Who said the Supersport sector was dead? Whoever it was, it doesn’t sound like MV Agusta got the memo because they’ve just released this, the F3 RR. Alright, it might not be a Supersport bike in the true ‘Supersport 600’ sense of the word, with its 147bhp, 798cc engine, but they’re just minor details, aren’t they? Whatever you want to call it though, you have to admit the new winged wonder weapon is a thing of absolute beauty.
But apart from it’s stunning good looks, what makes the new MV Agusta F3 RR so bloody good? Well lots, according to the Italians.
Let’s start with the chassis, which has been fairly heavily redesigned. You’ve got more torsional and longitudinal rigidity thanks to some new frame plates and a bunch of new suspension settings. The rear wheel is 7% lighter than the old one too, which is always a bonus.
The Trepistoni engine’s been tinkered with too and been given new valve guides, tappets, titanium valves and main bearings. To make the most of the new engine, there’s a new exhaust system too. There’s new higher pressure injectors, new ECU firmware and a new dual-flow oil cooler.
Wheelies
Electronics-wise, they’ve had a bit of a breakthrough with the F3, by finally going down the 6-axis IMU route. It means the new bike’s got cornering ABS, better traction control, and will ‘control’ wheelies, rather than stopping them completely. Bonus. Everything can be controlled via the new 5.5” TFT dash, or on your smartphone, which can be connected to the aforementioned 5.5 incher. There’s a new bi-directional quickshifter, and you get cruise control and launch control as standard.
And you’ve probably already noticed the ‘aerodynamic elements’ (as MV have called them) from the photos of the new bike. The winglets, integrated into the forged carbon bodywork, are capable of producing a load of 8kg at 150mph. There are also air scoops on the mudguard which direct air to the radiator.
And if all that’s not enough, you can opt for the ‘race kit’ version, which comes with fancy machined fuel cap and levers, a single seat and a titanium Akrapovič exhaust. That all comes with a race ECU which bumps the standard 147bhp up to 155bhp and cuts the weight from 173kg to 165kg.
We don’t have any official word on price yet, but with all the extra tech, this lump of exotic Italian carbon fibre and metal is bound to be a bit pricey. Certainly the wrong side of £15k. But imagine seeing one parked in your garage every day…
One Response
I still don’t get it, that’s not to say I don’t drool over it. It just seems to me that the one bike that didn’t need to be stiffer and more aggressive was the f3. Proof will be in the pudding. Maybe it is more refined and better rounded.