Photography by Tory Kooyman
Rider's Notebook: Formula for Fun
February 18, 2003
They’re pretty and they work,” says Kaming Ko, entrepreneur, race-team principal and owner of three superrare and exotic MV Agusta F4 motorcycles. His beautiful red and silver Serie Oro, a silver Strada and an all-black Senna version (number 007 of a mere 300) are the rides of choice today, and as I discovered, Ko was correct in his succinct assessment of these magical sport bikes.
Meccanica Verghera Agusta was named after the Italian village where the firm began and the wealthy, aristocratic family that established it. After World War II, one of the founder’s four sons, Domenico, became president of the company, and among other industrial endeavors, he undertook the design and manufacture of motorcycles. MV Agusta soon entered international motorcycle competition, and success came quickly. In 1952 the company achieved its first Grand Prix title, and over the next two decades it completely dominated the sport, ultimately winning an incredible 37 World Championships. The unexpected death of Count Domenico in 1971 precipitated MV’s retirement from the sport by 1976, but nevertheless, it appears to have learned its lessons well. Taking full advantage of its racetrack experience, MV—under the aegis of parent company Cagiva—has poured its history and soul into every facet of these exquisite modern machines.
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc(); "Sirie Oro, Senna, and Strada versions of the classic inline-4.")
If one MV Agusta is good, three are surely better. At the Pacific Ocean, left to right: the Sirie Oro, Senna and Strada versions of the classic inline-4. (Click image to enlarge)Let us first dispel the theory that all Italian bikes are V-twins. The new generation F4, like the great MV sport bikes of the 1970s, uses a 750cc 4-cylinder motor. With design help from Ferrari, the double-overhead camshaft engine puts out almost 138 hp and revs to almost 14,000 rpm. Such horsepower might not impress the supercar crowd, but when you consider those horses are pushing less than 500 pounds, it makes you reconsider exactly what power-to-weight ratio actually means: arm-stretching acceleration and a top speed well over 175 mph.
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