MV Agusta F4 RR 2016 — Specifications

Is it still possible to manufacture a mythical motorcycle in the 21st century, an object that transcends the simple technical specification to become an icon? By unveiling the F4 RR, MV Agusta answers with the force of a sledgehammer: an inline four-cylinder engine that screams to 201 horsepower at 13,600 rpm. It’s not a machine, it’s a statement, a concentrate of Italian engineering and madness that makes many of its more pragmatic competitors pale.

The secret of this fury lies in its heart, the famous Corsa Corta engine. With an oversized bore of 79 mm and a shortened stroke of 50.9 mm, this engine is designed for high revs. You have to hear it climb towards its redline at 14,000 rpm, a sharp and obsessive mechanical song that belongs only to MV. The power is brutal, the torque of 111 Nm arrives late, at 9,600 rpm, requiring the rider to always stay on the throttle. The electronics, with its maps and traction control, attempt to channel the beast, but the dominant feeling is that of riding a barely civilized prototype. Compared to a BMW S 1000 RR, which is easier and more versatile, or a Yamaha R1M, which is more immediately effective, the F4 RR imposes its own law, demanding and theatrical.

To frame this superbike engine, the chassis is a work of art in trellis steel tubes, combined with an adjustable swingarm. But the true luxury is the electronic Öhlins suspension, which offers custom settings from the dashboard. Paired with Brembo monoblock brakes, they form a surgically precise assembly. Yet, with a dry weight of 190 kg and a seat height of 830 mm, the RR is not an accessible motorcycle. It is stiff, nervous, and does not forgive any approximations. It doesn’t accompany you, it challenges you. It’s a machine for pure track riders or for the demanding collector who accepts its discomfort and sharp character as the price of exclusivity.

Because there’s the price, the other subject. At over €26,000 new, the F4 RR places itself in a financial stratosphere. This makes it an object of desire much more than a pure performance tool, especially since the used market offers models from 2011 to 2021 at more affordable, but still substantial, prices. Faced with a Panigale V4 or an RSV4, often cited as competitors, MV bets everything on emotion, heritage and status. It doesn’t seek to be the fastest per lap, but the most intoxicating, the most beautiful, the one that makes your heart beat faster.

Ultimately, the MV Agusta F4 RR is a splendid anachronism. In a world where performance is often sanitized and accessible, it persists in being difficult, capricious and magnetic. It is not recommended for a beginner, nor even for a touring rider seeking complicity. It is the ultimate weapon of the perfectionist, the ultimate jewel for those who believe that the motorcycle must remain a demanding martial art, where each victory on the asphalt is earned. Riding the F4 RR is understanding that some legends are still alive, for better or for worse.