One track mind
MV’S new F3 RR gains Fireblade-like wings, loses weight and is even more track-focused than before. A sportsbike built not for the road…
‘The lap time, that’s its focus’
Sportsbike launches are often accompanied by all manner of blather about them being designed for the road when everyone knows that’s bobbins. Not so MV with the new F3 RR. The Italian company openly admit the 800cc triple is designed for race tracks: ‘the lap time, that’s its focus,’ says the blurb. Consequently we get six wings sitting inside the F3’s new fairing that are capable of putting 80N of force (equivalent to 8kg) onto the front wheel at 150mph. Not crucial if you’ve eaten fryups weighing more than that, but useful for the World Supersport racers in 2022 (see below). Other aero changes include a taller screen, fairing sides designed to push air away from the rider, and a new front mudguard to guide more air through the radiator. Various changes to the motor mean that although it’s now Euro5 compliant, it still makes a healthy 145bhp at 13,000rpm. Tappets get a diamond-like coating (DLC), valve guides are new, and the main bearings are re-designed to reduce friction.
Electronics are all new, with MV choosing the Italian company e-novia rather than the usual Magneti Marelli or Bosch. It’s the same set-up as the new Dragster 800 RR so you get cornering ABS, lean sensitive traction control, slide control, wheelie control, launch control and the same annoyingly fiddly cruise control. As with the Dragster, you can easily pair your phone with the dash for turn by turn sat nav. The chassis has had an update too, including redesigned frame plates for extra stiffness around the swingarm area. There’s also a new rear wheel, which weighs 7 percent less than the old one. Naturally there’s a race kit, which includes a race ECU and a tasty Akrapovic pipe. Together they increase peak power to 151bhp. The base model costs £19,660.