Single test: MV Agusta F3 800

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MV Agusta F3 800 in the driving report

More displacement, power and torque with the same handiness?

The MV Agusta F3 receives reinforcements. Started as a 675 in compliance with the Supersport regulations, it now has the F3 800 aside. More displacement, more power, more torque with the same maneuverability is the MV formula for increased driving pleasure.

D.the step was only logical. After MV equipped the Brutale series with 800 three-cylinder engines, the F3 super sports car is now getting a displacement update. How logical, explains platform manager Brian Gillen in the Misano pit lane: The three-cylinder models are currently the most successful models of MV and the 800 series no new design, rather it was developed together with the 675 triple. One engine, two displacement variants. Only the crankshaft with longer stroke, connecting rods and pistons differentiate the 675 from the 800. The rest of the mechanics are absolutely identical to the titanium valves up to the cylinder head. Reverse rotating crankshaft and cassette gear included. That saves a lot of components and (development) costs. Wait, the 800 series got an anti-hopping clutch, even if it doesn’t fit into any racing class. After all, she’s also an athlete through and through.

MV Agusta F3 800 in the driving report

More displacement, power and torque with the same handiness?

MV promised 148 hp

It therefore resembles the electronics (four different mappings, ride-by-wire, eight-level traction control) and, above all, the exterior of the F3 675 like one egg to another. Even the basic chassis data are identical. The same easy-to-handle geometry with a short wheelbase of 1380 millimeters, just 99 millimeters of caster and a 66-degree steep steering head. Even the weight should be identical to 173 kilos dry. And that with a full increase in power and torque. MV promises 148 hp, 20 more than the 675. In the middle speed range it should even be up to 30, enthuses Gillen. Tempting prospects! Well, we don’t dwell on long prefaces, but jump straight onto the track. Take a seat, click in, the seating position on the compact, petite F3 is great.

MV Agusta F3 800 even grabs the tricky corners

Even when carefully rolling in, the 800 tensions the muscles in the lower half of the speed. No comparison to the rather weak start of the 675. And the throttle response is surprisingly inconspicuous in this area. But we’re not here to cruise. The Pirelli Supercorsa SC1 (series: Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa) assembled for this performance are splendidly preheated, the sun heats the asphalt, fire is free. The Misano course is peppered with a few tricky corners, but the 800 also demystifies the supposedly tricky corners, which often call for late bending, with feather-light handling, highly precise turning, always open to course corrections. This playful, superb maneuverability also characterizes the “big” F3. The damping adjustment of the fork has been revised a bit, only the preload and the action of the clicks on the compression stage changed on the shock absorber.

Trust in the front wheel is particularly important here, where you have to brake often and far into the corners at an incline, the fork provides the necessary clear feedback. The shock absorber, however, is still too soft in the basic setting and allows some movement at the rear. A little more preload, the pressure stage closed to half a turn, and there is calm on board. And if the short, hard bumps in the roadway penetrated the driver a little hard at first, the Sachs shock absorber even better absorbs them. The three-cylinder pushes out of the curves powerfully, refraining from vicious outbursts of temper like the 675 has. Incidentally, the 800 does not have its variable intake funnels. But that can still come.

Clear progress in ride-by-wire

11 Pictures

Pictures: MV Agusta F3 800 in the driving report

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In "Normal" instead of the more aggressive "Sport" mode, the throttle response is even more gentle, without the engine becoming sluggish. The eight-stage traction control, which still works without the speed comparison of the front and rear wheels, is also unobtrusive. From level three there were short slides. It doesn’t work as confidently and comprehensibly as the systems from BMW, Ducati, Aprilia or Kawasaki. It does not provide an optical signal in the cockpit that signals its intervention. A case for the next facelift.

The need to save went too far for the chassis

However, the technicians should pay a little more attention to the bony switch box. On some test machines, fourth gear could only be engaged with follow-up despite the automatic gearshift. And with the chassis, the need to save went a little too far. Because when accelerating out, the F3, upright on the handlebars, was able to wedge quite hard with the handlebars. A steering damper is not found on the machine, but only in the accessories catalog. However, it should definitely be part of the basic equipment so that no shadow tarnishes the great chassis performance. Because even when braking, the F3 cuts a fine figure thanks to its gripping, finely adjustable monoblock brake booms and a slippery clutch. During sharp take-offs, there was still a tendency to chatter, but the clutch keeps the stern neatly on course when anchoring hard. Only those who want an ABS have to be patient until 2014.

In any case, the concept, more than enough power combined with a feather-light 600 handling, is a powerful one. Recommended for imitation!

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facts and figures

MV Agusta

A picture of an athlete, especially when he has taken off his street regalia.

engine
Water-cooled three-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, a balance shaft, two overhead, chain-driven camshafts, four valves per cylinder, bucket tappets, wet sump lubrication, injection, regulated catalytic converter, 350 W alternator, 12 V / 9 Ah battery, hydraulically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, six-speed gearbox, O -Ring chain, secondary gear ratio 39:17.
Bore x stroke: 79.0 x 54.3 mm
Displacement: 798 cm³
Compression ratio: 13.3: 1
Rated output: 108.8 kW (148 hp) at 13,000 rpm
Max. Torque: 88 Nm at 10600 rpm

landing gear
Steel tubular frame, load-bearing motor, upside-down fork, Ø 43 mm, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, single-sided swing arm made of aluminum, central spring strut with lever system, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, double disc brake at the front, Ø 320 mm, four-piston Fixed calipers, rear disc brake, Ø 220 mm, two-piston fixed caliper, traction control.
Cast aluminum wheels: 3.50 x 17; 5.50 x 17
Tires: 120/70 ZR 17; 180/55 ZR 17

Dimensions + weights
Wheelbase 1380 mm, steering head angle 66.0 degrees, caster 99 mm, suspension travel f / h 125/123 mm, seat height 805 mm, dry weight 173 kg, tank capacity 16.5 liters.
Guarantee: two years
Colors: red / silver, white / black, black metallic #
Price: 13,990 euros
Additional costs: 275 euros

Interview with Giovanni Castiglioni

MV Agusta

Giovanni Castiglioni is the president and sole owner of the MV Agusta brand.

Let’s start right away with the critical issues: In the industry it is said that MV Agusta is negotiating with a Russian investor. Is that correct?

Castiglioni: (Laughs). I know the rumors. It is said that I am young, that I do not feel like working for the company and that I would rather lead a full life. The truth is, I’ve had around 30 inquiries from funds and individuals lately, including one of Russia’s notorious oligarchs. But I’m not interested, I don’t sell, not to a Russian, not to Mercedes – to anyone. I enjoy running the company, and why should I sell it now that it is worth three times what it was a short time ago and is still looking up? I’m not stupid.

Another rumor: It is also said that MV would not earn anything at the F3 and would therefore soon be damp. What’s up there?

Castiglioni: Nothing either. I know a few of our competitors say so, but we have the same profit margin on the F3 as we do on the F4. We have never sold a motorcycle for ourselves with no margin at all, why should we? Sometimes it would be better if people took care of their own companies than cracking their mouths at others … And we’re not clammy either. Of course, the financial situation is not always easy: We are growing enormously. While two years ago we only built 200 motorcycles a month, it is now up to 800. You have to advance the money for the components, and you have to juggle a bit. But it’s going really well for us.

What does that mean in numbers?

Castiglioni: Two years ago we built 2,000 motorcycles a year, last year 81 percent more, and by the end of this year it will be close to 8,000. Our goal is an annual production of 12,000 motorcycles; we have a five-year plan and so we have three years to go about it. I think we can do this sooner. We also hired people: at the beginning of the restructuring it was 160, now it’s again 230. And customers like our new motorcycles: in Germany alone, our registration numbers have doubled. To this end, we have set up 91 new dealers worldwide in the last six months. MV Agusta is popular with them because our range has become much more interesting.

The range will be expanded even further?

Castiglioni: Sure. Our athlete and naked series are now complete, we offer everything from the 600 to the 1000. The rival comes in autumn, our first Motard. There will be three new motorcycles at the trade fair in Milan in November, and we will open up another segment. Before you ask: I won’t tell you which one. 

You have just presented the F3 800, which with its 800 cm³ is not suitable for any racing category. Or do you know more than we do and there are changes to the supersport regulations coming up? 

Castiglioni: No, as far as I know, nothing will be changed. Racing does not play a role for this machine, it is intended for normal customers. For many, the modern 1000 athletes with their brute performance are simply too much, whereas a 600 does not offer them enough. We can close this gap with the F3 800, because we have built a light and thoughtless motorcycle that turns like a two-cylinder and has pressure like a four-cylinder.

 

Roberto Rolfo finished third in the Supersport World Championship with the F3 675 at the Silverstone race, the first podium for MV in 37 years. Are you going to invest more in racing now?
Castiglioni: We will continue to develop our supersport racer at full speed, third place was a great result. We’re still newbies, while the others have been there for ten or twelve years. Our goal for next year is the top five, this year we actually wanted to be content with the top ten. But of course better placements are always welcome! I would also like to enter the Superbike World Championship with the F4. It is not impossible that we will dare to do that in 2015.

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