April 18, 2006 Limited edition everything is coming into vogue. As manufacturing becomes more intelligent and able to respond to an ever more discerning and directly available public, eventually we’ll see products made for very small markets that in many cases are a market of one. The MV Agusta F4 1000 Nero is just such a product – a limited edition of 21 all black F4 1000 motorcycles. The MV Agusta name is one of motorcycle legend. Started in 1945 in the village of Verghera by Count Domenico Agusta – a member of a powerful industrial family whose name is still worn today on some of the world’s most advanced helicopters. The Italian Meccanica Verghera (MV) Agusta company released its first 98cc model in 1945 and took to the race track to promote it. Within a decade the company developed multi-cylinder roadsters and fire engine red racers that came to own the world 500 and 350 titles for a decade before two-stroke machinery rendered four-stroke racers obsolete. Today, the marque no longer races in the MotoGP class but does produce a range of exquisite 1000cc sports motorcycles. The Nero Limited Edition is the brainchild of Australian MV Agusta distributor and former motorcycle champion Paul Feeney and will sell as a ready-made investment at AUD$32,990 (approx US$24,500)
The Italian Meccanica Verghera (MV) Agusta company released its first model (98cc) in 1945 and took to the race track to promote it. MV Agusta developed roadsters and fire engine red racers that owned the world 500 and 350 titles for a decade, banishing Norton, Gilera, MotoGuzzi, Velocette, and defeating a titanic challenge from Honda before two-stroke machinery rendered four-stroke racers obsolete.
Its riders were all legends in their own right, with Agostini, Hailwood, Read et al winning multiple championships before the two-stroke engine took over Grand Prix racing. MV Agusta road motorcycles were akin to two-wheeled Ferraris at that time – with a design reflected in the road bike, the company’s four cylinder models were the cream of roadgoing motorcycles.
And though they no longer make racing bikes, they still make roadgoing motorcycles at the extreme performance end of the scale – on a closed course in standard form the MV Agusta F4 1000 has been clocked at 305 km/h. This is born out to by the trap speeds for last year’s Superstock 1000 category motorcycles which pits the world’s fastest 1000 motorcycles against one another in stock form. On a fast track like Monza, the bike was clocked at 291.4 km/h, slower than the fastest of a herd of Suzuki GSX (302.6 km/h) and Yamaha R1s (295.3 km/h) but faster than either a ZX10 or Honda CBR1000RR and all but a handful of the fastest of the Yamahas and Suzukis.
The very fastest version of the F4 yet produced is the Tamborini, which sold for AUD$ 77000 (US$56,000) of which only 300 were sold worldwide – a slightly less limuited edition producing 172.8 horsepower and weighing 185 kilos.
Enthusiast Paul Feeney’s hobbies grew into a small empire in his native Southern Queensland (Australia) where the former superbike champion now bases the Australian distribution of MV Agusta, Cagiva & Husqvarna Motorcycles. Feeney’s credentials as a discerner of fine motorcycles are impeccable. He won many state and national championship events including the 1982 Pam Am New Zealand Superbike Series. In one golden year (1985) he won five endurance titles – Arai 500 Kilometre at Bathurst, Surfers 200, Surfers Three Hour, Adelaide Three Hour and the Castrol 6 Hour Race. Feeney had a number of enquiries about black F4 1000’s similar to the limited edition model but the factory didn’t have such a model, so Feeney asked for a limited run and he got an allocation of 21 F4 1000 bikes.
The Nero (black in Italian) is available in both a single and dual seat 1+1 version and comes complete with official MV Agusta Corse bike cover and a matching MV Agusta Corse Cap.
Each bike is fitted with a plaque on its steering head listing individual bike number.
The MV Agusta F4 1000 Nero comes with the 998cc inline four cylinder engine, producing 122kw (166hp) at 11,700 rpm. Suspension is served by Marzocchi 50mm front fork and the rear is supported by a Sachs racing shock absorber equipped with both dual compression (high & low speed) and rebound (high & low speed). The F4 1000 Nero also comes standard with an Ohlins steering dampener.
The front braking system is equipped with the specially designed “Nissin F4” 6-piston calipers that work on 310mm discs. The rear brake is equipped with a 4-piston Nissin unit that works with a 210mm disc.
The special edition MV Agusta F4 1000 Nero comes with distinguishing Nero decal on the rear fairing and carbon look F4 1000 tank protector.
