The battle for ever more extensive aero steps up a gear with the new 2022 MV Agusta 2022 F3 RR – which adopts entirely new fairing side panels and a revised nose in the quest for a few kilos of downforce.
There’s no question that adding high-speed front-end grip is worth valuable laptime in MotoGP, and while the benefits on a road-going bike – or even an amateur track-day machine – are arguable, the fact is that winglets are the things to be seen with in 2021. With the new F3 RR MV Agusta steps up to the plate, adding multi-tiered aerodynamic appendages in the form of full-length carbon-fibre side panels.
According to the firm, the result is an extra 8kg of downforce at 240km/h. Because adding downforce also increases drag, MV has tackled other elements of the bike’s bodywork to counter that. Most notably, there’s an unusual wrap-around front mudguard, reminiscent of some of the latest MotoGP designs, that also feeds air to the Brembo brakes, and the splitter between the air intakes on the nose and the radiator’s feed below them gains a carbon-fibre extension, making the bike’s chin jut forward. A taller screen guides air more seamlessly over the rider to further reduce the coefficient of drag, and combined, these elements mean the F3 RR doesn’t lose out on top speed when compared to the wingless Rosso version that sits below it in the 2022 range.
Of course, extra bodywork means more weight, even though it’s carbon-fibre, and to counter that, the RR gets a lighter rear wheel, saving around 400g, with the result that the RR and Rosso both have the same 173kg ‘dry’ weight.
Mechanically, both the Rosso and RR are basically identical, sharing the same Marzocchi forks and Sachs shock, an identical 147hp, Euro5-complient version of the 798cc triple and MV’s latest IMU-assisted electronics. The company is moving away from Bosch equipment, adopting different suppliers for its traction control, while the cornering ABS now comes from Continental, but there’s the usual array of modes and settings to choose from.
Given that the downforce benefits of the RR’s bodywork aren’t likely to manifest themselves until you’re well into licence-losing speeds, it might be hard to justify the additional price over the entry-level F3 Rosso. In Italy, the base model costs €16,400 (Aud 26,550) while the RR is an eye-watering €21,900 (Aud 35,450) and MV Agusta Australia has yet to release domestic pricing or ETA.
Admittedly, the RR’s carbon bodywork makes for a more high-end look, and the bike also gets a leather and Alcantara seat and CNC machined footpegs.
On top of that, you’ll be able to pay extra to get a track-only ‘race kit’ including a pillion seat cover, more CNC-milled parts including the filler cap and levers, plus an Akrapovic exhaust that’s not road legal but which adds 8hp to the motor, for a total of 155hp, and cuts 8kg from the bike’s mass, taking it down to 165kg dry.
You can check out the full MV Agusta range here
Ben Purvis
