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View Full Version : Why the F3 Photos don't quite work



MRH
02-14-2015, 12:05 AM
I finally got to see and sit on an F3 (no test ride available). Here's what struck me that the photos just don't convey. As an RT owner, I think of Spyders at a particular scale. The F3 isn't small, but is much smaller than an RT. That scale difference isn't captured in the photos we've seen (nobody's fault, really), and when you see it in person the John Deere effect melts away. It looks just like the photos, and yet it doesn't look like them at all.

The F3 is so much closer to what many two wheeled riders expect in terms of the feel of a motorcycle, at least in my opinion.

As a photographer, I can't see how to solve the problem, because even putting a rider on the F3 doesn't really convey the smaller scale of the body.

I have a feeling that many of those who don't think they like the styling will have a different opinion when they see it in person.

Chupaca
02-14-2015, 12:22 AM
Like it is said...don't judge a book by it's cover...but I think everyone should see them in person. I am not partial to them but have seen them sat on them not interested in ryding them. They also seem to grow on folks in part because of their acceptance by the cruiser crowd. You see them in three directions...moving down from the RT's moving up from the RS, RSS and the ST's or first time buyers going straight for them...to each his own..!! :yes::yes:

Dragonrider
02-14-2015, 12:40 AM
I sat on one & took a test ride before forming my opinion..

zuni
02-14-2015, 11:47 AM
Took one look at the pictures and said "What the hell were they thinking". Took a test ride in Daytona and now one sits next to our RTs in the garage. I think you are right about the perspective issue of photographs. It is better in person and even better on the road.

CJ JAX

nakerr
02-14-2015, 01:00 PM
I agree. When I first saw the photos I thought they looked a little too much like a lawn tractor, when I actually saw one I thought that they actually looked good.

Retired 2012
02-14-2015, 02:04 PM
Here are a few shoots I have of my F-3 with a friends RT-Limited. Hope it help with the sizing.

MRH
02-14-2015, 02:36 PM
The images that Retired 2012 posted show exactly what is going on. The semi-wide angle lenses make the front appear larger. When you look at his photo next to the RT you'll get a great impression of the real difference in scale. If somebody has both and wants to photograph them lined up (one in front of the other), but from a perfect side view, I think that the real difference will present itself.

The frunk is barely big enough for a helmet.

ARtraveler
02-14-2015, 03:59 PM
Great thread and posts. :2thumbs::2thumbs:

JayBros
02-14-2015, 04:05 PM
I agree. When I first saw the photos I thought they looked a little too much like a lawn tractor, when I actually saw one I thought that they actually looked good.

My opinion is exactly the opposite of yours. In pictures the F3 was looking better and better, actually less offensive, the more pics I saw. Yesterday I was by the local dealer yesterday on a clothing check and saw the first live one for me. I was totally turned off; design just doesn't appeal to me.

hut1
02-14-2015, 04:23 PM
When I first saw the pics, I liked the F3, but was not thrilled with the styling. It gradually grew on me, and once seeing it in person and sitting on it at the Progressive show, I like it a lot more. Even my 17 yr. old son said it looked a lot better in person,

Retired 2012
02-14-2015, 08:17 PM
102265

Yazz
02-14-2015, 08:33 PM
When I first saw pictures of the F3, it wasn't for me.

But, when I saw the video of Lamont doing the burn-out on stage, when he got on it, I could see the proportions of the F3. Ordered one the next day.