MV Agusta’s Scintillating F3 800 Looks Ravishing In Red

We are huge fans of MV Agusta and its beautiful creations. The Rush 1000 and the Super Veloce 800 are instant head-turners. Now, it is the turn of the F3 800 Rosso to dazzle you. And while the design language hasn’t dramatically evolved, there are subtle tweaks that accentuate the sport bike’s appeal.

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Derived from what is still regarded as the most beautiful bike ever made, the F4, the F3 800 looks absolutely smashing in this ravishing Agostini Red colour. You feel more turned on as you observe the devilish contrast that the black engine and foundations provide. And to top it off, the revised exhaust pipes are sharp and rectangular, with a black heat shield now appearing instead of the old silver one.

Shame then that the switches used aren’t able to match the stylishness of the rest of the bike. They look like something out of the 1990s. While we are on the subject of improvement, the new colour TFT dash could have had a better layout. The current one looks a bit tacky. The readouts seem quite legible but the graphics feel uninspiring.

MV Agusta has made a lot of small changes to its 798cc hearted triple, such as new injectors, reduced friction DLC treatment for the internals, titanium valves, and a completely overhauled exhaust manifold. Power has taken a minor hit, the triple now producing 147PS at 13,000rpm, which is 3PS lower than the older model. Even though peak torque is still 88Nm at 10,100rpm, the rideability of the motor has improved due to these updates. 70Nm of torque is available from 6,000rpm and exists all the way to the redline of 13,500rpm.

A new clutch basket and an improved bi-directional quickshifter means faster shifts and minimal off-throttle moments. The electronics package now is IMU-aided. Agusta claims its updated Front Lift Control system, or wheelie control in layman’s terms, has been optimised to allow the motorcycle to wheelie if you want to and not kill the joy of riding such a bike altogether.

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The aluminium swingarm pivot plates have been redesigned to improve the frame’s torsional and longitudinal stiffness, thus taking this great handling tool to a whole new level. No updates to the suspension, the F3 800 still using a Marzocchi USD fork and a Sachs monoshock, both fully adjustable.

We are a bit perplexed why MV hasn’t gone ahead and kitted the F3 800 with higher-spec Brembo M50 monobloc front brake calipers. The sport bike still plugs on with M4.32 calipers, which are a couple of generations old and not as fierce as the M50s. No such complaints on the tyres front, though, the F3 800’s lightweight 17-inch aluminium alloy rims come wrapped with Pirelli Diablo Rosso 2s.

Ultimately, the F3 800 Rosso remains a pricey motorcycle, and one that isn’t meant to do its bidding in India. After its rocky stint with MotoRoyale in the country, we hope that whenever the Italian manufacturer does decide on returning to the sub-continent, it should know that it will have a lot of fans waiting.