MV Agusta F3800 Review, First Ride

MV Agusta F3800 is a piece of art and at the same time the power to weight ratio speaks a lot for itself every time you open the throttle wide

Enchanting –

• One of a kind aesthetics and exhaust note
• Superlative chassis, brakes, engine
• Leads the exclusivity factor by a big margin
• Electronics make it easy and safe to ride

Unsatisfying –

• Why is it ‘that’ expensive?
• Limited Dealership, period

Italian motorcycles are pouring into the country for anyone who has a keen eye for the superbike world. From Aprilia, Ducati and now MV Agusta are slowly establishing a firm base in the country. They are wholly owned subsidiary of the company back at home. All these manufacturers are known for making serious, dedicated and race oriented motorcycles for the road. Racing heritage is intense as well as the fight among them for dominance is almost intense as well. One of these big bad Italian superbike manufacturers is MV Agusta which probably is much higher on the premium quotient and being special. The design, the performance and the price all of them make it stand out. All the motorcycles in the stable are testament to the same. We recently rode the Brutale 1090 and came out impressed. Today, we have the heavily acclaimed F3 with us. How did it fair when we test rode it? Let’s find out

Styling

Design is where the MV Agusta wins your heart. The classic styling is so good despite the fact that it was designed over a decade ago, the motorcycle still finds people immediately drooling all  over it as they want take a self portrait with the motorcycle. The lines remain classic, subtle and all of them come together to make sure the motorcycle looks down right proportionate. The smooth flowing front headlamp fairing, the sharp yet muscular side fairing and a very edgy and powerful rear end make it stand out. The typical superbike fuel tank remains good looking and just right even after all these years. The red and silver scheme of the motorcycle with subtle amount of decals also look great, but overall, we think the design is beginning to age slightly but it will take another decade to term it as a future classic though.

Speedo and Switches

The cluster looks basic but it has all the tell-tale lights, the digital speedo and tachometer. The left switch has the button to control the modes. There is also fuel-efficiency parameter on board. The quality of the switches and cluster is good enough but they do look outdated in the world of LCD meters today. There is a gear shift indicator, engine temperature and current and best lap timer on the clocks as well. Switch on the left offers the usual functions along with controlling the mode, which does need a firm push every time as it is quite thin. Right side starter button along with engine kill switch paired together.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is a surprise area because the motorcycle has pegs and bar along with seat aligned quite well. It is dedicated but not outright to make sure it stays approachable and comfortable enough for daily riding. The position is still sporty enough with lower set clip ons. Mirrors as always are pointless with these machines. Seat is comfortable and well padded and the motorcycle continues be non-pillion friendly.

Performance

The 798cc engine is smooth and refined, the power delivery is extremely linear in normal mode. Sport mode makes things more peakier, but it gets insane when the RPM reaches 6000 RPM as it further rushes all the way till 13000 RPM. The way the engine redlines from mid range to the top-end and since the power is concentrated in that area is eye widening and grin inducing as the motorcycle just shoots of into the horizon. The power to weight ratio is felt like no other bike in the segment and it doesn’t get as intense as this.

The way the machine pulls is full of aural drama too as the intake howl completely intoxicates you and the exhaust note makes heads turn from all around. This is a proper loud stock exhaust and god forbid, you get a aftermarket unit, this will wake the entire neighborhood! Speeds of 180 and 220 km/hr are done in a flash and we are sure it can reach even higher easily even on our Indian streets thanks to the super light kerb weight of under 200 kgs wet, which doesn’t hold back the 148 BHP and 88 Nm of torque.

The clutch is slightly hard but manageable, the gearbox is also mildly notchy but the slipper clutch does its job very well. There is no denying the performance is great but its closet rival does end up boasting even higher power to weight ratio and is more advanced. We are talking about the Ducati 959 here. Heating was felt a bit, but the temperatures of 40 degrees while testing are also to be blamed.

Ride and Handling

Dynamically, the motorcycle is poised at any given speed, surprisingly ride quality is excellent for our roads too. The rake is super low, the motorcycle turns in very sharply, the short wheelbase means weaving through traffic isn’t a problem at all and at the same time it turns in quickly into corners and helps exit the bends also quickly.

A race bike for the street, which the F3 800 almost is, shouldn’t like slow corners but this one surprisingly is best at fast and slow corners both. Feedback from the front is brilliantly precise, but could have been better. However, the riding position isn’t exactly that committed which aids in a bit of comfort which in turn makes the F3 a little more useable on a daily basis.

Tyres on our test bike were good and so were the brakes at the front and rear. Initial bite could a bit higher but we came to know pads were due for a change so we expect that to be not a significant issue here. Overall, light, nimble and agile in every situations makes it a fun to ride with power always there to add more fun to the chassis package.

MV Agusta F3800 Review, Verdict

It is loud and clear (pun intended) as the F3 is absolutely utterly sumptuous to look at and it is exotic in every way too. The F3 is fast, fun and looks very fruity indeed. The design stands the test of time and it grabs attention till date like no other. Various reasons for that include the exclusivity which is way too high with this brand in India and even worldwide. If you get this one, you are sure you won’t see another bike of the same spec in a long time. The F3 manages to hide its age with its incredible power to weight ratio on offer which its competition is finally getting near by. It has subtle electronics and safety net to keep things in check as well.

The depth in engineering, the art on offer and ultra exclusive entry into the brand along with subtle discounts over the massive price tag that it carries makes it an ideal deal if you are in the superbike market right now, because as we speak, the competition is just getting intense day by day and you need something that turns your head upwards and the people’s backwards.

Rs. 19.07 lakhs on-road Pune