1 year with an MV Agusta F3 in Shanghai

So, exactly 1 year ago, I bought an MV Agusta F3 675. Financially, did well that year, I had always wanted to ride a motorcycle in China, and I figured I was young and my parents would understand my impulse buy so I went ahead and got it! Here is my reflections on the year I had with my F3.

I used to ride an 08 CBR 600RR while I lived in the states, but it had been 2 years since I last rode a real sport bike. Since then, I had only ridden illegal mopeds around Shanghai. The first thing I would say for anyone with a full on sport bike in Shanghai is that you NEVER want to ride it. It rains a lot in this city, and when it's not raining, it's either too cold or too hot to really enjoy the ride. So, that essentially leaves about 2 months a year for prime riding weather. But, during that prime riding weather, you don't want to ride it during traffic because it is really tiring and annoying riding a bike like that during rush hour, so that only really leaves nights (after 10PM). In 1 year of owning that bike, I rode it 2000 km. I used to put over 1000km a month on my mopeds.

The second thing is the traffic. Cars in china are assholes. They don't really care whether you are on a beat down moped or a 300,000 rmb bike (yes, that's what you can expect to pay for an F3 after taxes and without the plate), cars will still cut you off, brake late in front of you, and in general be a threat to your health and safety.

Shanghai, within the city, it's super annoying to ride if you are trying to get anywhere because half the roads seem like they don't allow motorcycles. You also get pulled over A LOT! Even though I had a "Hu A" plate, cops still pull you over to ask to see the papers and ask you questions like "how fast does it go?" or "how much did it cost?"

Then there's the issue of you always worry about it being vandalized when you park it somewhere. I almost NEVER took it out with me when I knew I had to leave it alone for a while or even left it in my compound because I always thought that someone was going to scratch it or knock it over. Then there is also the stares and questions you get from a lot of people. While it's not a ferrari or lamborghini, that bike is still flashy and super loud and draws so much attention.

There is also the issue of maintenance. It's not just a normal bike so you can't just take it to the shop on the store when something goes wrong. Early on when I first bought it, the bike had some gear indicator problems and sprag clutch issues. But, you need to wait for an MV certified person to come in from Chongqing to look at the bike and then wait 2 to 3 months for parts. Labor and parts for this are extremely expensive since the labor is not some guy who just decided to fix motorcycles and the parts have to come from Italy.

So it seems like a lot of negatives, but there are also positives.

For one, that bike will NOT get stolen. People on this board are always warning you about getting your bike stolen, but this isn't your average CF moto or Honda 150. There are a million of those already on the streets and it's easy work for thieves to take them and sell. There are only 2 F3's in Shanghai and less than 10 in China. The average thief would have to go through a lot of trouble to get rid of that bike once they stole it. There is also the issue of if they steal something worth over 100,000 rmb, they go to jail for a LONG LONG time. This is not worth it for them.

The bike itself is awesome. The sound is amazing, the handling is awesome, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Most of the streets in Shanghai are relatively new so you don't get so much of the unexpected bounces that you would on older roads. That bike is also a blast going through tunnels.

You make a lot of "friends" when you ride it. Everyone at the shop where you get it serviced wants to talk to you and get your contact to ride with you. The people riding the illegal bikes on the streets treat you differently because you have it. Whether it's a good thing or not, people tend to notice you more and take you more seriously when you have something like that.

I just sold it a few days ago. I bought an Aprilia scooter and looking for a car now for everyday commuting. Next year, I plan on getting the F3 800. I lost no money on the deal aside from the cost of insurance, maintenance, and gas (came out to around 20K rmb). The price of the bike dropped 30k rmb, but the price of the "Hu A" plate went up just as much.

Overall, loved the bike, but it wasn't worth it for me to have it at the time. I am so busy with work that I never got to ride it. I work different hours from most people, but even then, the traffic in the city made me not want to ride. I could have paid to keep it around, but it's not worth it for something I didn't even use.

So, for anyone who might be looking to buy a superbike in the future, just remember these things :icon10:

A great insight into a ownership of a superbike in SH, I am sure if you lived somewhere different and had more time on your hands then I think your opinion would of been more favourable towards your old bike.

But at least you can look back and say I am one of a very few people in China that has owned one and rode it .....

Nice posting on the MV Agusta.

I find many of the exact same issues with riding in Nanjing. I have less than 3000km on a 5 year old Jialing JH600 because I get to the point that riding is/was not worth it in the city. I can go to the office and get paid to get pissed off at the world. My bike is now kept in the country at a second home where riding is much more enjoyable and I do find time to ride it but now I have to plan for several days at the country house to get any saddle time in....TIC and catch 22.......

I am also looking at the new F800GS coming to China soon but with the cost of purchase the new reduced cost F800GS still more than my R1200GSA in the states and knowing how much actual saddle time I will get on it, I suspect it will require me to be drunk to pull the trigger. Fortunately, I like red wine .......a lot.

Nothing is impossible in China but nothing is easy.....sometimes this gets old....