MV Agusta F4S 2000

When news filtered out a few years ago that the MV Agusta brand was pencilled in for relaunch under the auspices of the good folk at Cagiva, there were more than a few cynics ready to claim it'll never happen.

And they had fair reason. After all, the course of both true love and Italian motorcycle production have never run smoothly. Look no further than the current Laverda, situation which has seen financier George Soros threatening to buy it for so long that the company is well past the al dente stage. In his defence, Garrulous George might have bigger problems since he lost billions of $US in the dot.com market crash, but the truth is there have been hundreds of stories over the years to send a nervy jitter through any Latin bike analyst's system.

Then there would have been those prepared to offer that the resultant bike would simply be a means to cash in on the legendary MV name. A name, for those interested in history, that took Giacomo Agostini to 13 of his 15 world championships. The fear was that the bike just wouldn't be able to reflect all that - a simple revenue-generating exercise they might suggest.

But you can forget all that. After a day sampling the F4S in the Gold Coast hinterland at the invitation of Australian importer The Paul Feeney Group, I can report that this bike not only scrubs up to the marque's hallowed history but will in fact enhance it. Big call? Yep, but let me substantiate it.

It all started for me as soon as I laid eyes upon it. I'd seen all the photos, but, until you are face to fairing with the F4, you don't really know it. It's like talking to a beautiful girl on the phone while looking at her picture. It's not until you actually witness the sparkle in her eyes and the definite flicker of interest first-hand, that you realise that you may never be quite the same again.

This bike is alive. So much so that it has been given a place at the Guggenheim as part of an exhibition of the motorcycle as design icon. And this is just that - a design icon. It does for me just what the first Ducati 916 did in 1994. You remember the feeling – “it can't get any better than this” you muttered to yourself. Well, it has - both aesthetically and indeed on the road.

This thing is small. In fact it is a mere 1cm wider than Cagiva's Mito 125! The riding position is sporty - although more comfortable than a 916 - and does place a fair bit of weight on the wrists - surprise, surprise. The bike itself is probably not as fast as, let-s say, a new generation GSX-R750 or 'Blade, but the drawing power for the MV is not to be found in simple point-to-point mathematics. It is a bike that is simply more than the sum of its parts - and that's an achievement the Japanese continue to find ridiculously elusive.

Once in the pilot seat, there's not a lot on offer under 5000rpm from the 749cc in-line four, but things get decidedly interesting up around 9000 with that beautiful exhaust note flooding your senses and the super-slick gearbox snicking ratios as cleanly as a late-order English batsman tips 'em to first slip.

It's in the pointability category that the bike picks up Best-of-Breed honours. It feels as though corners can be entered at insane speeds and pushed through on the gas like no other. It loves a good line, but there is always the grip/sure-footedness/ground clearance and balance to stuff it in harder. At a claimed dry weight of 190kg the F4S is a long way from suffering anorexia, but it's not Porky Pig either. Once again, it's impossible to write poetry using numbers and the bike is as agile as the best of them.

Brakes are simply perfect. Six-piston Nissin calipers take hold of the brace of 310mm rotors with such precision that it's hard to see stopping improved and the Showa upside-down forks give the front a very planted feel. There's an Ohlins steering damper fitted latitudinally across the top triple clamp and, while it wouldn't be there if not required, the bow end of the motorcycle never seems to protest.

Now, how do you get one? Well, you better have $27,500 in your pocket and a fair degree of patience in your disposition. There are currently just 34 MVs on the road in Australia, with another 15 due now, and 30 more landing at the end of July. A total of 150 bikes will arrive before the end of the calendar year and they're all accounted for at retail level.

Don't let all that stop you. Like that girl on the phone, it's well worth the wait - and you may never be the same...