Your Own Pet Shark: 2009 MV Agusta F4 1078 RR 312 for Sale

Given how few F4’s have actually been built, they’re over-represented on eBay. They’re the kind of motorcycle that people buy as investments or just to admire, then sell without putting many miles on them. And it’s easy to see why: they’re gorgeous but uncomfortable, uncompromising, and basically terrifying. Most reviews talk about the fact that they require real commitment to obtain the best performance.

They’re basically the opposite of something like the GSX-R1000, which is basically the friendly Labrador Retriever of literbikes. The 312RR, on the other hand, was one of the great-white-shark-iest version of an already terrifying bike…

Originally introduced in 750cc form and sporting perhaps the most beautiful sportbike bodywork of the last 20 years, performance from the radial-valved four cylinder was a bit underwhelming compared to bikes half the cost. So when MV started building their F4 1000, they decided to erase all doubts and no such criticisms regarding power are leveled at the bigger version.

Displacing, surprise, surprise, exactly 1078cc’s, the 1078 312RR was introduced in 2008 and produced until 2009. The RR’s displacement bump meant the bike was ineligible for any racing series, but was anyone actually racing the 998cc version anyway? The “312” was also a bit of truth-in-advertising and referred to “KPH.” As in “approximately 194mph.”

With a claimed 190hp and no traction aids other than a slipper clutch, no one is likely to call the RR underpowered… Yes, of course you can have similar performance for many thousands yes, but anyone saying that is really missing the point here. A GSX-R1000 with tons of mods thrown at it to get it to 190hp is still just a tool. A very, very fast tool, but still just a tool. This is art.

And, like much functional art, the F4 1000 tends to get displayed as much as ridden. As the seller freely admits, people buy these as aspirational objects of lust, since pushing a bike like this to the limit takes guts, skill, and deep pockets if you happen to take things a little bit too far…

From the original eBay listing: 2009 MV Agusta F4 1078 RR 312

2009 F4 that I purchased new from Pro Italia in Glendale CA  . As you see from the 2881 miles on the odometer that I spent more time waxing than riding.

Long list of mods and upgrades include:

BST carbon fiber wheels

Motocorse full titanium exhaust ($6K)

Fast by Ferracci ECU

FBF clipons

Brembo RCS master cylinders

Extensive use of carbon fiber throughout

Extensive use of titanium fasteners including the wheel nuts, suspension pivots, and motor mounts

Extensive use of ano and powder paint

Shori LiFe battery

DID 520 chain kit

Study the pics and you will see that no bolt was left unturned !

Included is the factory red stand, battery charger, and all the papers and manuals.  Thanks for looking !!

The first two pictures were taken when prototyping the Luimoto seat about two years ago. The rest are current photos that show the powder coated engine cases, triple clamp, and clipons.

I love these, and more common F4 1000’s go for sometimes shockingly low prices. Getting parts can be a pain: my buddy waited months for a clutch to ship from Italy for his Brutale because the factory had supposedly shut down for summer holidays… But the detailing on these is incredible, and I’d assume you have a nice GSX-R lying around to ride while you’re waiting for those parts, those beautiful, finely-crafted parts to arrive in the mail…

Those BST carbon fiber wheels are especially tasty, although I prefer the company’s five-spoke model to these, and the rest of the motorsport bling on this bike is of similarly high quality. That’s actually one of the best thing about shopping for Italian exotica: many owners have babied the hell out of them and festooned them with the best bits money can buy.

With a $14,000 Buy It Now price, it’s hard to argue that you’re getting a serious piece of exotica for the price of a brand new GSX-R1000. Just be careful you don’t get bitten.

-tad