My dream motorcycle

MV AGUSTA F4 1000

"I have all kinds of hobbies that make noise," Erik van Duin begins his story. "Not only do I think motorcycles are beautiful, but also good, solid music, for example. To be more specific, heavy metal. " In the 90s and 00s, that passion even led to the necessary success as lead guitarist and manager of the band Entropy, complete with record deals, CD recordings and performances in Europe.

This is how he met his wife Kathleen. "At the end of 2004, we were looking for a singer for the band and someone saw an advertisement Kathleen put out, but she lived far away. Still, I contacted her and there turned out to be a great click. It started with our mutual interest in music, but soon the conversations took a different turn. Within a few weeks, I knew enough. That tape could be stolen from me, that woman had to become mine. " Only a few months after their first meeting, the pair are standing in front of the altar. "And that for a man who always said he was not going to get married. I didn't really want children, but that also changed spontaneously. "

Italian icon

Just like Erik, Kathleen loved motorcycles and so it was perfect that he had an MV Agusta F4 750 from 2002. "Because I have been karting for years, motorcycling has slowed down a bit. So I started again around my thirtieth birthday. First of all, there was an Aprilia RS250, because I was completely in love with two-strokes. Still, I wanted to have more power at my disposal and three weeks later, that changed. I bought that MV Agusta F4 750. " The sustainability & business continuity planning manager at FedEx was immediately sold after seeing the first images of this Italian icon. "At that time, I was not very busy with motorcycles, but a friend of mine pointed me to the MV. You should check it out, he said. On Google I came across a promotional photo where the side view was shown. Those lines were and are incredible. "I was completely sold."

The same goes for Kathleen. Erik is head over heels in love with his fantastic wife and they experience a wonderful period together, in which the MV Agusta also plays a certain role. In this way, they discover together that the Italian beauty is not very fond of a swimming trip. "Purely my own mistake," Erik explains. "I crashed into a corner, after which the MV slid through and ended up in a ditch. Kathleen was on the back, but luckily we had hardly incurred anything ourselves. That did not apply to the engine. That was a total loss. "

Beautiful bike

And so there had to be a different engine for Erik and Kathleen. Quite a few test drives later, they eventually end up at MV again, the F4 1000 to be precise. "The Yamaha YZF-R1 was also a fun bike and the same was true for the Suzuki GSX-R1000 and Ducati 999. Still, something drew me back to MV Agusta. The experience is very different, the engine feels almost organic. Another would say that such a bike is less perfect, but the feeling is also very important to me. Plus, such an F4 is, of course, a beautiful bike. There is really no arguing about that. "

Reuniting with 'his' F4

Although Erik has an emotional connection with the MV Agusta F4 1000, he sold the bike in 2013. "It was difficult to sell it, but it is difficult to get stuck in the past. I had set my sights on MV's 1078 and for that I had to sell my blue one. " For a long time, the North Hollander has been separated from 'his' F4 1000, but last summer the blue/silver MV reappeared on the radar. Thanks to a search by his brother on Marktplaats.

"For some reason, he was looking for MVs and came across a blue/silver one. He asked if it was my old bike, but I immediately saw that it was not. However, I then received such a notification from Marktplaats, again an F4 with the same color scheme. This time it was hit. "Although he has some doubts, not much later, he takes the plunge and drives to Motor Centrum Eibergen to regain his great love. "I certainly wouldn't have bought it back if I didn't have a special bond with that bike.

The condition, however, was that it should still be in good condition. The second owner has been very careful with it, because it was still in exactly the same condition as when I sold it." After a few rides on the MV, there was only happiness, so this F4 has been included in the collection, despite the fact that Erik's love for the bike now has to be spread over no fewer than six Italian thoroughbreds. "Six is the maximum, because the garage is full now. So if something new is going to come along, then one will also have to leave. One thing I know for sure, the F4 1000 won't be it anyway."

"Those lines were and are incredible. I was immediately sold."

MV Agusta Owners Club Benelux

With four MV Agustas in the garage, it is not surprising that Erik van Duin has been a member of the MV Agusta Owners Club Benelux since 2006. "Although there is still a nice story attached to it," he recalls. "When I bought my first MV, the club was immediately promoted by the dealer. I tried to become a member, but each time it didn't work due to administrative problems. After a few tries, I just stopped. Until they approached me at the Motor Fair and at that moment I gave them one more chance to join me. " Although Erik does not really label himself as a club person, he has become the president of the club for three years. "When people ask for my help, it is difficult for me to say no." In the meantime, the club has grown considerably and there are now more than 150 members associated with the MV Agusta Owners Club Benelux. "It is, of course, nice that we are growing, but the main thing is that we are a fun club where fun events are organized. That is much more important than the number of members. " More information can be found at www.mvocb.nl.