2009 MV Agusta F4 RR 312 1078

If you don’t have 120,000 clams for MV Agusta's flagship F4CC but crave an exotic Italian sportbike, there's a very short list of solutions for your craving. You could go mainstream with the $21,000 Ducati 1098S, or you might stick with the admittedly more distinctive MV Agusta brand, which recently received a life transfusion when they were bought by Harley-Davidson.

The 2009 MV Agusta F4RR 312 1078 is a more affordable version of the six figure superbike. Estimated to be priced around $28,000, the 1078 features a 1,078cc inline-4 (like the F4CC) but without many of the F4CC tweaks. Also missing are the cosmetic carbon fiber bits that make the F4CC a gorgeous piece of machinery; plastic is incorporated throughout the 1078's bodywork, and unfortunately not all the body panels fit snugly.

Fire up the 1078 and you'll hear a great sounding roar from the organ pipe exhaust that's not quite as intoxicating as the F4CC, but pretty sweet nonetheless. Unlike its big brother's absolutely seamless power delivery, the 1078 lags a bit off the line. But hold the throttle and acceleration is breathtaking; 190 horsepower at 12,200 rpm can have that effect. Top speed is a scary 186 mph, but equally disconcerting is its dry weight of 423 lbs; the 1078 is heavy for an alleged thoroughbred.

Its 4-piston Brembo brakes are effective, but the 1078 also has serious drawbacks: the riding position is unforgiving, the engine isn't quite as smooth as it should be, and the heat from the underseat exhaust gets downright unbearable when the ambient temperature rises.

Nearly $30,000 is a lot to pay for a sportbike, and despite its premium the 1078 still has plenty of rough edges. The real question is whether Harley-Davidson, MV's new owners, can turn MV Agusta into a world class sportbike manufacturer.