MV Agusta F3 R 2024 — Specifications

What is the price of an MV Agusta F3 R in 2024? Count on 19,000 euros. A sum that would make a Ducati Panigale V2 look like a reasonable deal. But the thing is, we're not talking about an ordinary sportbike here. We're talking about an Italian triple born in Varese, designed like a sculpture and engineered as a riding tool. The MV Agusta F3 R is the gateway to the legend. And that gateway, despite its price tag, remains the least expensive in the house.

A quick recap for those who missed the previous episode. The F3 R took over from the Rosso in 2023. No mechanical revolution, no chassis overhaul. A name change, certainly, but accompanied by targeted tweaks where it matters. Braking, first. Brembo Stylema calipers replace the old units, and anyone who has already sampled these calipers knows that braking points move back seriously at the end of the straight. The front headlight was redesigned, the rear turn signals switched to LED, and the ride-by-wire throttle gained finer response. Discreet upgrades, but relevant ones.

On the engine side, the 798 cc triple had to comply with Euro5 requirements. Result: 147 horsepower at 13,000 rpm, one horse less than before the emissions update. A symbolic loss that nobody will feel on corner exit. Peak torque comes in at 88.1 Nm from 10,100 rpm, a slightly lower rev point than before. Translation on the road: more mid-range availability, sharper acceleration without having to constantly tickle the redline. The engineers also worked in depth. DLC coating on the valves, lighter connecting rods and bearings, higher-performance injectors, a completely redesigned exhaust. The radiator gains 5% in efficiency. The clutch is reinforced. In short, the engine was fine-tooth-combed to offset emissions constraints while refining its character.

The chassis stays true to the MV recipe. A tubular steel trellis frame connected to aluminum side plates, the latter revised to offer greater rigidity. The 43 mm inverted fork is fully adjustable, as is the rear shock. At 173 kg dry, the F3 R sits in the lower average of the segment. Against the Panigale V2, heavier and a twin, or the Triumph Daytona 660, less powerful but more accessible, the MV plays a unique card: that of the compact triple, fierce at high revs and torquey enough not to wear you out on the road. The 120/70-17 and 180/55-17 tires confirm the contained footprint, built for agility rather than crushing corners through brute force.

The electronics have made a notable leap. The F3 R now features an inertial measurement unit feeding a Continental Cornering ABS, refined traction control, an anti-wheelie system that has become a true launch control, all managed through four engine maps. The third-generation bidirectional quickshifter proves more precise thanks to a new sensor. The LCD dashboard has given way to a 5.5-inch color TFT screen, compatible with the MV Ride app for configuring rider aids or displaying navigation. A cruise control rounds out the package, even if it's hard to imagine an F3 rider using it for anything other than highway duty, stuck behind a motorhome.

Then there's the question of positioning. At 19,000 euros, the MV Agusta F3 R targets a very specific audience. Not the beginner looking for a first sportbike. Not the dedicated track rider who'll eye the RR version. Rather the enthusiast who wants to ride sporty without falling into the extremes of a liter bike, who accepts paying the price for Italian exclusivity, and who refuses the banality of a Japanese machine. Ten years after the birth of the F3 lineage in 675 cc form, the silhouette remains one of the most striking on the market. The bright red livery on black bodywork, signature of the R variants at MV, evokes Maranello more than Bologna. And that, no spec sheet can quantify.