Anyone have the Aprilia RSV4 R?

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm just daydreaming about bikes - basically what I'm going to get after the Ninja 250R, which will probably be a while from now. Got other things I want to buy.

Yamaha R6/R1 - supposedly awesome track bikes, but bad for the road.
CBR600/1000 - awesome all around bike
GSX600/750 - good bike, CBR is better?
ZX6 - haven't really looked into them

And then there's the Aprilia RSV4 R - I love how it's so compact. No 600 or 700cc flavor, only 1000cc. Anyone have one?

 

[satyajitmenon]

Is there a reason why you want to go straight from 250 to 1000cc? Just curious.

With regards to the RSV, would love to own one. Just not sure what I'd do with it if I didn't take it on the track every other weekend. I can't imagine using it to commute to work (which is what you do on your 250, right?).

If you're serious about upgrading from the 250, and are looking at something which you can commute with and also have fun, check out the Bandit 1200. Still a lot of bike if you're not used to that kind of power. But much more forgiving than an RSV for sure. It may be bland, but I've not come across many people who really push the their sports/supersports on the street anywhere near the bikes limit.

 

[JCH13]

My knowledge is really only with the engines of some of those bikes.

The GSXR and CBR will be the most streetable and reliable. Not sure one is really better than the other in a clear-cut way.

The Yahmahas are really high-strung, which like you say is good for the track and bad for the road.

"An Aprilla is like dating a super model: she can be really awesome, but she's a temperamental bitch and costs a lot of money."

 

[roguerower]

Fuzzy, what's your interest in going straight to a liter bike? I commend you for looking at a European sport bike v. the usual japanese contenders but realize that the cost for a 1L european sport bike is A LOT higher than a similar japanese one. My Triumph cost me a lot more than a comparable GSXR, R6, CBR, or Ninja and it's only a 675.

If you're really interested in one I'd recommend you lay out your priorities for your bike. If your number 1 priority is the track then a RSV would be AWESOME! If your number 1 priority is commuting, it would probably be absolutely horrible, akin to restricting a F-15 to only 300mph at all times.

If you're looking for an upgrade and are interested in the european market there are a lot of nice choices and you can be sure that they will all cost a pretty penny, but they all of some sort of attitude v. being just another 4cyl. Until you let us know what you're looking for in your next bike we can't help you out.

 

[SithSolo1]

After beaching your 250r off-roading I don't think you should be looking at anything over 600cc for a long, long time.

That said the Aprilia would be a horrible choice for riding around town.

 

[Demo24]

Considering you seem to do some non-pavement excursions and carry a decent amount of stuff with you, shouldn't you be considering something with storage bins and not a liter sport bike?

 

[JulesMaximus]

I've looked at Aprilias and while they are awesome bikes the dealer support is spotty and aftermarket is slim and EXPENSIVE!!!

If I were in the market for a supersport I'd probably just buy a GSXR750.

 

[roguerower]

I've looked at Aprilias and while they are awesome bikes the dealer support is spotty and aftermarket is slim and EXPENSIVE!!!

If I were in the market for a supersport I'd probably just buy a GSXR750.

*SLAP* NO! BAD JULES! You will buy that Ducati and you will like it!

 

[JulesMaximus]

*SLAP* NO! BAD JULES! You will buy that Ducati and you will like it!

I said, IF I were in the market for a supersport...I'm not. Just not my cup of tea.

Ducati has better dealer support and a bigger aftermarket. Aftermarket is also expensive but I feel there are more options with Ducati and a larger community of owners to talk to as well.

I'm kind of debating whether or not to put new tires and battery on my bike. I'm not sure when those new Monsters will hit dealers and how many of the first bikes are already spoken for. It might be months still before I can get my hands on one. I'm still riding my bike but the battery is 3 years old and the tires are in need of replacement.

By the way, you might want to do some research on the expanding tank issue many of the European bikes are experiencing. It seems the ethanol we put in our gasoline causes moisture to weep into the plastic the tanks are made of and they expand over time.

My good friend has a Ducati Sport Classic and after 3 years his tank has expanded to the point that it is almost out of the forward mounts on the frame. His tank expanded almost an inch from the factory specs but after 1 week drying it had already shrunk back 1/8th of an inch.

Triumph sources their tanks from the same manufacturer as Ducati (I'm sure Aprilia does too) so if your tank is plastic (and I'm pretty sure it is) then you might experience this.

There is a fix though, you drain the tank, let it dry for a few weeks and then coat the inside with an epoxy. Many of the guys on the Ducati forums have done this with great success.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Is there a reason why you want to go straight from 250 to 1000cc? Just curious.

With regards to the RSV, would love to own one. Just not sure what I'd do with it if I didn't take it on the track every other weekend. I can't imagine using it to commute to work (which is what you do on your 250, right?).

If you're serious about upgrading from the 250, and are looking at something which you can commute with and also have fun, check out the Bandit 1200. Still a lot of bike if you're not used to that kind of power. But much more forgiving than an RSV for sure. It may be bland, but I've not come across many people who really push the their sports/supersports on the street anywhere near the bikes limit.

I'm actually not really looking to do anything right now. Just curious about the Aprilias. I don't hear mention of them very often. I really want to just stick with sport bikes at this point. Maybe in the distant future I'll get a cruiser or dual sport. I'm actually not doing much of the offroading stuff at all.

What first turned me on to them is their slim nature - very compact for a liter bike. Should work well for my smaller frame. I saw one by chance at a motorcycle equipment shop and thought - "that's a really sexy little 250cc." I was floored when I learned that it was a liter. And they're more unique than all the other Gixxers, CBRs, and Yamahas on the road.

But more than likely due to expense and experience I'll just end up getting a CBR600 or something.

 

[soccerballtux]

I'm just daydreaming about bikes - basically what I'm going to get after the Ninja 250R, which will probably be a while from now. Got other things I want to buy.

Yamaha R6/R1 - supposedly awesome track bikes, but bad for the road.
CBR600/1000 - awesome all around bike
GSX600/750 - good bike, CBR is better?
ZX6 - haven't really looked into them

And then there's the Aprilia RSV4 R - I love how it's so compact. No 600 or 700cc flavor, only 1000cc. Anyone have one?

don't underrate comfort if you like taking long rides.

It's my understanding that the 4 cylinder race bikes are pretty far forward. My sv1000s is kinda in between sport and touring...like it a lot.

Don't forget that you're going to get much worse gas mileage. I've been considering getting a second bike that gets 60mpg so that I can travel anywhere for free. I get about 35mpg on my sv1000s.

Take a look at the sv650, very cheap, lot of people like them, v-twin so more torque down low.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I'm actually not really looking to do anything right now. Just curious about the Aprilias. I don't hear mention of them very often. I really want to just stick with sport bikes at this point. Maybe in the distant future I'll get a cruiser or dual sport. I'm actually not doing much of the offroading stuff at all.

What first turned me on to them is their slim nature - very compact for a liter bike. Should work well for my smaller frame. I saw one by chance at a motorcycle equipment shop and thought - "that's a really sexy little 250cc." I was floored when I learned that it was a liter. And they're more unique than all the other Gixxers, CBRs, and Yamahas on the road.

But more than likely due to expense and experience I'll just end up getting a CBR600 or something.

It is slim because it is a V4 engine. Unlike all the Japanese supersports which are inline-4 cylinder engines and as such are much wider.

Take 4 12oz cans of coke and line them up in a row next to each other with about an inch between them. Now take two of them and put them behind the other two.

O O O O

vs

O O

O O

Much slimmer.

 

[JulesMaximus]

don't underrate comfort if you like taking long rides.

It's my understanding that the 4 cylinder race bikes are pretty far forward. My sv1000s is kinda in between sport and touring...like it a lot.

Don't forget that you're going to get much worse gas mileage. I've been considering getting a second bike that gets 60mpg so that I can travel anywhere for free. I get about 35mpg on my sv1000s.

Take a look at the sv650, very cheap, lot of people like them, v-twin so more torque down low.

Agreed. The SV650 is no slouch. It will haul 0-60mph in 4.0 seconds and the quarter mile in around 11 seconds if you get a good launch. That's a lot faster than most cars.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Agreed. The SV650 is no slouch. It will haul 0-60mph in 4.0 seconds and the quarter mile in around 11 seconds if you get a good launch. That's a lot faster than most cars.

But it doesn't look as sexy as a CBR, GSXR, or Aprilia

 

[JulesMaximus]

But it doesn't look as sexy as a CBR, GSXR, or Aprilia

Nor will it bite you as hard.

 

[Christobevii3]

Triumph daytona 675 ftw. More midrange power than the 600's so you dont have to shift fifty thousand times when in town.

Aprilia and Ducati's are nice bikes but not having a dealer nearby and the fact everything takes twice as much work to repair and costs similar I will never own one. I want a triumph street triple after my kawasaki versys but double the cost in insurance and the cost of the bike I might as well chop my versys up into a naked street fighter.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Triumph daytona 675 ftw. More midrange power than the 600's so you dont have to shift fifty thousand times when in town.

Aprilia and Ducati's are nice bikes but not having a dealer nearby and the fact everything takes twice as much work to repair and costs similar I will never own one. I want a triumph street triple after my kawasaki versys but double the cost in insurance and the cost of the bike I might as well chop my versys up into a naked street fighter.

I'm lucky I guess. There is a Ducati dealer 20 minutes from me, 3 more within 1 hour of me, and two more just beyond that. Competition is good so they don't dick you around on pricing too much and you can always find service somewhere else if you don't like it at one place.

Ducati has also focused on making service intervals longer and less expensive in the last few years so I'm not too worried about it. The bike I'm buying next is an air-cooled Ducati Monster 1100 EVO, it is a 2 valve motor making 100hp, very easy to work on and very reliable. Plus it is only about 400lbs wet.

 

[Fenixgoon]

for yamaha check out the fz6r, fz8, fz1, or super tenere. the last is an adventure-touring bike. the other three are sporty but retuned for street riding and commuting and dont have the aggressive seating positions of the race bikes. i own an fz6r and love it.

 

[996GT2]

Bmw s1000 rr ?

$13,950 for 183 hp at the wheels

 

[JulesMaximus]

Bmw s1000 rr ?

$13,950 for 183 hp at the wheels

For when you absolutely have to blow away every vehicle on the planet?

 

[996GT2]

For when you absolutely have to blow away every vehicle on the planet?

I'm not a motorcyclist, but it seems like the BMW is priced well for the performance it offers. And it's European if OP feels that Japanese literbikes are too common.

 

[EightySix Four]

Was it the new Kawasaki liter bike that had more HP and less weight than even the BMW?

 

[Greenman]

For when you absolutely have to blow away every vehicle on the planet?

Except the V-Max. I think it's 198 horsepower. Awesome engineering, design by the Power Rangers.

 

[Greenman]

I'm not a motorcyclist, but it seems like the BMW is priced well for the performance it offers. And it's European if OP feels that Japanese literbikes are too common.

BMW produces a hell of a bike, at a pretty fair price point. They also produce some of the ugliest options I've ever seen.

 

[roguerower]

But it doesn't look as sexy as a CBR, GSXR, or Aprilia

That's what you think. For what it is, I think it's a pretty badass looking bike.

Triumph daytona 675 ftw. More midrange power than the 600's so you dont have to shift fifty thousand times when in town.

Aprilia and Ducati's are nice bikes but not having a dealer nearby and the fact everything takes twice as much work to repair and costs similar I will never own one. I want a triumph street triple after my kawasaki versys but double the cost in insurance and the cost of the bike I might as well chop my versys up into a naked street fighter.

I'd check with State Farm on the insurance. I'm paying $1200/yr for my Street Triple R. I fucking love that bike!

I'm lucky I guess. There is a Ducati dealer 20 minutes from me, 3 more within 1 hour of me, and two more just beyond that. Competition is good so they don't dick you around on pricing too much and you can always find service somewhere else if you don't like it at one place.

Ducati has also focused on making service intervals longer and less expensive in the last few years so I'm not too worried about it. The bike I'm buying next is an air-cooled Ducati Monster 1100 EVO, it is a 2 valve motor making 100hp, very easy to work on and very reliable. Plus it is only about 400lbs wet.

Pretty unique situation for you. We got a shitload of the usual japanese dealers but 1 of each of the specialty dealers.

Thanks for the heads up on the tanks Jules, I'll look into that.