Difference between a 2001 and 2002

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Anyone out there know of the differences between a 2001 and 2002. My dealer has a 2001 that is priced about $1,500 cheaper than the 2002, but I wonder what I will be missing.

Also I am considering moving from a 2000 GSXR750. Any ideas on the performance difference between these 2 750's.

Thanks

-- scott krane (a56healey@yahoo.com), June 09, 2002

Answers

yep......GSX750 has more HP and weighs less.......therefore quicker in a straight line.....it can also get out of corners quicker too, which always give it quicker lap times as well.....but the MV is a joy to ride even if it is a touch heavy, or lacks a bit of go.......it handles so well, so sure footed......I wouldn't swap mine for a Gixer....never!!! You also have to weight up how confident a bike can make you feel......and the MV does that wonderfully well.......hence, you can push it very hard knowing it will hold on. {I'm comparing the GSXR to Evo 1 here........have yet to ride an Evo 2 MV}

Pete

-- Pete Hughes (hueyhuey@ozemail.com.au), June 10, 2002.


I dont think the question "which is best" is the point.I feel its about the passion for Italian style,its about being exclusive on an exotic.I to have a more powerful bike (zzr1100) which is a great great bike to ride but its the F4 that has my hart.I find most bikers if they could would have a F4 if they won the lottery.Why not buy a F4 first while you CAN!! then buy a GSXR as well if you can and you will see where your hart lies. And to put it another way an average modern sports car like an evo will easly top out at 150mph+ but a 1972 Ferrari Dino tops 120mph,i know which i would have and may be 99% of all other passonate people would.Take care .Chas

-- Charlie richards (charlietr8@netscapeonline.co.uk), June 10, 2002.

Pete/Chas,

Both your answers encompass exactly what I am thinking/feeling with these 2 bikes. I know that the straight line performance on the GSXR is hard to beat, and I understand the handling of the F4S is incredible. The biggest reason for considering the change is the styling and the fact that you don't see yourself coming and going. Thanks for the input, much appreciated.

Anyone know about the differences between 2001 and 2002.

Thanks Scott

-- scott krane (a56healey@yahoo.com), June 10, 2002.


Scott, the 2002 is supposed to have on the order of 7 HP more. I was aware of this when I bought my 2001, also for about a $1500 discount. I could really care less about the power. I keep saying this over and over, but I'll say it again. I ride an R1 as well, and power is over-rated. Granted, it helps quite a bit at a track day to get around some poser, but other than that, it's useless on the street. My 2001 has the perfect balance of power and handling. By accident almost, I do have the RG3 pipe and chip on it, which make it run much nicer.

The only thing that stuck in my mind that would be a good reason to buy a 2002 is refinement. I haven't heard too much talk about this but it would be nice if we had more. Allan Gibbs is eminently qualified to talk about this because he's had a 2000 and a 2002. It "feels" like there is a lot of refinement of these bikes going on under the covers, but I don't have a lot of proof for that. Oh yeah, the 2002 doesn't have the self retracting sidestand either.

All in all, I am not disappointed that I bought the 2001 at a $1500 discount. I don't think the chassis changed at all which is my biggest concern.

-- Andy Ruhl (quadreverb@yahoo.com), June 10, 2002.


Andy,

Thanks for your input. I appreciate where you are coming from. I don't attend track days for the most part and I am not sure that the power difference would effect me all that much either. The auto retractable side stand is not something that I would be too keen on, but I am sure that I could get used to it, or disable it.

Can you tell me more about the chip/exhaust upgrade. I read about this in some other threads and the improvement in performance below 5500RPM would interest me.

Thank, Scott

-- scott krane (a56healey@yahoo.com), June 10, 2002.



The performance from closed throttle may be slightly worse actually, but the bike runs much cleaner from slightly open throttle through the rev range for sure. It may add a bit of power, I don't know. It's not much noisier, but definitely a little more. It's a nice upgrade. Again, I wasn't looking for performance when I got it, I was looking for a smoother running bike, which I got.

My dealer installed an "anti retract" kit to my bike, but it requred him to take a dremel and take some material out of the fairing so the extra spring could clear. It's not super noticeable, but it's there. I'd rather have the mark on the fairing than the retracting sidestand for sure, but I'd rather not have either like the 2002!

As for your GSX-R, that's a tough call. My whole take on the MV is this. It's infinitely more special to ride than any other bike I can think of (that's reasonably affordable). This thing was created by a legendary designer (Tamburini) with a singular vision of what a bike should be, and I'm a huge fan of what he's done. The bike is not easy to compare to other bikes because on paper, it loses. While the Japanese factories compete to make the "best" bike for the street, they completely miss the element of what the MV has, which is attention to design of every last detail for the sake of function and aesthetics (and honestly, aesthetics is not high on my list of priorities in general, but it sure is nice when you have it). The handling of this bike is really, really good. Very, very confidence inspiring. I haven't done a track day on it yet (still kinda jittery about that), but I do ride it hard on the mountain road and I know I go much faster on it than my R1. I've ridden the GSX-R 1000, and I think it is probably a match for confidence inspiring feel, yet I don't think it's as exact feeling as the MV. You could ride the MV around on a strip of masking tape on the road and stick right to it. And thankfully, the Dragon Corsas that come on it are very good tires, so you don't have to spend money on tires right away either.

Ok, I've gone off on a tirade again. Point being, if you are trying to compare apples to apples, it's not a valid comparison. There has to be something about the MV that tickles your fancy in order to make it worth the time. Unfortunately, there are a lot of posers out there that only like it for the looks and if you mention Massimo Tamburini they say "huh?"... For me it's just a special bike made by people who are dedicated to what they do and how they do it, and I subscribe to their methods completely.

Ok, enough now! Go buy the bike and enjoy it.

-- Andy Ruhl (quadreverb@yahoo.com), June 10, 2002.


Scott, as others have said, the GSX-R has the edge on engine performance. Where the MV shines however, is in its rock-solid stability. I purchased a 2002 MV Agusta in February and have not been disappointed. The rock-solid stability is even better than that of my '94 ZX-7 (47,000 miles and still going strong), which is saying a lot as the ZX-7 has long been considered one of the most solid handling motorcycles, primarily due to its weight, for quite some time.

I also heard that there was supposed to be a 7hp advantage with the 2002 model vs a 2001 model MV. I am not quite sure if this is the case though as I dyno tested the motorcycle at a local motorcycle shop and it pushed 108hp at the rear wheel which is what I have read is about what others have been getting on their pre-2002 MVs.

All in all, this is a motorcycle that you will most likely keep forever as its appearance is timeless. The way it makes you feel when both seeing it and riding it justifies the price tag and will keep you smiling for quite some time. Good luck with your decision.

-- Pete (pistonpete@hotmail.com), June 10, 2002.


"If I'm going to risk my life, it's going to be for something I'm really passionate about" -Allan Gibbs said shortly after a 1/28/02 accident

Hello. That's basically my attitute now after the accident that totaled my 2000 MV. After the accident, I had considered a demo 998 (only because of the low price), a 2003 R1, and the new VFR. However, I decided that....well, the quote basically says it all.

In regards to the 2000 - 2002 MV Agusta. The 2000 model made 124 crank horsepower, the 2001 made 127 crank, and the 2002 makes 135hp. The 2002 comes with a tank protector built-in and a non-retractable side stand. I believe the Senna and SPR are 145 and a few pounds lighter.

I can't speak for the 2001 model, but, until I got use to my 2002, it felt signifigantly stronger at the lower rpm. I'm almost finished with the break in, so I haven't got the chance to push it to redline yet. The biggest difference between a 2000 and the 2002 is that the lower rpm on the 2000 was HORRIBLE, but on the 2002, it's almost unnoticeable. Second, the reliability of the 2000 was terrible. I've sufferred everything from oil leaks, fluffy rpms, broken side stand, strong smell of fuel, melting platic, occassional clunk for the transission while driving (I don't know what it was), excessive vibrations on the handlebars, and stalling problems (falling past idle). In contrast, the 2002 had run flawlessly. With 1,000 miles, I've had no problems to date. When it gets hot there's a whistling nose from the fuel tank, but I believe that's what it's suppose to do to release the pressure. The powerband is much smoother than the 2000, although I imagine the Japanese 4s will still have a better pull under 5,000 rpm.

I'm not sure what to tell you about taking the 2001 vs. the 2002. Between the two, I'm not sure if the differences is worth the $1,500. Although, with each year, Cagiva gets to work out the bugs. The 2000 model (first year) was infested with bugs. If it was a used 2000 or even a left over 2000, andI think Britialia motors has one going for $18,000 :), I'd say walk away from it. One think to consider is that the 2003 MVs may be coming in a few months, so you may be able to get more of a discount for the 2001 or on service when you're negotiating. However, I'm not sure if the MV factory is still producing MVs. There was a shut down a few months ago, and I'm not sure what's happened.

Either or, both will be great bikes.

-- Allan Gibbs (Agibbs996@aol.com), June 11, 2002.


Pete,

Thanks for the insight. It sounds like the handling is pretty awsome.

Scott

-- scott (a56healey@yahoo.com), June 11, 2002.


Andy !!!! Get your MV on a trackday man........it's awsome on the track..... the front end is excellent, the brakes feel better on the track than the road...work them hard and they get better....the gearbox is perfect.....I went to Phillip Island, and I could lap quicker on the MV than i could on my old 748.....straight away !!! The bike inspires confidence....I was getting blown away on the main straight by R1's etc, but it still pulled 255km by turn 1. The bike is heavy too, which meant it doesn't get of the apex as quick as GSXR's, R1's etc.....but it's so much fun to ride hard !!!! Get it out there........the bike is begging you.... Pete

-- Pete Hughes (hueyhuey@ozemail.com.au), June 17, 2002.


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