Just as our Bothan spies had predicted, the folks in Varese, Italy have debuted an 800cc version of the MV Agusta F3. The new machine is cleverly named the MV Agusta F3 800, and as you may expect, the street bike features the 798cc three-cylinder engine that is found on the MV Agusta Brutale 800 and the still unreleased MV Agusta Rivale.
Pepping that three-cylinder motor up to 146hp (note: MV Agusta continues to have some trouble converting kW into horsepower, and other publications continue to fail at checking MV’s math. Last we checked, 108.8 kW equalled 145.9 hp), MV Agusta has wedged the lump into its supersport chassis, and reports that no additional weight has come as a result.
This is due primarily to the fact that the F3 was originally conceived as an 800cc triple, and that it wasn’t until the latter stages of its development, as Claudio Castiglioni was nearing his end, that the Patron of MV Agusta steered the project to bring its race-legal 675cc version to market first.
Tracking that history, it makes sense now why MV Agusta would have the MV Agusta F3 800 project in the first place, though one has to admit that MV’s product line-up is getting rather cluttered, with virtually every model overlapping another.
This seems like a great shame to us, as the post-Harley-Davidson MV Agusta finally seemed to be walking away from its constant regurgitation of the same designs, and began drilling down into specific models for specific niches. But now, we see the brand returning to a Fifty Shades of MV model line-up approach, and can’t help to think it’s the lesser for it.
As for the MV Agusta F3 800 itself, what’s not to like? One of the hottest looking bikes on the market, and like the runway model that it is, the F3 800 tips the scales at a paltry 381 lbs dry. Other goodies include the MVICS electronics package, Brembo monoblocs, electronically assisted shift (EAS), and a peppy 146hp motor mated to a slipper clutch.
Priced at €13,999, the 2013 MV Agusta F3 is looking very competitive on the sales floor too, where in Europe the Suzuki GSX-R750, perhaps the most analogous machine to the 800cc F3, is priced at €13,499 MSRP (the Ducati Superbike 848 is price at €14,790).
We imagine there is a crop of current MV Agusta F3 675 owners who will be facepalming themselves now, now having seen the 800cc version of the F3 – sorry guys. No word on availability and pricing here in the US, but expect it to be fairly competitive. Would you buy one over a GSX-R750 or Ducati Superbike 848?
Source: MV Agusta
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