[manicguitarist]

Hi folks!
Am looking for opinions on the F3 675.
Specifically, I'm looking to have fears of buying an expensive, if very pretty, door stop allayed.

Why am I looking for the 675 and not the 800? To be honest, I enjoy the lower powered bikes. I've been riding for 20+ yrs, and for 16 of those years I owned a '98 R1. My most recent ride is an RVF400 - and I enjoy the lower power of the RVF, having to really ride it hard to make the pace - changing down and up 2 gears for each corner - where on the R1 I could have cruised around in 3rd all day.

I'm looking at the F3 in particular because it a) it is so purty, b) it isn't a normal inline-four and c) it is a very small bike. Ok, it isn't as small as my RVF (I might get the F3 lowered, I've gotten used to being able to get both feet flat on the floor - being a short-ass!).
Comments, opinions, advice and questions welcomed!

 

[-AK-]

You know there is not that much more power on the 800 compared to the 675 but the 800 is lighter as well over 675. YOu will be using your gearbox just as much for a fun ride.

 

[GREGOSTINI]

Hello and welcome,
My experience with the F3 has been not without issues, but excellent overall. If you are willing and able to do some basic mechanical tasks yourself, I would highly recommend getting one. If not, you COULD be spending some time and money at your local dealer.
It seems to me, for the most part, that good tech service and fault finding in particular are fairly rare these days. These bikes are prone to error codes and faults caused by poor electrical connections. I see a lot of examples on here of parts (ie throttle assemblies, and even complete wiring harnesses) being thrown at problems that in all likelyhood could have been solved much more simply.

My advice to anyone buying a new or used F3 is to:
#1. Make sure it has a good quality battery fitted. Yuasa or Shorai, if it fits the budget. I went with a 'cheaper' lithium option on mine (Motobatt) but it has performed faultlessly for the last two+ years.
#2. Remove the fairings and fuel tank, and find every electrical connector plug you can, unplug and apply a good smear of dielectric grease before reassembly. This includes the ECU located behind the battery box.
For some reason many people who are having fault codes appear are hesitant to do this simple task, but from my experience it could save you, and them, a lot of time and money looking for more complex, nonexistant problems. Since I did this on my bike in 2014, I have had zero error code/faults, even though I sometimes *gasp* ride my MV in the rain.
#3. The service manual calls for the rear hub bearings to be regreased at 12000km, but I would recommend to do it at 6000km initially, then inspect at 12000.
#4. Rear suspension static sag. Make sure you have some, and while you're at it check the front, it will probably have too much sag. Sorting this out will dramatically reduce the seemingly immediate need for a steering damper.
You can download the service manuals here:
http://www.mvagusta.net/forum/showthread.php?t=105793

Best of luck.

 

[saul]

Do it

loving mine:mouthwate

Great fun.

 

[manicguitarist]

Thanks guys for all the answers.

I'm happy doing maintenance on the bike - and the suggestions so far seem reasonable.

Re the battery - money isn't an issue really - but do they not come with a decent battery in the first place?

Is the 800 lighter than the 675?

One of the things that I enjoy about my current RVF is that I am riding to a higher percentage of the bikes abilities - i.e. I rode to (lets be honest) about 30% of my R1's abilities (the bike was *a lot* faster than me!) but I'd say about 70% of my RVF's abilities - I mean the top speed on the RVF is only 125mph (and that is down hill with a trailing wind!) - and I enjoy riding the bike as opposed to clinging on...
I mean I like to think I'm Valentino...but let's be honest...


Oh - also - how much space is there under the pillion pad on the F3? Just curious - it isn't a deal breaker, but I keep stuff under there usually...

 

[silentservice703]

TBH, the supplied batteries with the new generation bikes are junk.
Most folks get 6 months, or less, out of them.

 

[manicguitarist]

Oh - also - what's the deal on the melting fuel tanks?!
And it seems that MV don't do F3s with gold wheels any more. Boo.

 

[-AK-]

Thanks guys for all the answers.

Is the 800 lighter than the 675?

Actully I stand corrected both the 675 and 800 have the same dry weight 173kg

Oh - also - how much space is there under the pillion pad on the F3? Just curious - it isn't a deal breaker, but I keep stuff under there usually...

A lot more then a ZX10R but not enough. U shuld be able to carry a couple of extra tools and rego papers that's about it

 

[idsteve]

You could pick up one of these :yo:I might even be persuaded for the right price:smoking:

 

[TrialsRider]

Hi folks!
Am looking for opinions on the F3 675.
Specifically, I'm looking to have fears of buying an expensive, if very pretty, door stop allayed.

Why am I looking for the 675 and not the 800? To be honest, I enjoy the lower powered bikes….

... (I might get the F3 lowered, I've gotten used to being able to get both feet flat on the floor - being a short-ass!).
Comments, opinions, advice and questions welcomed!

imho one motivation for getting the 675 over the 800 is the way the thing revs. The 800 is a stroked version of the almost identical bike, the 675 revs higher as a result. The sound is incredible and really impressed me more than expected, considering I never even heard one run before I bought mine.
I doubt you will need to lower the suspension and would recommend against it, the stock rear suspension is extremely stiff, like a high performance street bike should be. Guaranteed I'm a lighter rider then you are, I just lowered the spring preload a bit and ride on my toes. The saddle is very narrow at the front, so sliding forward will make it much easier to plant a foot on the ground :/ why would you need 2 feet down don't you know how to balance a motorcycle on its tires yet?
If you are looking for "lower powered bikes" you might not be buying the right machine, they have a lot of power on tap for a street ride. The bike will reward smooth throttle control. They don't like to go slow and need lots of air movement to keep them cool, hopefully you don't deal with a lot of slow moving traffic situations.
Original battery is indeed shite, and the original horn wiring is a joke, you will need to replace the wire to the horn with a longer one so it doesn't break.
F3 is awesome fun.

 

[manicguitarist]

imho one motivation for getting the 675 over the 800 is the way the thing revs. The 800 is a stroked version of the almost identical bike, the 675 revs higher as a result. The sound is incredible and really impressed me more than expected, considering I never even heard one run before I bought mine.
I doubt you will need to lower the suspension and would recommend against it, the stock rear suspension is extremely stiff, like a high performance street bike should be. Guaranteed I'm a lighter rider then you are, I just lowered the spring preload a bit and ride on my toes. The saddle is very narrow at the front, so sliding forward will make it much easier to plant a foot on the ground :/ why would you need 2 feet down don't you know how to balance a motorcycle on its tires yet?
If you are looking for "lower powered bikes" you might not be buying the right machine, they have a lot of power on tap for a street ride. The bike will reward smooth throttle control. They don't like to go slow and need lots of air movement to keep them cool, hopefully you don't deal with a lot of slow moving traffic situations.
Original battery is indeed shite, and the original horn wiring is a joke, you will need to replace the wire to the horn with a longer one so it doesn't break.
F3 is awesome fun.

Thanks for the comments.

I am a short-ass (28" inside leg). The high-revving is one of the reasons I love my RVF after riding an R1 for years. I guess that is what I am looking for rather than "lower powered" per-se.
My RVF over heats as soon as it gets stuck in traffic.
Am happy doing wiring mods (I have to be, my RVF is nearly 20yrs old!).

I'll get the suspension sorted out when I get one - sort out the correct sag etc for my weight and riding style before I do anything about the height of the bike.

Now just 2 things are in the way..

1. Deciding on the colour...
2. Finding a dealer who actually has one in stock!!

Can anyone make any comment about the melting fuel tanks that I've heard about?

 

[silentservice703]

The "melting tank" issue is related to ethanol in fuel.

Since you don't say where you are on this Big Blue Marble, it is hard to descern if you will have that issue.

The newer bikes, with plastic tanks, have been reworked to use a plastic that is less susceptible to ethanol warping. My understanding is that there is a grey dot on the tank somewhere designating the material as the later version. I have not looked for this on my recent pruchase of a B3 800 RR.

In any case, melting is not really an accurate term.

 

[TrialsRider]

....
I'll get the suspension sorted out when I get one - sort out the correct sag etc for my weight and riding style before I do anything about the height of the bike.

Now just 2 things are in the way..

1. Deciding on the colour...
2. Finding a dealer who actually has one in stock!!

Can anyone make any comment about the melting fuel tanks that I've heard about?

With the stock suspension setup, there won't be a lot of sag happening unless you are approaching 180 pounds or better.

I bought the first one I seen at a dealership because I waited 2 years to get one. It happened to be white, which wasn't really what I was originally thinking, but in retrospect it was a good decision race bikes are white and they look good when you add some graphics to make them more personalized. If you should ever need to replace a body panel or purchase aftermarket ones to go track racing, those will probably be white to start out. One thing that you might note is that the white vinyl covering on the pillion seat will discolour immediately above the rubber stops, this probably happens on them all but it's more noticeable on the white. Whatever colour you go with, it's an MV Agusta so you are going to be keeping it spotless clean anyway. … and that doesn't mean using a power-washer either, unless you want to destroy it, use a tooth brush and soft cleaning cloth, some disassembly will be required, be ready to buy a couple of torx spline tools

The fuel tank think is more like a skin cancer, almost definitely related to ethanol as others have said it, it looks more like a skin mole, a benign melanoma, mine has small signs of it but it doesn't appear to be spreading.

Oh ya, one more thing, you are going to need to purchase a torque wrench even to just adjust the chain tension. Use it faithfully or apparently you might be researching replacement rear hubs somewhere else on this forum.

 

[manicguitarist]

The "melting tank" issue is related to ethanol in fuel.

Since you don't say where you are on this Big Blue Marble, it is hard to descern if you will have that issue.

The newer bikes, with plastic tanks, have been reworked to use a plastic that is less susceptible to ethanol warping. My understanding is that there is a grey dot on the tank somewhere designating the material as the later version. I have not looked for this on my recent pruchase of a B3 800 RR.

In any case, melting is not really an accurate term.

D'uh. Sorry. My bad. I live in England.

 

[manicguitarist]

With the stock suspension setup, there won't be a lot of sag happening unless you are approaching 180 pounds or better.

I bought the first one I seen at a dealership because I waited 2 years to get one. It happened to be white, which wasn't really what I was originally thinking, but in retrospect it was a good decision race bikes are white and they look good when you add some graphics to make them more personalized. If you should ever need to replace a body panel or purchase aftermarket ones to go track racing, those will probably be white to start out. One thing that you might note is that the white vinyl covering on the pillion seat will discolour immediately above the rubber stops, this probably happens on them all but it's more noticeable on the white. Whatever colour you go with, it's an MV Agusta so you are going to be keeping it spotless clean anyway. … and that doesn't mean using a power-washer either, unless you want to destroy it, use a tooth brush and soft cleaning cloth, some disassembly will be required, be ready to buy a couple of torx spline tools

The fuel tank think is more like a skin cancer, almost definitely related to ethanol as others have said it, it looks more like a skin mole, a benign melanoma, mine has small signs of it but it doesn't appear to be spreading.

Oh ya, one more thing, you are going to need to purchase a torque wrench even to just adjust the chain tension. Use it faithfully or apparently you might be researching replacement rear hubs somewhere else on this forum.

Thanks.
Yeah - I've got a set of torque wrenchs. I learnt long ago after splitting the case on a ZZR600 way back.
And yes - my RVF's single sided swingarm hub needs *very* accurate torqueing up...

I'm about 165Lbs...so suspension will need tweaking!

 

[Stephen W.]

Short you say, well it’s tippy toe for me but I manage, mostly.

Trialsrider I rode a 1985 Can Am 320 T back in the day so I know balance. However, there was no way to save my bike from falling over when I went to hold it on an incline with the rear brake only to find I hand none. Bike rolled back and I lost contact with terra firma. Not happy about the damage... :bawling:

My tank showed signs similar to fish eyes and had noticeable ripples along the top right edge.

Gray dot of my new tank is located under the seat.

 

[Wildfire]

http://www.mvagusta.net/forum/showthread.php?t=181482&page=2

I posted in another thread on my experiences.

The tank issue is solved. I also have a replacement which has been fine for over a year now.

 

[TrialsRider]

You live north of Belleville

...

Holy! we are practically neighbours :wave: we should go riding some time, I have a couple of bikes that you could easy reach the ground on. Although that might not prevent you from crashing.

 

[Bruce Taylor]

TBH, the supplied batteries with the new generation bikes are junk.
Most folks get 6 months, or less, out of them.

I have had three F3's, the first a 675 for two years 10,000 miles, second a 800 for 18 months 9000 miles and the the third a 800RC for 6 months 3000 miles.

Must have been lucky, no need to change the standard battery on any of the bikes.

 

[TrialsRider]

I have had three F3's, the first a 675 for two years 10,000 miles, second a 800 for 18 months 9000 miles and the the third a 800RC for 6 months 3000 miles.

Must have been lucky, no need to change the standard battery on any of the bikes.

Probably because you are replacing them with new bikes as soon as the ash tray is full :thewife: