More power, less weight; that is the mantra that motorcycle and car manufacturers swear by, and it is nowhere as apparent as it is with sports bikes. With a sports car, the whole of the machine don’t have to be wedged between your thighs and so manufacturers can afford to take some liberties here and there when it comes to weight saving. But with motorcycles, it still has to be powerful while being manageable and maneuverable enough to deliver the best lap times possible on two wheels. This is why manufacturers and specialized tuning firms will go to extreme measures, employing forged cylinders, carbon-fibre body panels, and space-age lightweight metals to keep the weight down while delivering enough power.
Case in point, the new for 2015 MV Agusta F4.
Our friends over at Motoblog.it has snagged parts of an official MV Agusta presentation for select journalists, where it is revealed that the new F4 will put out a max. power of 210 hp (213 PS), and weigh just 175 kgs. That gives it a power-to-weight ratio of 1.2hp/kg, which is the highest we can recall of any production motorcycle right now. For comparison, the other top-dog in this category, the 2015 BMW S1000RR makes just 199hp and weighs 204 kg, fully fuelled.
Now, for the record, the 2015 model weighs a full 8% less than the current F4 RR, which suggests that the quoted figure of 175 kg might be dry-weight and not kerb weight.
So how do you eke out even more power from an engine that has already been tuned to within an inch of its life, with the result being the current fastest production bike in the world, the F4 R 312? Yes, the ‘312’ suffix stands for the verified top speed of 312 kmph.
Simple, you swap the internals with new cylinder heads, crankshaft, camshaft, with lighter pistons and titanium connecting rods. A high-performance engine needs to breathe properly, and that is taken care of by a new Termignoni exhaust system. It also needs proper suspension to put all that 210 horsepower down to the road, so that task has been entrusted to Öhlins at both ends.
And, just in case even these high-spec components don’t tickle your fancy, MV Agusta will be offering a full race kit comprising a full titanium exhaust and even more lightweight body panels. The kit is modeled on the WSBK version of the MV Agusta, so you can be guaranteed this is as track worthy a bike as money can buy.
Between this, and the 2015 Ducati 1299 Panigale, we just can’t decide whom to put down the rest of our life savings on for next year.
Source: Motoblog.it