MV Agusta F3 - Affordable Exotica

The F3 is a stylish and soulful Italian racer with cutting edge technology

When one thinks of evocative motorcycles, MV Agusta often comes to mind. With an illustrious 37 world championships under its belt and a well-earned reputation for making gorgeous machines, it is considered by many bikers to be the Ferrari of motorcycles (with all due respect to Ducati). This tradition continues with the striking new F3 - MV Agusta’s first foray into the middleweight super-sports segment.

Simply put, the F3 is the most technologically advanced middleweight bike at present, as it boasts multiple “digital” riding aids that include an eight-stage traction control system, four riding modes (Sport, Normal, Rain and Custom), electronic engine braking and a ride-by-wire throttle. Each riding mode differs in its drivetrain responsiveness, torque map and rpm limit. Fussier riders can fine-tune all of these parameters to their liking in Custom mode.

MV Agusta F3

The F3’s inline-3 is completely new, and it maintains MV Agusta’s reputation for producing emotive engines. Being the junior in the MV lineup, the F3 does without the radial valves and gear-driven cams employed in higher-end MVs. Instead, it goes with the more conventional chain-driven cams and a paired valve, keeping costs down. What the F3 does share with its bigger brothers is MV’s traditional steel trellis frame and aluminum alloy, single-sided swingarm.

What isn’t conventional on the F3 is its engine’s counter rotating crankshaft. This technology, previously used only in MotoGP racing bikes, counteracts the forward inertia of the wheels to provide quicker steering and greater stability into corners. The engine also has the smallest dimensions in the super-sports category, which make the F3’s diminutive size possible. It’s big on power, by the way, with a benchmark-setting l28bhp at nearly 15,000rpm.

Hop onto the F3, and you’ll immediately notice how compact it is. With a short wheelbase of just 1380mm and a low reach to the bars, the F3 feels more like a 250cc two-stroke runabout. Moving off requires a little effort as the biting point of the clutch can be tricky to catch and the fuelling at low revs is less than perfect, but once on the move, these quirks quickly disappear.

With a short wheelbase of just 1380mm and a low reach to the bars, the F3 feels more like a 250cc two-stroke runabout.

The first thing that strikes me is how utterly amazing the bike sounds. MV engineers said they spent a lot of time perfecting the F3’s exhaust note and they’ve succeeded - it’s possibly the best-sounding motorcycle I’ve ever ridden, with a raspy, throaty growl that’s in harmony with a hair-raising, high-pitched wail. I cannot help but glance down every so often at the lovely, triple-pipe exhaust system to double-check that it isn’t a “track day” item in disguise.

You need to keep the revs high in order to experience this MV “music”, as the engine lacks grunt below 7000rpm and its mid-range isn’t beefy (torque is good, though). This is not a major fault, anyway, because middleweight bikes like this one aren’t known for tractability due to their smaller capacity. But with the F3, the more you work the engine, the more you’ll be rewarded. And given its intoxicating soundtrack, it’ll be hard not to explore the 15,000rpm redline regularly.

Darting through tarmac “twisties”, the F3 feels every inch a proper racing bike, thanks to its petite dimensions and amazing agility. A little nudge from the handlebars is all that’s needed to dive into turns on this little racer. And best of all, it’s incredibly stable in the middle of a corner and provides plenty of feel, proving that a short wheelbase doesn’t always mean nervous handling when you have a balanced, well- sorted chassis.

And best of all, it’s incredibly stable in the middle of a corner and provides plenty of feel

Braking duties are managed by Brembo radial callipers up in the front, and they provide immense stopping power. One- finger braking is enough to slow the bike down in most situations. The innovative crankshaft and electronically controlled engine braking do seem to help stabilize the bike as it enters a bend, especially at higher approach speeds.

The less-than-perfect fuelling (mentioned earlier) means the ride by wire throttle can get “fluffy” if you have the habit of blipping the throttle to match the engine revs when downshifting. This is a shame, really, because it takes some joy away from the F3’s racy chassis and razor sharp handling. MV Agusta says a revised ECU will be made available soon to resolve this niggling issue.

There is a reason why middleweight bikes never had traction control - they simply weren’t powerful enough for the rear wheel to lose traction. So, is an eight-stage traction control system really necessary for the F3? Yes, if you ride in the rain or on a racing circuit. As for the four riding modes, there isn’t really a big difference between them. If you ride an F3 every day, you would be better off leaving it in Sport mode and letting your right wrist control the degree of fun you want to enjoy.

There is no doubt that the F3 feels more at home on a private racetrack than on a public road. It is single-minded and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Despite this, the F3 surprises with its road manners, proving to be fairly easy (for a sports bike) to maneuver around town. Ride quality is excellent, too. Sure, the ride-by-wire throttle isn’t as responsive as that of the F3’s more established competitors, but none of them comes close to delivering such a pounding to the adrenaline glands like the F3 at full chat can.

The bike’s alluring combination of an exhilarating engine, exciting handling, abundant electronics and a glorious soundtrack is surely something to savor for anyone seeking a nice ride with real character. Furthermore, it’s one of the prettiest bikes out there, meaning there’s massive garage appeal. And being the “baby” of the MV Agusta family, the F3 is Italian exotica without an equally exotic price tag.

Well-made in Italy

Brembo-clamped brake discs

Brembo-clamped brake discs, and Marzocchi "upside-down" telescopic hydraulic fork

Triple chocolate tiramisu

Triple chocolate tiramisu

The opera sung by these pipes is absolutely delectable

F3... 2... 1... Go!

Sitting tight is critical - the F3 is even faster than the 430 Scuderia from zero to 100km/h

GP motor

Three 50mm throttle bodies, two fuel injectors per cylinder and a MotoGP-derived crankshaft for the 675cc F3

Curves plus verve

If Ferrari ever made a motorbike, it would probably look like this