News

How I found & bought myself a MV Agusta F3 800 superbike

16th May 2023, 16:46 by Rahul Nagaraj

No compromise, aggressive posture, which I don’t mind - that’s what it is designed for.

BHPian ksanjee recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Part 1 - Ducati allegiance

I have been a Ducati guy for decades and was not too excited about MVs’ re-incarnation with the 750 F4 - a boutique superbike that did not measure up to the incumbent inline 4s even with its looks and pedigree. The 916 had already stolen the “looks” honour for good and was a force in SBK racing like its predecessor.

My first feeling and reaction upon seeing the 916 in Flesh (at Moto World, El Cajon, Southern California) have not been surpassed. I was just in AWE - stood there admiring its racing lines.

Here is my 95’ 916 that I owned briefly. These were made in Varese where the MV hails from. If you notice, it has old graphics including the old Ducati logo. The tail was solid red with a “Ducati Campione del Mondo superbike” decal.

The bike looked gorgeous from every angle. Sounded amazing and was Fast.

I was even luckier to own a couple of its successors - a “yellow” 996, a 996R (the first Testastretta-powered Ducati, precursor to super-quadro and successor of desmo-quattro) and the red and raw 996SPS that is still with me.

So, what led me to an MV F3? Coming up in Part 2.

MV Man NoFear was a key resource I relied upon.

Part 2 - Search for a special sportbike

This would be my 7th sportbike over a 30-year time frame - excluding the baby ninja and starting with the FZR (1992/93)

In 2020, I ended up getting a Harley 48 special. I considered a Monster but somehow, it was not meant to be. If they had an air-cooled 1200, I may have gone through with it.

After restoring my RD to full US Spec, I started looking again. Years went by looking for a TZR250 3MA/3XV and the RZ/RD 500. But I started to realize that they may not exist in the condition that I was hoping for.

Apart from the MV, I really did not find a bike that would fill that void. So, I had to accept ground reality and not wait another decade. I have a deep appreciation for the creators of MV F3 and F4. Real passionate guys with an illustrious history of creating true exotics.