensive bits made for it, so eventually it was finishing 6 hour races. Right from our first race we were lapping faster than our main opposition, GSXR1000s and R1s. The MV has superior aerodynamics to just about anything because it has a tiny frontal area - just look at it coming toward you in traffic, it looks like a Cagiva Mito. If the rider is small and supple enough to get behind the screen, the 750 will actually outdrag litre bikes at circuits with long straights, even Snetterton. The other teams were convinced we were cheating.
In between races I put it back on the road for a trip to the Nurburgring - I did one of those 4 day courses where a class of bikers has the circuit booked out. It was a glorious experience. But the journey there and back was so uncomfortable I'd say the MV just isn't a bike for the road. It's OK if you just want to go a few miles to a car park and ponce about being the centre of attention, but I hate that scene. My idea of a sports bike for the road is something that not only handles brilliantly at a track day, but also has the comfort to make a 500 mile journey there and back a pleasure. Sports bikes should be good for packing light for a trip to the Pyrenees or the Alps. The best sports bike I ever had for the road was the RSV Mille. Fantastic comfort, lots of range, everything you could wish for really. No way would I do that sort of trip on an MV - I'd swap it for a BMW GS.
The MV depreciates quite badly and can be a bargain used, so long as you don't ever need to buy new bodywork etc. But if you buy one you really ought to use it to up your game at the track. Fit massive bobbins everywhere, try to source some pattern bodywork, and have a go at passing everyone else on the outside. The bike can do it!
Or you could just buy one for the road and polish it a lot and look at yourself in shop windows. You dildo.
If the looks are puzzling you, remember that it's a 16 year old design now! Everything about it has been ripped off by the other manufacturers, especially the headlight, tank, seat unit and exhausts. That's why it looks familiar.
In between races I put it back on the road for a trip to the Nurburgring - I did one of those 4 day courses where a class of bikers has the circuit booked out. It was a glorious experience. But the journey there and back was so uncomfortable I'd say the MV just isn't a bike for the road. It's OK if you just want to go a few miles to a car park and ponce about being the centre of attention, but I hate that scene. My idea of a sports bike for the road is something that not only handles brilliantly at a track day, but also has the comfort to make a 500 mile journey there and back a pleasure. Sports bikes should be good for packing light for a trip to the Pyrenees or the Alps. The best sports bike I ever had for the road was the RSV Mille. Fantastic comfort, lots of range, everything you could wish for really. No way would I do that sort of trip on an MV - I'd swap it for a BMW GS.
The MV depreciates quite badly and can be a bargain used, so long as you don't ever need to buy new bodywork etc. But if you buy one you really ought to use it to up your game at the track. Fit massive bobbins everywhere, try to source some pattern bodywork, and have a go at passing everyone else on the outside. The bike can do it!
Or you could just buy one for the road and polish it a lot and look at yourself in shop windows. You dildo.
If the looks are puzzling you, remember that it's a 16 year old design now! Everything about it has been ripped off by the other manufacturers, especially the headlight, tank, seat unit and exhausts. That's why it looks familiar.
Undinist said:
Sports bikes should be good for packing light for a trip to the Pyrenees. No way would I do that sort of trip on an MV - I'd swap it for a BMW GS.
Or you could just buy one for the road and polish it a lot and look at yourself in shop windows. You dildo.
I am both a posing dildo and a Euro trip masochist with my MV. I have done about 5000 miles of posing and looking in shop windows over 5 years of ownership. As well as an 8 day 2285 mile trip to the Pyrenees.Or you could just buy one for the road and polish it a lot and look at yourself in shop windows. You dildo.
Here she is
and sat beside Spareparts 1098R at Millau showing that he uses his too and not just his R1200GS.
Undinist said:
Where's your luggage and why are the bikes so clean? I smell a van.
We both had R30 Kriegas on our backs and we had not yet gotten wet but we did get wet in the Pyrenees on day 4 or 5 oh and I lobbed mine into the bushes too. Only tiny superficial stuff so I rode it home, albeit with 2 bust ribs and a bad knock to my knew and left scaphoid.No vans on our trips. Here we are in 2014 in the Dolomites on more sensible mounts.
Chipchap said:
I am both a posing dildo and a Euro trip masochist with my MV. I have done about 5000 miles of posing and looking in shop windows over 5 years of ownership. As well as an 8 day 2285 mile trip to the Pyrenees.
Here she is
and sat beside Spareparts 1098R at Millau showing that he uses his too and not just his R1200GS.
Best trip evaaarrr!!! Here she is
and sat beside Spareparts 1098R at Millau showing that he uses his too and not just his R1200GS.
Undinist said:
Where's your luggage and why are the bikes so clean? I smell a van.
Pah, this was us nearly at the end of the trip loaded with luggage in the Carcassonnes. c.300 miles a day on pretty bikes. So despite discussing the merits of my GS (because I'm an old hipster caravan owning German 
), I'm happy 'touring' on the 1098R which doesn't even take a tailbag (monoposto). 
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