Came across this in a cafe of all places on a shelf in the middle of Inverness, lovely condition but the roads around here are made for it
Lot of money to have sitting on a shelf, but I guess I'm not really eligible to comment. Only 300 of those made (750cc). Mint ones now fetching good money.
Frig. Hit a bit of a nerve there. Whilst I haven't ridden the 750 Senna and therefore am not qualified to respond, I can say that its later brother in the F4 1000 series is very similar both geometrically and ergonomically. Because the MV has adjustable footpegs, I have been able to set mine to replicate the Blade's riding position, despite the handlebar width being slightly narrower. The MV is not as punchy in the lower revs as the Honda, but its handling (for me) is clearly equal or a tad better in directional change. I have had suspension tuning done on my F4 so I know the bike is set to optimum. Further, the F4 1000R having Marchesini forged wheels, unlike the Senna 750, might also give it a slight handling edge. Rider evaluations though, are generally subjective. What is a good ride for one, is not necessarily so for another. Still, I would urge anyone wanting a reasonably priced 'relic' to complement their man cave to consider one of these.
Mate of mine lusted after one for years, eventually bought one. He hated it, said it was the most uncomfortable bike he'd ever ridden He persevered for several months but just could not get on with it so changed it for an R1
No denying the MVs are cramped and seem to be made with the 5'6" Italian in mind. I've never even sat on an R1. Are they 'roomier than a Blade? I do recall the seat height being a few mm higher.
Having had an older R1 (2003) it wasn't that much different to a blade, the new R1 however has much lower bars compared to the seat height, which really puts you over the front wheel, compared to the blade. The main issue my mate had with the MV was that although it was completely stock, it wasn't just cramped but the seat was like a plank and the suspension very very firm, he could have thrown some money at it and rectified those problems, but he had come from an 05 blade and just could not gel with MV
Pretty much yes, however I tried it and I thought it was shit, I had a 1299 Panagali for a couple of hours and thought that was shit as well, but each to his own
Just to quantify shit, compared to a blade I would certainly not want to commute on one everyday, not as quick and dosent handle as well. So granted either of the above might make a fun track bike, but for real world every day use compared to a blade they are shit. Just my opinion of course
A very interesting interchange this has become, and I follow up with agreement with 'each to his own' a phrase I regularly use in 'friendly debates'. This brings about (in my view) an important consideration: Whilst we are evaluating bikes on their ability as a commuter, are we being fair to the respective marques by under-scoring them in this class? All three (MV, Blade and R1) are marketed to the 'sports' enthusiast and each bike rates well in that arena. I just wonder if we are being fair to label a sports bike 'shit' (no matter what the make of machine) because it doesn't commute well. I feel this is akin to saying that an Africa twin (or similar) is a shit 'twisties' bike. To echo @Gaffa22 's point, I certainly wouldn't want to commute on an MV every day either, but in contrast, we do have regular Blade commuters on here, one being the almost forgotten @dainesefreak . There could be a more vivid example of 'to each his own'.
I commute on my blade and tour occasionally and go on track, I also have a touring bike and have just ordered a new Yamaha MT 10 SP. But agreed Nigel I am probably being a bit harsh on the MV. but as I do commute on a supersorts bike I stand by my opinion, The blade can do everything I want and do it well, but in my opinion the MVF4 or Panagali 1299 cant So lets just say the MV and Ducati are not shit they are beautiful bikes but they are not as good at most things compared to a blade.
well it was constructive in the end and no one took offence so no harm done. The world would be a pretty boring place if we all liked and had the same things
