Aprilia Streetbikes

[Xolotl]

Hey, I was wondering if anyone here has an Aprilia (specifically the Falco or Tuono) or has ridden one or both of them. I'm really interested in buying one of them, but I dont really know the differences between the two; can anyone enlighten me? Also, are they better/worse and in what ways than japanese street bikes? Thanks for any experience anyone has to pass on... ?

[rmxtgh]

I've got an '02 RSV....same motor as the tuono and falco.....falco is detuned though....tuono is a naked bike ...falco is kinda (was) classified as like a sport touring bike..in 10,000 miles i've had to do nothing other than change the oil and filter and put new tires on......to me its not a bike...its a work of art....and the v twin sound is amazing......plus...its really nice to not spot your bike 10 times when you go on a ride...

[kiwi426crasher]

I've got an 03 tuono and it's the dogs danglies.The tuono is basically the RSV sports bike with small bikini fairing and high bars.Don't bother with the falco go for the tuono or the RSV.Tuono's and RSV models share many parts.It's got a ride all day seat to and even the pillion gets a fair look in.Mine's been totaly reliable and down here in NZ we got heaps of gravel roads which it takes in it's stride.Test ride,buy,and be very happy. PS better ride than the monsters

[cms_austx]

I had an '03 Tuono, and it was by far the best street bike I've ever owned or ridden. It would keep up w/ anything on street rides, and was comfy enough to ride all day (though I disagree w/ the prior poster about the seat...I replaced mine w/ a Sargent saddle which was much better). The Tuono seemed Japanese in its reliability and ease of maintenance. About the only issue I had were the overly complicated instruments which would periodically reset to metric (esp. when the battery was low).

The Tuono has to be one of the ultimate hooligan bikes, it'll tempt almost anyone into ripping wheelies all the time.

IMO, the Tuono is far more desirable than the Falco...it has more attitude, and the full engine/suspension/frame/swingarm spec of the Mille - no cost cutting or de-tuning. The only reason I sold it was b/c I got out of street riding due to a preference for the dirt.

Coincidentally, I just test rode the new Aprilia 450 supermoto bike yesterday. I was only wearing a helmet for gear, so I took it easy, but it was a lot of fun!

[Apriliacati]

I have a 2001 Mille R and absolutely love it. These bikes have jap dependability, this is my second one, my first 2000 Mille had 24000 trouble free miles when I sold it.

In the garage

2001 Ducati 996S

2001 Aprilia RSV Mille R

2001 Yamaha WR250

2003 Suzuki RM100, daughters bike

2003 Kawasaki 650 Praire

2005 Suzuki DRZ400SM

1974 Suzuki TM400

2004 Yamaha WR450, Brand new, never ridden, for sale, $3950.

[Xolotl]

I was sorta looking at the Mille.... but I absolutely love the naked bike look of the Tuono. I think the Mille looks more like a japanese bike than the Tuono, which is something I'd rather try and avoid. Anyone in spokane/seattle want to let me ride theirs? ?

[WanaRideMyMotorcicle]

i just saw the new SXV550 at my local dealer.....oh man.....i might have to sell a few dirt bikes to get this one into my garage.......

[Apriliacati]

Wannaridemymotorcycle

I'm guessing you saw the SVX at Cliffs in Danbury? I was there yesterday, met a guy who was buying one. That bike is almost to pretty to get dirty, especially at $8000.

In the garage

2001 Ducati 996S

2001 Aprilia RSV Mille R

2001 Yamaha WR250

2003 Suzuki RM100, daughters bike

2003 Kawasaki 650 Praire

2005 Suzuki DRZ400SM

1974 Suzuki TM400

2004 Yamaha WR450, Brand new, never ridden, for sale, $3950.

[WanaRideMyMotorcicle]

yep...at cliff's ....i saw it yesterday too...wanted to ask a few questions but they were real busy so i didn't bother them......i agree.....i thought i wanted the dirt version but my buddy said the same thing....way too beautiful to take into the woods to trash.....but......i've got a dr650 that is surprisingly fun to ride on the street.....so if i sold that...one of my old dirtbikes....and came up with a few grand ...than the supermoto/street version would definitely be doable.....my buddy traded his RSV for a DRZ400sm and some cash earlier this year......he's been waiting and waiting for the aprilia to show up......his 400 and a ktm are for sale and as soon as they're gone he's getting the aprilia.

[JDwulet]

The Tuono is awsome - it is an absolute torque monster - an absolute joy to ride - I've had my '04 since new and never had a problem with it. The motor on the models before '06 are a bit different configuration than the Mille's - they have more torque down low and do have two plugs per cylinder. The Falco and Tuono are completely different bikes. The Falco is more a sport tour, where the Tunono is pure hooligan. By the way, I was told by an Italian gentleman a couple of weeks ago that Tuono means Thunder in italian.

[Twhit]

By any chance have you checked out the new Ducati's.....Hypermoto and the awsome 1098?

[rmxtgh]

eff ducati's......compared to an Aprilia they're common......they have shorter maintenance intervals.......and they're more expensive than most aprilias.........why there arent tons more RSV's on the road at $5k less than a comparable ducati is beyond me.....

[donwann]

I've found myself drawn towards the Aprilias. First the Tuono, then the shiver, then the V4 bike, now I'm quite taken by the motarded Dorsoduro. What a clean minimalist beautiful bike. It's the first Italian V-twin engine that I have been able to look at without cringing. There is no wiring or unnecessary plumbing mucking the view of that clean engine. Look at that bike and what you see is what you get. For a 750 V-Twin that probably weighs in at about 450lbs. soaking wet, it has got plenty of power. 92 hp and just over 60 lb./ft. of torque. That makes for a power to weight ratio of 5lbs/hp!!! Makes my big DR look pretty lame at about 10lbs/hp.

[NOMADAK]

Picked up a pristine Tuono this morning at a price I almost feel guilty for.

Simply put, it is a work of art. The welds alone are just amazing. The machining on the triple clamps looks like a jeweler's handiwork. Comes with a lap timer, steel braided brake lines, steering dampener and lots of magnesium bits stock. ???

What a machine.?

pictures pending! too busy riding!

[OrangeTJ]

Those are some beautiful machines. I'm partial to the RSV. The frame and swing arm are simply art. I love motorcycles.

[donwann]

To bad the dollar has tanked against the Euro. It only means the exotics become more exotic for us, and even the new VMaxx comes to us at $18k. Yea I know exclusivity has a price, but at this rate some of us may be stuck buying used bikes.

[circa72]

eff Ducati? That's classy. Aprilias are great bikes, but they're old school compared to a Ducati. There's a reason Aprilia doesn't win any races and can't keep a dealer network together in the states, and it's not 'cause they're the worst bikes on the road, but they're not the best.

I say more power to them, but don't get blinded just because you're rooting for a bike you happen to own- you can ride what you want, but untill it starts winning any real races it's not the best.

[NOMADAK]

eff Ducati? That's classy. Aprilias are great bikes, but they're old school compared to a Ducati. There's a reason Aprilia doesn't win any races and can't keep a dealer network together in the states, and it's not 'cause they're the worst bikes on the road, but they're not the best.

I say more power to them, but don't get blinded just because you're rooting for a bike you happen to own- you can ride what you want, but untill it starts winning any real races it's not the best.

?

I'm trying really hard to understand where you are coming from with regard to saying Aprilia is not winning any REAL races. If we are dealing with your reality or your perception of what a real race is......what are we talking about, local club races? AMA superbike? WERA? Then I can understand BUT......that is total hogwash.

If we are dealing with facts and racing at the top levels on real roadracing bikes, not some street version repli-racer then Aprilia has absolutely dominated 250cc road racing at the GP level since 1994 winning 9 out of 14 championships. This fact can be viewed here at an independent site's link. http://www.motorsportsetc.com/champs/gp250.htm

In the 125 moto Gp class, Aprilia has won 8 of 16 championships since 1992, beating out even Honda since the two brands have been competing against each other. The FACTS are here. http://www.motorsportsetc.com/champs/gp125.htm

Aprilia races in very diverse categories too. It has recently won the manufacturers' title in World supermoto and has strong finishes in world enduro. It won't be long before they are winning in AMA Flattracking with their RSV 450 and 550's. They are on fire with racing wins compared to ANY manufacturer for the amount of time they've been racing. In fact since 1985, they have won 295 victories and 34 world titles in the top levels of motorcycle racing.....all verifiable on this link. http://www.racingaprilia.com//campioni.asp

So, enlighten me circa72, what real races are you talking about? If you are referring to motoGP, I can see your point, to an extent. One thing to consider though, is that the rules have changed dramatically and rapidly in the premier class over the past few years. For years it was 500cc two strokes, then 990CC four strokes with multiple cylinder/weight configurations, then all of that was out the window and now they are on 800cc four strokes, all in rapid succession. If I were a manufacturer, I would be wondering what the hell was going on with the racing organization body. Give me a set of rules that doesn't require a completely new bike on a blank sheet of paper every 2-3 years. Give me a stable displacement platform that I can develop some marketable street machines from to sell to the buying public that will help finance all this racing we do. Otherwise, you have to sell ALOT of scooters to finance a moto gp team. The Aprilia cube (the 990cc version) had alot of then amazing technology that is commonplace on GP machinery now (throttle by wire, pneumatic valves, traction control). It was arguably the most violently accelerating bike on the grid in those days. It threw Noriyuki Haga off 28 times in a single season and that guy can ride the wheels off a bike. The rules were changing, they scrapped the whole thing, waited to see what the governing body was going to do and are slated for a comeback to world superbike in 2009 and Moto GP in 2010. And you can bet all the other manufacturers a just a bit nervous with this beast

being develop by a bunch of passionate Italian racing engineers.

When you compare that with Ducati.....well, .......they are having tremendous success in MotoGP with Stoner and Ferrari's help right now. They are to be commended for that, for sure. It is making for some great racing. However, it wasn't so long ago that they had rules written in World Superbike that gave them such big weight and displacement advantages over their competition it was to the point that the other manufacturer's finally quit showing up to races because it was so unfair. Doesn't that sound an awful lot like Harley Davidson setting the rules in AMA dirt-track.

Regardless, I love motorcycles. There are damn few I would turn down, if given the opportunity to ride. I have nothing at all against Ducati's. Rode one back in 1990 when the brand was in a period of resurgence, (ala Doug Polen on the Fast by Ferracci Ducati) but they seem very common these days.

As far as owning....that list gets much shorter.

I'll take an Aprilia any day. They have heart and soul.

[OrangeTJ]

I say more power to them, but don't get blinded just because you're rooting for a bike you happen to own- you can ride what you want, but untill it starts winning any real races it's not the best.

"Best" has a lot of different meanings. If a particular bike wins most of the races, that may make it the "best" race bike, but not necessarily the "best" overall motorcycle. In fact, I'm quite convinced that there is no "best" motorcycle. There's only the one that best fits what each individual rider is looking for.

[NOMADAK]

Finally got some time to do some pics for you folks on my latest acquisition.

This is a 2003 model. I've put about 150 wonderful miles on it thus far. ?

This will probably be exchanged for an trick aftermarket exhaust eventually.

320mm floating frnt. rotors160mm (i think?? ) rear rotor with Brembo's calipers front and rear. Steel braided lines stock. They work like the arresting cable on a Navy Aircraft carrier:eek: . I think my eyes bulged out of their sockets the other night during a quick stop.

Steering dampener stock. The handling is very taut for the street. Fully adjustable at both ends.

The dash, triple clamp and bar holders are works of art