MV-AGUSTA F3 675 (2012 - 2021) Review

Highlights

  • Engine feature counter-rotating crank
  • Advanced electronics package
  • Beautifully built and well finished

At a glance

Owners' reliability rating: 4.4 out of 5 (4.4/5)
Power: 128 bhp
Seat height: Medium (31.7 in / 805 mm)
Weight: Low (381 lbs / 173 kg)

Overall rating

Next up: Ride & brakes
3 out of 5 (3/5)

The MV Agusta F3 675 has all the makings of a class-leading supersports machine. It’s much more powerful than its rivals, is lighter and has a host of electronic rider aids, from riding modes, to electronic engine braking control, variable power maps and traction control.

It has a counter-rotating crankshaft, like the factory Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP racer, is one of the best looking motorcycle creations ever and its three-cylinder motor has a rasping engine note to die for.

But it’s flawed. Hard as it is to believe, the power delivery is rough, with holes, dips and stutters throughout the rev-range. The 109bhp Suzuki GSX-R600 is faster, does the quarter-mile quicker and stops sooner, which goes to show how a smooth bike is always a fast one.


MV Agusta F3 675 discontinued for 2021

The three-cylinder MV Agusta F3 675 has been discontinued for 2021 – hammering yet another nail into the cramped, peaky, focussed supersport 600 class’ coffin.

Unable to meet the stringent demands of Euro5, the three-cylinder smokeshow, which has been in production since 2012, has been dropped from the line-up – leaving the 798cc F3 800 and F3 800 RC as the Varese firm’s only sporting options.

Disappearing from MV’s website without any fuss, the £13,180 F3 675 (2020 pricing) stuffed a rasping 675cc 12v DOHC inline triple - complete with counter-rotating crank - into a trellis chassis. Keeping everything in check was a modern suite of electronics, wrapped inside a beautiful set of MV F4-aping fairings.

The Italian track star was one of the final machines available in the 'traditional' supersport 600 sector, with Yamaha switching to a track-only R6 for 2021 and Kawasaki stating the ZX-6R would not be updated for Euro5, after a 25-year production run, back in late 2020.

Whether MV will revive the bike later down the line remains to be seen, but for now this is the last chance you have to get your hands on one. Keep an eye out for deals on remaining stock, as dealers attempt to clear showroom space ahead of their 2021 line-ups.

Ride quality & brakes

Next up: Engine
4 out of 5 (4/5)

Tubular steel trellis frame, with varying thickness tubes for rigidity and flex and an aluminium alloy single-sided swingarm. The wheelbase is just 1380mm, the Daytona 675’s is 1395mm. Dry weight is 173kg – the Triumph’s wet weight is 185kg. 43mm Marzocchi forks and a Sachs rear shock are both fully adjustable.

Forged aluminium alloy wheels are shod with Pirelli Dialo Rosso Corsa rubber: 120/70 x 70 front, 180/55 x 17 rear. It's Pirelli’s top-level road tyre giving good grip, feel and warm-up times in all conditions. The rear tyre has a slick edge for increased grip and a sticky SC2 compound.

The treaded centre is a harder compound for durability. The F3 is very light and feels every inch a proper racing machine. It’s stable in fast corners, the brakes are some of the best in the business and it’s comfortable for such a petite-looking bike. The faster the terrain, the more the F3 likes it, but like the engine, the chassis isn’t suited to normal riding. It has a very harsh set-up, which crashes and kicks its bars over bumps. A supersport bike like this doesn’t need traction control, so it’s best to just turn the system off.

Engine

Next up: Reliability
2 out of 5 (2/5)

Inline-three-cylinder 675cc, with counter-rotating crankshaft, titanium inlet and exhaust valves and a ride-by-wire throttle system. The engine has the smallest overall dimensions of any of its supersports rivals. Breathing through Mikuni 50mm throttle bodies, it’s the most powerful too, producing 128bhp at the crank and 118bhp at the rear wheel, at a heady 14,400rpm.

The engine weighs just 52kg and has an 'over-square' 79 x 45.9mm bore and stroke. The Triumph Daytona 675’s is 74mm x 52.3mm. The F3 has Sport, Normal, Rain and Custom riding modes. Within each of the first three modes there are predetermined levels of throttle sensitively, engine torque, engine braking, engine responsiveness and an rpm limit. The custom mode lets you dial in these parameters specifically to suit you.

Ride the F3 at high revs on-track or a super-fast road and it’s glorious – it has lots of power and a good throttle connection, but at normal speeds the fuelling and throttle response is terrible. You have to slip the clutch and dial in big revs through town to keep it running, like an old two-stroke and the power doesn’t come in predictably accelerating out of corners. On top of all that, the electronic engine braking control opens the throttle butterflies into corners to stop the F3 backing-in, but in reality it makes the bike accelerate alarmingly when you’ve got the throttle shut.

Reliability & build quality

Next up: Value
3 out of 5 (3/5)

There’s no question it’s beautifully-built and well-finished. Many current MV owners complain of spare parts supply, let’s hope it will be different for the F3.

Value vs rivals

Next up: Equipment
2 out of 5 (2/5)

If it wasn’t for the poor running issues, which we’ve experienced on a number of different F3s, MV’s new creation would be fantastic value for money – there’s definitely a great bike lurking in there, beneath the problems. As it is, it would need work from a specialist to get running properly, which isn’t what you’d expect from a new bike. 

During the F3's lifespan it faced plenty of four-cylinder 600cc super sport rivals, however there was only one other three-cylinder option - the Triumph Daytona 675

Equipment

4 out of 5 (4/5)

This is the most highly-spec’d supersports bike you can buy, with its electronics, fully-adjustable suspension and Brembo brakes. It’s true exotica, without the over-the-top price tag.

Specs

Engine size 675cc
Engine type 12v, inline three-cylinder
Frame type Tubular steel trellis frame with ali side plates. Double-sided aluminium swingarm
Fuel capacity 16 litres
Seat height 805mm
Bike weight 173kg
Front suspension Fully-adjustable Marzocchi 43mm upside down forks
Rear suspension Fully-adjustable Sachs shock
Front brake 2 x 320mm discs with four-piston Brembo radial calipers
Rear brake 220mm single disc with twin-piston Brembo caliper
Front tyre size 120/70 x 17
Rear tyre size 180/55 x 17

Mpg, costs & insurance

Average fuel consumption 33 mpg
Annual road tax £117
Annual service cost -
New price -
Used price -
Insurance group 17 of 17
How much to insure?
Warranty term Two year unlimited mileage

Top speed & performance

Max power 128 bhp
Max torque 45.81 ft-lb
Top speed 158 mph
1/4 mile acceleration 11.59 secs
Tank range 120 miles

Model history & versions

Model history

2012 – model introduced

Other versions

None

Owners' reviews for the MV-AGUSTA F3 675 (2012 - 2021)

5 owners have reviewed their MV-AGUSTA F3 675 (2012 - 2021) and rated it in a number of areas. Read what they have to say and what they like and dislike about the bike below.

Review your MV-AGUSTA F3 675 (2012 - 2021)

Summary of owners' reviews

Overall rating: 4.8 out of 5 (4.8/5)
Ride quality & brakes: 5 out of 5 (5/5)
Engine: 4.8 out of 5 (4.8/5)
Reliability & build quality: 4.4 out of 5 (4.4/5)
Value vs rivals: 4.4 out of 5 (4.4/5)
Equipment: 4.6 out of 5 (4.6/5)
4 out of 5
27 May 2021 by Robert

Year: 2012

Would not recomend one to anyone that isnt mechanical minded.Very poor parts back up 3 months to get simple consumable parts is not good enough.

Ride quality & brakes 5 out of 5
Engine 4 out of 5

Great engine great bike just let down by very poor back up and parts avalabillity

Reliability & build quality 3 out of 5

Oil leak from the water pump tell tail tube that runs through the sump [why do that] expensive and time consuming to fix[ the exhaust and sump has to be removed to replace the o rings on the tube a 5 hour job at best on top of a 3 month wait for parts] as parts avalabillty in Australia is not very good as it takes over 3 months for ordered parts to come from Italy

Value vs rivals 4 out of 5

Poor parts back up for simple consumables ie genuine filters and o ring on filter housing ect

Equipment 5 out of 5
5 out of 5 Great bike
03 February 2014 by alexrigby

I bought this bike to use side by side with my rsv4 and had some reservations about it and its electronics. Shes not even run in yet but i can tell you the bike is sublime! The motor is silky smooth with some serious midrange punch for a 600 class bike. The brakes as always are spot on and pack more than enough punch. The handling is simply out of this world and it really does feel like youve mounted and old 250 racer. Something else. So light and responsive in the corners it just delivers grins in the bucket loads. As for the electronics.. i wasnt too keen on the fly by wire throttle as it lacked feel for me at first. However after a bit of adjustment its spot on. Ive not ventured too far yet in to the custom map but have for now just turned off the traction control and left the engine braking as was. And it feels awesome. The quickshifter is fantastic. Has not missed a beat. I had an f4 1000r some years ago and it suffered from poor fueling as these did reportedly on launch. However on the latest software mapping it is a peach. Even in town amd at low speed! On that note the bike deserves a fresh review. Mine already has a whole host of goodies to be bolted on but this is through peraonal choice as opposed to nesecity. The bike is a fantastic and beautifuly finished package. Even if it is at the lower end of the MV budget there is quite simply no other 600 on the market that will assualt your senses in the same way whilst delivering such a plush ride and do so with such beauty. And absoloute testament to MV Agusta.

Ride quality & brakes 5 out of 5
Engine 5 out of 5
Reliability & build quality 4 out of 5
Value vs rivals 3 out of 5
Equipment 4 out of 5
5 out of 5 Great bike
11 June 2013 by Plym1

Gary Johnson showed what this bike can do at the TT last week. He wouldn't be riding it if it didn't have the potential. Sounds great with the straight through pipe, through Sulby at 160 mph.

Ride quality & brakes 5 out of 5
Engine 5 out of 5
Reliability & build quality 5 out of 5
Value vs rivals 5 out of 5
Equipment 5 out of 5
5 out of 5 Update 7 months on
26 May 2013 by babyblade41

Not sure if the scores registered as site was playing up. What can I say this machine gets better and better. She is a dream, so much so that my husband after a committed litre bike fanatic has ordered one for himself. It doesn't get any better.

Ride quality & brakes 5 out of 5
Engine 5 out of 5
Reliability & build quality 5 out of 5
Value vs rivals 5 out of 5
Equipment 4 out of 5
5 out of 5 One week on from owning 675
23 August 2012 by babyblade41

I don't think there is aything to fault on this machine so far. It rides as if it's on rails, its power delivery is amazing. The fly by wire takes a litle time to get used to but not overly agressive. You even get the paddock stand with it so you have the right equipment from the start and handbook is on a USB plug and play device. Litre bikes watch out, this machine will devour you on a country road!! This has such a short wheel base and just amazingly agile

Ride quality & brakes 5 out of 5
Engine 5 out of 5
Reliability & build quality 5 out of 5
Value vs rivals 5 out of 5
Equipment 5 out of 5
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