Five days prior to the official opening of EICMA, MV Agusta lifted the curtain and released official pictures and facts about its new F3 middleweight. It promises to be the Manny Pacquiao of sportbikes: light, quick and agile, but with a punch that could KO a heavyweight. The 675cc engine is claimed to make 128 horsepower at 14,500 rpm and 52.4 ft.-lb. of peak torque at 10,600 rpm; no three-cylinder engine in that displacement class even comes close.
In many ways, this bike recalls the famous MV Agusta 350/500cc three-cylinder racers that dominated GP racing in the 1960s and early ’70s. Based on that legend, the suggestion of three cylinders was made years ago by Massimo Tamburini, who designed the original 998cc MV F4. A small team of highly dedicated technicians within MV Agusta painstakingly developed the new Three, with invaluable assistance by former Cagiva Racing Department Chief Ezio Mascheroni, who at the time reported directly to Claudio Castiglioni.
The resultant engine mixes two contradictory factors: It is wildly oversquare, at 79mm by 45.9mm; but despite those dimensions forcing wide bore centers, the engine is also very compact, even in width. That short stroke helps explain why this Triple defies the traditional limits of three-cylinder engines in terms of revability and, thus, its ultimate potential as a racing motor. It breathes through 50mm throttle bodies and is compressed at 13.0:1. No radial valves here, just a tried-and-true pentroof combustion-chamber design. The integrated injection/ignition system by MVICS is a total novelty in the field: It uses two injectors per cylinder, with Mikuni throttle bodies and related velocity stacks that are generally regarded as the best-flowing in the business. The system also includes a selectable eight-level traction-control system. According to MV, the F3’s top speed is an impressive 162 mph.
An inline-Triple is not a naturally balanced engine in that its 120-degree crankshaft imbues it with a primary imbalance called a “rocking couple” whose magnitude is in direct relation to the cylinders’ bore centers: The longer that distance, the greater the effect of the couple. The F3 engine uses a balancing shaft to largely cancel that primary imbalance, but a great deal of time and advanced simulations were also spent to achieve the theoretically highest possible level of “natural” balance via crankshaft design.
Interestingly, the balancing shaft also acts as an intermediate component of the primary drive that allows the crankshaft to spin backward. By having the crank rotate backward (clockwise as viewed from the left side of the motorcycle), the torque reaction of the engine helps to reduce the tendency of the front end to go light under hard acceleration, making the bike more neutral and precise exiting corners.
Of course, the chassis dictates most of the handling characteristics, and the F3’s frame follows the MV Agusta tradition: a chrome-moly steel tubing trellis that uses the engine as a stressed member. The frame geometry and weight distribution follow the same golden rules that were established by Tamburini when designing the F4. The steering geometry involves a 23.5-degree rake and 99mm of trail, and static weight is biased 51/49 front-to-rear. The F3 is compact all around as a sportbike of its class should be. Its wheelbase spans 54.3 in., the seat height is a very accessible 31.7 in., the fuel-tank capacity is 4.2 gallons and claimed curb weight is just 381 lb.
Suspension up front has been entrusted to the same 43mm Marzocchi USD fork that is so beloved by Bimota DB7 owners, while the rear works with a Sachs shock on a single-sided swingarm. The Brembo front brakes involve a pair of 320mm rotors clamped by four-piston, radial-mount calipers; a 220mm rotor and two-piston caliper get the job done out back. Brembo also supplies the Y-spoked cast alloy wheels that are shod with the latest Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tires in 120/70-17 and 180/55-17 sizes.
At this point, at least, the F3 appears well-armed to battle the Japanese 600cc Fours in the Supersport class, although no racing plan has been revealed by MV Agusta management. MSRP inItalyis 11,990 euros, a decent value for a performance motorcycle with the panache and quality of the F3.
At EICMA, MV Agusta also unveiled a second 675 model, a naked version called the Brutale 675. A still-in-the-works third model—likely a supermoto-style roadster—is expected.
