I've ridden other Italian bikes but MV seems to be a complete mystery to me. I'm having the following problems with my 2005 MV F4 1000 Monoposto.
1. The bike runs hot. Two minutes at a stoplight will see temps soar to 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In city/stop and go traffic the bike will cut out.
3. The throttle feels like an on/off switch (especially between 1000 to 5000 rpms which makes city driving scary.
4. I always smell like gas when I get off the bike. Gas or fumes seem to escape through the gas cap.
5. Hard to get tipped into a turn correctly. Slow turns are even worse- a nightmare.
6. Need advice to set up the suspension. I'm a very light guy, 135 pounds. I can't seem to feel the front end. I've changed the air pressure to 33 front, 36 back and I sit as close to the tank as possible but it becomes unbearable when the engine gets hot.
7. Brakes feel like wood.
8. Despite all of this the bike looks absolutely gorgeous which demoralizes me even more!
running hot? turn the fans on sooner and fix the timing/map and let the ECU do it
my Brutale was 103C/216F at a long light now the fans come on at 85C/185F and it will NOT go over 91C/195F period
it has a MicroTec M-226 from Chris (X81)
Adam (merc07) offers free software to change the chips in your 1.6M ECU
water pumps? both the Factory HO and the Design Corse use a new scroll and impeller
PM Carl (CAG)
and he has the real metal quick disconnects too, NOT the Chinese crap
are you sure its the cap leaking? remove the 3 screws and make sure the little seal is there
the leak is probably the plastic fuel line fittings solved by Carl above
You will struggle with any closed bike in city traffic, but more so on the F4. Have a read about all the possible mods and download the manuals Noel referred you to for suspension work.
How many miles have you done on the bike, or how many is on the bike over-all? Put some pictures up if you can.
As for the brakes, those Nissin's can be a bit crappy feeling if one or two of the pistons are seized up, but easy to service them and bleed in some new brake fluid.
Mate,welcome to the forum,that is one hell of a first post.Can I say you have bought a race bike with lights and yes they hate city traffic so there are many mods to make the bike deal with overheating,snatchy throttle etc.Just search the forum for info to make the bike more user friendly and ask for help to forum members to help on any issues,on the open road all of the above dissapears.
Welcome. you just bought one of the hardest bike to ride. a bike born for its race pedigree. not city traffic.
a Chinese electric scooter better suited for city traffic.
MV F4's will teach how to ride a true race bike, old school ways and in the process get your hands dirty.
Ride it as if you stole it.
Enjoy.
They all run hot while sitting still or moving slowly. Normal. See the plethora of threads in here regarding heat issues.
The throttle itself (on the bars) is a rather large diameter sheave for the cables and reacts, imho, too fast. The fix is to swap the whole deal for a different throttle with a smaller sheave. Like the Duc uses. You'll lose the "choke" but big deal. Just hold it open til it warms up. I've grafted different sheaves on different throttles and it isn't worth the trouble. Swap the whole thing.
I don't think the fuel smell on you is coming from the cap. There isn't enough opening in the umbrella valves to fully relieve the pressure let alone let that much vapor out. My bet is a too rich exhaust climbing up your back to due the low pressure right behind you.
I'm going to have to investigate the fuel smell a little more thoroughly. I used a small tank bag on the bike and when I took it off it smelled like gas and the top of the tank was covered in a film of gas. Not good!
I've ridden other Italian bikes but MV seems to be a complete mystery to me. I'm having the following problems with my 2005 MV F4 1000 Monoposto.
1. The bike runs hot. Two minutes at a stoplight will see temps soar to 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
Try purging the cooling system of air. Then its the third fan, manual override switch and water pump upgrade.
2. In city/stop and go traffic the bike will cut out.
Is the throttle position switch set correctly and the throttle bodies balanced? When were the sparkplus last changed?
3. The throttle feels like an on/off switch (especially between 1000 to 5000 rpms which makes city driving scary.
Adjust the throttle cables so that free play is at a minimum
4. I always smell like gas when I get off the bike. Gas or fumes seem to escape through the gas cap.
5. Hard to get tipped into a turn correctly. Slow turns are even worse- a nightmare.
see #6
6. Need advice to set up the suspension. I'm a very light guy, 135 pounds. I can't seem to feel the front end. I've changed the air pressure to 33 front, 36 back and I sit as close to the tank as possible but it becomes unbearable when the engine gets hot.
Get the manual and set the suspension to factory specs, especially the ride height, as a start point. Your weight, or lack thereof, will mean ther is some fine tuning required. What brand and size of tyres are fitted?
7. Brakes feel like wood.
What brand of pads are fitted? What condition are they in? Glazed or contaminated?
8. Despite all of this the bike looks absolutely gorgeous which demoralizes me even more!
It definitely wasn't an objective logical decision!
The brake pads look fine. As for the tires, I have Pirelli Diablo SuperCorsa. There's a 200 fitted to the back. I may drop to the next size to see if that helps the handling.
Regarding the fuel on your tank bag. The cap is the tank vent and has internals that regulate the release of +/- pressure in the tank. So vapors come out of it. I would imagine over a period of time the vapors that are sort of trapped under the tank bag would condense out and leave a trace of fuel on the bag. At least you know it's being vented.
I found that a little rubber piece was out of place between the top of the tank and the cap itself. I reseated the rubber piece back in the proper spot. Not sure what it does but we'll see if it makes a difference.
you will also notice the engine runs hotter if you are riding too low in the revs, I was out on my 750 Senna today in about 18C and the bike ran 69C all day. I may have broken the odd speed limit and revs were not often under 9k :yo:
turning can be solved with a decent set of tires. I noticed the same thing on my bike when I first purchased. It had the Pirelli's and later I switched th Michelin. Turns like a dream now. Also, if the back end it too low it doesn't like to turn. Overheating-like the guys said if you do a lot of city riding be prepared for heat. You can always remove the fairings, otherwise stay out on the back roads and interstate
I'm definitely starting with the tires before I start fiddling with the knobs. The dealer put a 200/55/17 rear on the back. I'm thinking of dropping a size when I change tires. Like you, I've concluded that it only makes sense to ride it on the interstate, back roads, or the track. City riding is not an option for me.
The little black rubber gismo sits at the top of the air vent which is a tube running from the fuel cap "chamber" to the outdoors under the tank through the base plate of the fuel pump. It is Teed into a common pipe with the overflow drain tube which runs the same route really only has a small opening at the top of the the fuel cap flange.
When fuel is used a vacuum is created in the tank which sucks that black gismo back a bit and alows air in. Remember 1 gallon of fuel used needs one gallon of breathable to replace it or else you get a vacuum and a crushed tank and impaired fuel flow.
If the tank is over pressurised ie it gets warm vapors will vent when the little black cap is pushed up.
anyway that's how I see it . If anybody else has any better observations I'm interested to hear : )
Here's what I had to to get the Senna in acceptable working order. I remember making the excuse that the MVs are race bikes with lights and I remember this forum ate me alive especially in an overheating thread that lasted for a good number of pages so it's kind of funny that comment is being used again in this thread but anyway I digress:
1. Replace your fans as the plastic blades will melt. Get the Muzzy aluminum fans. 40 bucks I think from Motovation (Site sponsor).
2. Engine ice helps.
3. Get the DesignCorse water pum (another site sponsor and excellent folks as well).
4. Get a Microtec ecu or the MV race ecu. The former is more recommended. I went with the MV race ecu because Microtec was not around at that time.
5. Get the TPS reset after ECU swap.
6. New tires. I am a huge BT 003RS fan. Bike feels SHARP. Also since I do a lot more street riding, the multi compound construction helps the tires last a bit. 7. And get your suspension set up. I think the stock suspension setting is too much for a person of your weight.
Yeah, just playing. Everyone has their favorite tire. I have always been a Michelin person. They seem to wear well and the grip is inspiring even in the rain
How's she running now? I picked up an 05 F4S that was owned by a forum member about the same time as you and am going/went through the same issues. I've gotten almost all my quibbles solved except for the tractor-like turning radius. I'll just have to live with that. I'm 140lbs and 5'9 and have gotten the suspension to where I no longer feel like Billy Eliot. Bike feels great now in the twisties and I can plant one heel down at lights, whilst the other halfway. lmk if you want my settings.
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