2013 · Supersport · Buyer's Guide
195 Horses, Italian Fire
The 2013 F4 1000 runs the short-stroke inline-four shared with the F4R and F4RR: 998 cc, 195 hp arriving at 13,400 rpm, 81 lb-ft at 9,600. Underneath the bodywork sit a lighter crankshaft, forged steel conrods and ride-by-wire 50mm Mikuni throttle bodies. The tubular steel trellis frame is widened, the wheels are light, and both ends are fully adjustable. The rider-aid package covers optional ABS, traction control, ride modes and wheelie control, backed by a an EAS upshift quickshifter plus a slipper clutch. Four exhaust outlets exit under the tail. This is a superbike built to be looked at as hard as it is ridden.
Ridden with intent, it makes sense within a mile. The chassis stays composed as the pace climbs, and it holds lean angle further than most riders will ever ask. That makes it a machine for someone with skill and somewhere to use it: a clear canyon road, or a track day on decent rubber. It gives back exactly as much as you commit. The honest caveat is ownership. An MV wants attention, care, and a wallet that doesn't flinch at Italian parts, and none of that is offset by the sensible things this bike doesn't do. Buy it because you want this one specifically.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 195 hp (143 kW) @ 13,400 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 81 lb-ft (110 Nm) @ 9,600 rpm |
| Displacement | 998 cc |
| Engine | Inline-four |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Front tire | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 200/55-17 |
| Seat height | 32.7 in (830 mm) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.5 gal (17 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Drivetrain
Safety
Sit on it and the spec sheet stops mattering for a moment. The seat is 32.7 inches up and narrow, the bars are low and a long way forward, and your wrists carry real weight whenever the bike isn't moving. Then you start it. The four outlets under the tail put the noise behind your hips instead of out in front, which is an odd and genuinely addictive place for it to come from. Down low the engine feels busy and mechanical, never smooth in the appliance sense, and you feel that through the tank and the pegs. Wind it out and intake and exhaust stack on top of each other until the sound is the main event of the ride. At real road pace the bike sits tight and alert under you, reporting what the tires are doing rather than shouting about it.
This section isn't my own riding impression. It's what I've picked up over years of listening: paddock talk at track days, conversations with owners at bike nights, and the messages riders send me directly about the bikes they live with. On the 2013 F4 1000, the chatter splits cleanly. Riders love the way it looks and the way it screams, and they get frustrated with how it behaves when they aren't asking everything of it.
Two things come up in nearly every conversation: the top-end rush and the shape of the thing. Riders describe the last stretch of the rev range as a searing pull with a howl attached, and they talk about the bodywork, the single-sided swingarm and the tail as sculpture they happen to own. Cornering and braking draw steady praise too. Owners say the bike gives them confidence to commit and stopping power with real feel behind it. The electronics get credit as well, though usually as a supporting note rather than the headline.
The most common gripe is the power delivery below the fireworks. Riders report flat spots through the mid-range and a throttle that doesn't always answer the way they expect, which makes smooth riding work. Parts availability is the other recurring theme: owners describe long waits and thin dealer support when something goes wrong. Add a riding position most call cramped after an hour, plus a bike that several riders say feels heavy when they're hauling it down from speed.
No widely-reported issues on record.
Where this MV Agusta F4 1000 pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the F4 1000 is actually built for.
Angeles Crest on a clear morning is exactly the argument for this bike. The stretch of LA traffic to get there is the tax you pay, and on a machine this focused it is a real one.
Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur
A closed circuit is where this bike finally gets room to use its top end and its lean angle. Bring good tires and be honest about your pace; it pays out on commitment and gives back little to half-effort.
Made for Barber Motorsports Park · WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca · Circuit of the Americas
On the Dragon and Cherohala this is more engine than the corners ever ask for, since the good stuff sits above the speeds you want there. Brilliant on the run down, deliberate work once it tightens up.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2010–2011
Italian Fire, Maximum Lean
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this MV Agusta F4 1000. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Successor · 2016–2019
Racing Soul, Hand-Built Reality
Competitor · 2012–2014
Italian Art That Bites
Roughly $2,800 pricier used than this bike at 13 yr
Competitor · 2009–2018
The Top-End That Won't Quit
Roughly $1,000 pricier used than this bike at 13 yr
Same Platform · 2014–2019
Screaming Four, Demanding Everything