The MV Agusta F4 RR that we rode in our search for #100Motorcycles, is Art on Wheels! And this one is a collectors’ art. The collector in this case in one other than Mr.Shirish Kulkarni, of the DSK Group who is responsible for getting the Benelli brand into India. What a great taste he has!

We dont know about Mr.Shirish, but you will eventually get a crick in your neck owning the F4, because every single time you walk away from your bike, you are going to turn to catch one last glance at it! From the silhouette to every small detail on the motorcycle, there is nothing that isn’t pleasing to the eye. One can literally sit near the bike for hours at end, appreciating the effort that has gone into building this masterpiece. This is after all the motorcycle which revitalized the ailing Italian.

Stare long enough and you will be writing out a thank you note to Massimo Tamburini, the famous motorcycle designer, who is responsible for this piece of gorgeousness! The 4-piece exhaust end cans have become characteristic of the F4, and any bike enthusiast can recognize it from a mile away!

But this bike is not a case of ‘beauty without brains’. It is smarter than most people you will meet! It has all the electronics that you would expect from a modern sports bike and then some more. The bike also probably the only current production motorcycle with radial valves. A technology developed by engineers from F1. The bike gets RBW and four different riding maps for different conditions. Looking at the bike you could easily mistake the riding maps to be fast, very fast, super-duper fast and ‘hang on for dear life’ fast! The F4 has an inertial lean angle sensor, which allows the bike to know how much lean angle it is and accordingly modulating the ABS, Traction Control etc.

If you are ready to shell out some extra moolah, you can even get the electronic shift assist, to make those gear changes faster.

And as you would expect, the F4 gets a top of the line suspension and brake components. Electronically adjustable Ohlins suspension and Brembo brakes, the industry standard now, if you want your motorcycle to be considered premium in the superbike segment. This tech-laden bike produces a whopping 200+ Hp and revs to a mind-boggling 14000 rpm! The service of titanium con rods is employed here, parts which are more at home on a MotoGP bike than a superbike!

The F4 is raced in WorldSBK in the hands of Leon Camier, who has seen some decent results with it, considering it is a very small factory operation with a single rider. There have also been two special editions dedicated to two of the fastest men in F1 and GP racing. Ayrton Senna and Giacomo Agostini were honored with liveries dedicated to them on the F4. Ago had won most of his GPs on board MV Agustas as he went on to be the most successful GP racer of all time.

We were fortunate to ride this beauty in Pune, possibly one of the few F4s in India currently. We hope to see more of this breed here!