This £7k MV Agusta F3 is an affordable route to triple-powered exotica
The MV Agusta F3 has had a troubled existence, from fuelling problems to competitive unreliability, but its beauty remains unrivalled 10 years on
Impeccable looks and a soundtrack that was equally so, the MV Agusta F3 is one of the stars of the 2010 sports bike scene. For just a shade under £7,500, you can get yourself an example of the 800 version, which skipped some of the teething issues of the 675.
The MV Agusta F3 was famous for many things since its birth in 2012. The 675cc version that kicked off the F3 as a primary challenger to the Triumph Daytona 675 was plagued with fuelling issues in its first months of production; and it was a fast but unreliable race bike in World Supersport, which almost ended Jules Cluzel’s career at Jerez. But its sweet three-cylinder, which gave benefits over more traditional four-cylinder middleweight sports bikes of the day in terms of both torque and talk, and drop-dead-gorgeous aesthetics mean that its desirability never waned.
By now, the F3 800, which still makes use of a beautiful-sounding triple, is the one and only version of the F3 still being produced, although neo-retros and special editions such as the recently launched MV Agusta Superveloce 98 take a more prominent place in the current roster of the Italian brand.
While the visuals of the contemporary F3 800 have been defiled by those gopping sidepod wings that look much like those of a 2017 Yamaha YZR-M1, the older versions avoid all this aerodynamic nonsense and keep a beautifully clean fairing to complement the bike’s sharp, dimpled anterior.
In the case of this particular example listed on Superbike Factory, its wonderful shape is matched with a similarly lovely paint job, particularly the two-tone red-and-silver scheme that is synonymous with MV and a throwback to its Grand Prix-winning past.
In terms of riding, the key to making the F3 800 a success was carrying over the sweet handling from the smaller 675, while capitalising on the 800’s advantage in displacement. It’s that larger engine that has allowed the F3 to remain in production until now, with the middleweight sports bike category favouring more capacity and fewer cylinders in recent years compared to the four-cylinder 600s that dominated it in the ‘90s and 2000s (although, CFMoto's upcoming 675SR suggests the 600-class isn't totally dead just yet).
The bike seen here looks like something of a bargain at £7,391 (the price when new was £11,500) and with just 1,831 miles on the clock. And, for that, you get undoubtedly one of the best audio-visual combinations in 21st-century motorcycling.
