MV Agusta F4-R 312
MV Agusta F4-R 312 | |
Manufacturer | |
---|---|
Production | 2007 - 08 |
Compression ratio | 13.0:1 |
Top Speed | 312 km/h / 194 mp/h |
Ignition | Weber Marelli 5SM ignition |
Transmission | 6 Speed |
Frame | CrMo steel tubular trellis |
Suspension | Front: 50mm Marzocchi forks Rear: Progressive, single shock absorber with rebound and compression High speed / Low speed damping and spring preload hydraulic control. |
Brakes | Front: 2x 310mm discs 4 piston calipers Rear: Single 210mm disc 4 piston caliper |
Front Tire | 120/70 ZR17 |
Rear Tire | 180/55 ZR17 |
Wheelbase | 1408 mm / 55.4 in |
Seat Height | 810 mm / 31.8 in |
Weight | 192 kg / 423 lbs (dry), |
Fuel Capacity | 21 Liters / 5.5 US gal |
Manuals | Service Manual |
It could reach a top speed of 312 km/h / 194 mp/h.
Engine[edit | edit source]
The engine featured a 13.0:1 compression ratio.
Drive[edit | edit source]
Power was moderated via the Wet, multiple discs, cable operated.
Chassis[edit | edit source]
It came with a 120/70 ZR17 front tire and a 180/55 ZR17 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via 2x 310mm discs 4 piston calipers in the front and a Single 210mm disc 4 piston caliper in the rear. The front suspension was a 50mm Marzocchi forks while the rear was equipped with a Progressive, single shock absorber with rebound and compression High speed / Low speed damping and spring preload hydraulic control.. The F4-R 312 was fitted with a 21 Liters / 5.5 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 192 kg / 423 lbs. The wheelbase was 1408 mm / 55.4 in long.
Photos[edit | edit source]
Overview[edit | edit source]
MV Agusta F4-R 312
The evolution of racing bikes is the
result of many small steps. The underlying concept is never abandoned,
rejected or turned upside down. It is only meticulous little changes that
finally lead to perfection. It is for this very reason that the F4 has made
history for sports bikes and gone on to become a legend.
The F4 of today is a symbol of this
legend. The R312 where "three hundred and twelve" is the top speed. To go
fast means, tests, hard work, sweat and winning on the track with all the
sacrifices and dedication that calls for. With the F4 1000 R MV Agusta was
the protagonist last season in the Superstock production series. Unlike
others, it is style that adds to the MV machines lined up on the starting
grid. More words seem hardly enough to describe the beauty and appeal of a
model that, still today, leaves the competition unable to answer.
It is not just its streamlined elegant
looks or prestigious name, this time it is also a record holder - 312 km/h.
To win on the track you always need more speed. This is why the production
MV F4 1000 R 312 now has an evolved professional suspension system. Huge 50
mm Marzocchi forks provide all the stability that an incredibly powerful
bike needs.
The forks are carbonitride treated and
feature 13 compression and 22 rebound settings. The Sachs monoshock absorber
has double hydraulic compression settings to deal with acceleration stress.
Compression settings can relate to high speed use for tracks that have small
uneven sections on the curves and for low speed handling to make shock
absorption more progressive on accelerating out of a bend. The real beauty
of monoshock absorbers is the fact that they offer spring preload options.
To improve the gyroscopic effect of a
motorbike that wants to be "Top Gun" has meant superlight forged Y- spoke
aluminum Brembo wheels fitted with 190 tires of which a full 6 inches comes
in contact with the ground at the rear. It has meant Brembo brakes on the
R312 with 320 mm front discs with P4/34 radial calipers. The F4 R 312 puts
out over 180 CV at 12,400 rpm. This too is a record if you consider the Euro
3 limit. It is the result of painstaking development work on the 4 cylinder
MV engine with special work done to the cylinder head. New 30 mm Del West
titanium valves with reinforced springs were fitted and cams given
redesigned raised profiles.
Throttle bodies had their inner diameters
increased from 46 to 48 mm and longer intake horns were fitted. All this
provided an increase of 8 CV "sweetened" by the Magneti Marelli 5 SM Eprom
Flash Memory CPU that not only manages the power output but the EBS (Engine
Brake System) too. This anti-bounce system is controlled by a solenoid valve
that allows the second cylinder to provide power even on deceleration with
the valves closed. The only thing left to do is decide on a color scheme to
make the dream come true. There is the innovative white livery that
highlights the geometric form of the machine, "Bodoni" black that leads for
style and elegance and lastly, the classic MV Agusta red/silver.
Just have a good look at a F4 R 312 and
youll soon realise that the others are just motorcycles...
Review
MotorcycleUSA continues its foreign exchange program with Motor Cycle News (MCN) to bring you this tasty European treat - a review of the sleek MV Agusta F4 R312.
They say it's the fastest superbike in the world, but is it the best?
To say MV Agusta knows how to make a fast engine is like saying Mr. Kipling can knock up a pretty decent Viennese Whirl. It's a fact. When the first 1000cc-engined MV F4 came out in 2004 it blew the 1000cc competition away in the top-speed stakes, hitting a true 186 mph. At the time it was the fastest superbike we'd ever tested. Then last year the F4 1000R set the fastest outright lap time at Jerez in the annual Masterbike, beating off all the 2006 sportbikes.
But today we're riding the new £14,750 ($29,500), F4 R312 (even the name sounds exotic, doesn't it?) at its world launch at Monza, Italy. It's a full-production model to replace the F4 1000R, not a limited-edition special and it soon becomes clear that, on the right day, on a long enough stretch of road, and with the wind nudging you along, the sexy R312 is capable of hitting what MV claims it can: 193 mph, or 312 km/h, hence its name. The fury in which this Italian masterpiece of design and technology eats up the straights is just awe-inspiring.
While the chassis remains exactly the same as before, the new motor is 9 hp up on last year's bike and revs on 500 rpm more, thanks to new 30mm titanium valves, high-lift cams, larger 48mm throttle bodies and 10mm shorter inlet trumpets.
The engine has a distinctive raw, hard-edged feel about it, something that'll be completely alien to those brought up on a diet of smooth, polished Japanese engines. But as the revs soar, the 183 hp (measured at the crank) engine smoothes right off as the 10,000 rpm mark approaches. At that precise time the yowl from the airbox gets deeper and more aggressive, and the yell from the quad, underseat pipes goes into audio overload.
From 10,000 rpm, the final 2500 rpm in each gear is a heady
cocktail of speed, noise and violence mixed with a surreal dream-like sense of
tranquillity. Keep the motor spinning hard through the gears along Monza's two
big straights, head jammed under the new bigger screen and it's as if you're
floating - an incredible feeling. It's only the digital speedo's numbers
flickering furiously upwards like a stopwatch and Monza's lush green trees
whizzing by you that give you any true sense of speed.
That said, due to the limitations of Monza's straights, the biggest number I saw was 288 km/h (179 mph) before having to brake for (and almost missing, as I was watching the speedo for too long) the tight, first-gear chicane at the end of the start/finish straight.
But what is certain is that the MV engine is a diamond of a thing and its spread of power from low revs to the 13,000-rpm redline impressive. But it does have a few rough edges. The fuelling at low rpm isn't great, and trying to accelerate smoothly out of the first-gear chicane, especially on a damp track in our first session on the bike was a tricky, jerky affair. The gearbox is quite harsh and slow, too, causing crashing through the gears and missing them completely if you're too quick with the lever. On some down changes false neutrals appeared, one notable time braking from sixth to third at the end of the fast straight that leads to the fast Parabolica corner - an early morning eye-opener if there ever was one.
I rode three different R312s and some had better or worse fuelling and gearboxes than others. Some testers had the same problems as me and some didn't - let's hope the set-up of the production models will be more consistent.
Going through corners has always been one of the F4's trump cards. All these MVs have a thoroughbred racebike-feel to them. They're cramped, stiffly sprung and are definitely more suited to the track as they're uncomfortable to ride at slow speeds, but they do get better and better the harder you push them. At a track they're really in their element, as that fastest lap at Masterbike on the F4 1000R proves.
But here at Monza all was not well with the R312 simply because of the way it had been set-up. During our first session the suspension was softened right off and the pressures in the Pirelli Super Corsa tires dropped to cope with the cold, damp track. On these settings the MV gave me a fair amount of confidence to go quickly. But for our second session on a dry track the settings were the left the same and the MV wobbled and weaved in the high-speed corners and needed a Herculean effort to steer through the chicanes - it was like riding on flat tires, which in effect is what I was almost doing.
For our third and final session the handling was dramatically improved with stiffer settings and more tire pressure, but this set-up still didn't give the MV the high-speed stability it needed around this monster track, or the ability to turn anywhere near fast enough, which is a shame because I know the bike can handle a lot better. With the confidence to take the F4 R312 by the horns and with that epic motor powering me along the straights the experience could've been electric, instead it was disappointing.
That aside, the F4 R312 is still a gem of a bike. The finish and quality of the components is exquisite, the power of the radial Brembos is phenomenal and the Pirelli Super Corsa tires in a class of their own. But as loin-stirring as it is, the F4 is starting to show its age. Because it doesn't have any of the special magnesium or carbon bits of the various F4 specials over the years, it's a heavy old thing - a whopping 26 kg (57 lbs) more than a K6 GSX-R1000. And beautiful as the design is, it's been around unchanged now since the launch of the first F4 750 eight years ago. It makes less sense on the road, too, as the low-speed fuelling will be a pain around town and the cramped riding position a pain everywhere else.
For the ultimate track buzz the F4 R312 could prove to be the class of the 1000cc sportbike field, provided you have the bike set-up well, and you've got the bottle to expose your beautiful £15K machine to a testosterone-filled trackday. But back in the real world a Blade, R1, GSX-R1000, ZX-10R or even a GSX-R750 will be every bit as good, easier to live with and above all much, much cheaper.
Source MotorcycleUSA con
Make Model | MV Agusta F4-R 312 / F4 1000R 312 |
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Year | 2007 - 08 |
Displacement | 998 cc / 60.9 cu-in |
Bore X Stroke | 76 x 55 mm |
Cooling System | Liquid cooled |
Compression | 13.0:1 |
Induction | Weber Marelli 1,6 M ignition - injection integrated system |
Ignition | Weber Marelli 5SM ignition |
Starting | Electric |
Max Power | 134 kW / 183 hp @ 12400 rpm |
Max Torque | 115 Nm / 84.8 lb-ft @ 10000 rpm |
Clutch | Wet, multiple discs, cable operated |
Transmission | 6 Speed |
Final Drive | Chain |
Gear Ratio | 1st Speed 13/38 126,5 Km/h (78.5 mph) at 13000 rpm 2nd Speed 16/34 174,1 Km/h (108.1 mph) at 13000 pm 3rd Speed 18/32 208,1 Km/h (129.2 mph) at 13000 rpm 4th Speed 20/30 246,6 Km/h (153.1 mph) at 13000 rpm 5th Speed 22/29 280,6 Km/h (174.2 mph) at 13000 rpm 6th Speed 21/25 Over 300 Km/h (186.0 mph) at 13000 rpm |
Final Velocity Ratio | 15x40 |
Frame | CrMo steel tubular trellis |
Front Suspension | 50mm Marzocchi forks |
Front Wheel Travel | 130 mm / 5.1 in |
Rear Suspension | Progressive, single shock absorber with rebound and compression High speed / Low speed damping and spring preload hydraulic control. |
Rear Wheel Travel | 120 mm / 4.7 in |
Front Brakes | 2x 310mm discs 4 piston calipers |
Rear Brakes | Single 210mm disc 4 piston caliper |
Front Tire | 120/70 ZR17 |
Rear Tire | 180/55 ZR17 |
Trail | 104 mm / 4.1 in |
Dimensions | Length 2007 mm / 79.0 in Width 685 mm / 26.9 in |
Wheelbase | 1408 mm / 55.4 in |
Seat Height | 810 mm / 31.8 in |
Ground Clearance | 130 mm / 5.1 in |
Dry Weight | 192 kg / 423 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | 21 Liters / 5.5 US gal |
Top Speed | 312 km/h / 194 mp/h |