Mv's Secret Triple
MV'S SECRET TRIPLE
TWO YEARS AGO, LONG BEFORE THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON BUY-out of MV Agusta, visionary designer Massimo Tamburini started honing the concept of a lightweight and very compact machine powered by a three-cylinder, 675cc engine, a la the middleweight Triumph Daytona. Tamburini felt this would be the perfect model to celebrate the Italian brand's storied 350-500cc Triples, MV's winningest Grand Prix racers.
But at that time, the company was still owned by Claudio Castiglioni, and in-house new-model R&D resources were very limited; so the entire project was entrusted to an outside shop named 1-IRT, a long-time development company that, interestingly, had built and sold a remarkable number of classic-era threeand four-cylinder MV GP replicas over the years.
The new so-called F3 (shown here in computer-illustrated mockup form) is 1-IRT's latest work of art. According to Tamburini--now "retired" from MV-the 675cc version (an 800-850cc variant is also planned) should produce power superior to that of the best Japanese 600cc Fours. Work is expected to continue under new Harley ownership, but no word yet on when the bike is expected to debut.
Bruno dePrato
