JUST A DECADE AGO, IF YOU DID NOT WANT A 1,000-cc superbike for the road, you had a plethora of exciting bikes to choose from: multiple 600-cc machines, a 675 from Triumph and MV, a 636 from Kawasaki, and, if you turn back the clocks further still, bikes like Suzuki GSX-R750 or even Kawasaki’s ZX-7R. These apex-hunting middleweights are now as rare as an honest politician.
MV Agusta is almost the last man standing and not only still producing the F3 800-cc triple but doing so in in two options, the Rosso and the exciting RR which we have on test here. Yamaha’s R6 is available as a track-only option and Ducati still produce the twin-cylinder Panigale V2, which is competing in World Supersport alongside MV with their F3.
To keep producing the MV F3 RR, the Italians have had to make some amendments to meet Euro-5. They have done this with a host of engine changes which have kept power at a quoted 147 hp from the 798-cc triple, same as the standard Rosso version.
The most dramatic and obvious update is the new aerodynamic package, which is designed to generate downforce and is a first in this middleweight category. The new RR
