how reliable is your aprilla? im thinking of getting another bike soon and its going to be between a rsvr, 929 blade or a gsxr 1000, now i know the other two are faster but theres always been somthing about the rsvr, just worried about it breaking down all the time?

Gixxers are the Mitsubishi Evos of the motorcycle world. They're damn quick but have a reputation for being THE squid/chav bike.

I also happen to consider them the least attractive but maybe that's just me.

Of course, I like the styling of my "new" bike, a 1990 Kawasaki EX500 (aka Ninja500 or GPZ-500S), so maybe my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt.

Well, lets just say that the rumours about Aprilia reliability are BALLS, any Aprilia built since 2000 will be fine.

I brought mine with 3000 miles on it, I have now got 11000 miles on it, and it hasnt missed a beat ONCE, it's perfectly reliable.

I have abused the bejesus out of it the last 12 months TBH, regularly redline it, done 4 screaming trackdays, did over 1000 miles in a single weekend, including 8 laps of the Nurburgring, and it's faultless.

Get the RSVR, future classic, sublime engine and handling, gorgous sound, great build quality, you get a HELL of a lot of bike for you money, get the Factory if you can, loads of spangly bits.

On a track, the GSXR, CBR, R1 maybe a little quicker, but in the real world, i.e. on the road, you wouldn't notice, heck, I have no trouble staying with anything on mine.

Plus the Aprilia always draws admiring looks, and has a lot more character than any of the rice burners will ever have.

GET THE RSVR.

I was toying with the idea of PX'ing mine for an RSVR, but LOOK AT IT, ITS GORGOUS!!!!

i think your right, the rsv suits me a little better to as its a tall bike and im 6ft 3, i'll take one for a test ride, let you know what i think (i know im gonna love it)

One of the reasons I got mine, I am 6ft 4, and TBH, I looked like a dog shaggin a football when I used to ride my CBR600.

The RSV is a MUCH taller and bigger bike, you'll love it, I fell in love with mine within 5 mins of test riding it

Quote from danowat :

I fell in love with mine within 5 mins of test riding it

It took that long?

You have a 10R Graham?

Nice bike Danowat - And I'm not a big fan of crotch rockets.
you know, maybe this is off topic. ok it IS off topic, but one of the problems I have with motorcycles is how they seem to be regulated as recreational vehicles or toys. I don't know how to describe it exactly, It's like your needs for the motorcycle aren't taken as seriously as they would be for a car (cage lol) It seems that motorcycles in general are marketed towards weekend warrior types. You'd think that with the higher costs of fuel (the reason I became "easy rider") that bike companies would be more aggressive promoting the practical side of owning a motorcycle instead of just the "coolness factor".
I'll admit I love the coolness factor, but that really only goes so far.
oh well, speaking of bikes, it's bath day for mine. I hope my rant made some sort of sense.
Again. nice bike.

Bikes are about fun and coolness, personally, I think the biking community wouldn't be too happy if other sides were taken into it.

The mainstream biking community doesn't like the scooter/moped/fun/commuter side of the market, and the motorcycle companies know that, which is why they then to appeal to their main demographic, weekend warriors.

The majority of bikes just aren't very practical, they aren't that comfy over long(er) distances, no weather protection, pain in the arse getting ready, dangerous, relatively expensive to run (they do about the same, if not less mpg than a car, I have seen 12mpg out of mine on the track).

Bikes are generally toys, people generally buy them to be cool/dangerous, thats the way its always been.

Quote from danowat :

Bikes are about fun and coolness, personally, I think the biking community wouldn't be too happy if other sides were taken into it.

The mainstream biking community doesn't like the scooter/moped/fun/commuter side of the market, and the motorcycle companies know that, which is why they then to appeal to their main demographic, weekend warriors.

I don't quite know what you mean by "doesn't like", but I have the more respect for the riders that use their bikes daily through the winter than I do the power ranger types that spend more time cleaning and talking about riding than riding.

Quote :

The majority of bikes just aren't very practical, they aren't that comfy over long(er) distances, no weather protection, pain in the arse getting ready, dangerous, relatively expensive to run (they do about the same, if not less mpg than a car, I have seen 12mpg out of mine on the track).

Bikes are generally toys, people generally buy them to be cool/dangerous, thats the way its always been.

I basically agree with you there, and the majority of bikes sold here are sports bikes, excluding 125 learner bikes. Although I didn't buy my bike to be cool/dangerous. My SV is probably a fair bit cheaper to run than your Falco, though. I take the bike whenever I can, the only things that stop me are ice/snow and the combination of water and salt that my Suzuki does not agree with in the slightest. I get to places so much more quickly, and actually look forward to the journey home.

What SV do you have, sinbad? I ride a '03 1000 S myself. Great bike, although many people seem to underestimate it for some reason. Gotta love big V twins

EDIT: to stay somewhat on topic, my bike used to be my only means of transportation so I would ride it every day, whether it was raining or snowing or whatever. I didn't have any other choice. Now I have a company car and it's just so much more practical to go to work with. I don't have to bother putting on the riding pants, vest, helmet, gloves, boots etc... and don't have to bother changing into more appropriate clothing at work. I absolutely love riding the bike, though, and I take it for a spin whenever I can. But, since I got a car I seldom ride in rainy weather anymore. Let's face it, you don't go riding in the rain for the fun of it. And my bike stays clean and shiny so much longer this way

Quote from obsolum :

What SV do you have, sinbad? I ride a '03 1000 S myself. Great bike, although many people seem to underestimate it for some reason. Gotta love big V twins

I've got a k4 650s, it's my first bike. Certainly not the powerhouse that the thou is in comparison, but quick and agile enough to be fun.

Oh definitely, my first bike was actually a 650 N from '99 (or was it 2000? ). Great first bike. Surprisingly quick for a bike in that class, very agile and light; a real fun bike But, as my dad predicted when I bought it, I grew a bit bored with its lighter engine rather quickly, so I traded it in for its bigger, younger and faster brother

Quote from danowat :

Bikes are about fun and coolness, personally, I think the biking community wouldn't be too happy if other sides were taken into it.

The mainstream biking community doesn't like the scooter/moped/fun/commuter side of the market, and the motorcycle companies know that, which is why they then to appeal to their main demographic, weekend warriors.

The majority of bikes just aren't very practical, they aren't that comfy over long(er) distances, no weather protection, pain in the arse getting ready, dangerous, relatively expensive to run (they do about the same, if not less mpg than a car, I have seen 12mpg out of mine on the track).

Bikes are generally toys, people generally buy them to be cool/dangerous, thats the way its always been.

Yeah, it's attitudes like that is allowing me to pay so much for so little. You may like getting reamed at the service counter, but I don't. you only get 12mpg on that little bike? geesh, I get (depending on how I ride) 40-50 mpg and its a 1400cc. It may not break the sound barrier like what yours might, but getting over 100mph and keeping it there ain't a problem.
Around here, it is both possible and practical to ride year round.
I weighed the difference out carefully between owning my bike and getting a "cage" in a similar price range. I could've gotten an average econobox that would cost more in gas, more in insurance liability and due to wear in traffic - more to fix. my bike doesn't have an alternator or sensors or even a water pump. On a bike, I get access to carpool lanes and things like that. My bike is very reliable, the parts i've had to replace are things that need to be replaced every so often like brake pads, fork seals and tires....arrgghh TIRES are just waaay over priced, at least I thought so until I realized that a bike tire generally lasts longer and is made far better than an average car tire, but it still costs alot. I have a metzler in the back and a dunlop on the front.
And brake pads....why are they so damned expensive? I understand that with fewer bikes to make pads for vs. cars, the cost of manufacture is going to be higher, but THAT damn high? for the price of one set of bike brake pads, I could've got pads for two wheels on a car. Good thing they are a no brainer to replace. The price most shops charge to change pads are obscene. I love the fact it only takes one person to bleed the brakes.

"The majority of bikes just aren't very practical, they aren't that comfy over long(er) distances" I'm fine with it, but I'm pretty sure my wife would agree. sitting like kermit the frog on the bitchbox must suck over time. My bike is a sport cruiser even though it has a semi decent rear seat and a sissybar, it's not really comfortable back there. Oh well, that's what they make goldwings for.


"Bikes are generally toys, people generally buy them to be cool/dangerous, thats the way its always been."

Uhhh where do you buy your bikes at? after the testosterone buzz wears off, the questions asked by customers here tend to be along the lines of fuel economy and reliability. and in my case, how easy is it to work on when things go down? If these people would just realize the power they have as a consumer, then maybe things could get more reasonable (affordable). Of course there are idiots that are awestruck and too busy fantasizing about riding next to Dennis Hopper or blazing on a speedway to really know what they are getting into, but they limit their riding to weekends and after the first near miss sell their "dream machine" to a guy like me for less than what they paid for it. I was lucky. the previous owner that I got this bike from is very experienced and took good care of the bike. in fact, he was getting another bike.

Different markets ain't it, I think the sportsbike market in the USA is virtually non-exsistant (compared to the.........yuck.........cruiser market anyway).

I think the majority of bikers here are fun bikers, our climate certainly makes for a miserable year round biker

I, and the group of people are run with are the same, bar a few, we blast up the coast on the weekends, if the weather is good, maybe once a year blast over to Germany, and chuck in 5 or 6 trackdays here and there, but other than that, they stay tucked up in the garage.

It all depends on what you use the bike for. The way I see it, there are 2 groups of bikers. One group rides their bike all year round (like Racer Y), the other rides the bike more as a means of recreation. For the first group, gas mileage and such will be an important factor when deciding on what bike to get. For the second group (which I belong to) priorities are completely different and gas mileage will probably come dead last

Personally, I couldn't care less about the gas mileage I get on my bike. If I want high gas mileage, I'll take my diesel (company) car. When the weather's been good for a few weeks I'm always amazed at the amount of money I spend on gas, but I will never consider buying another bike just for the sake of having better gas mileage.

EDIT: and yeah, what danowat said. Although I'm not so sure about the non-existant sportsbike market in the US. On my trip over there I saw plenty of sports bikes, to my surprise. But I only visited a small part of the US so my views are probably not representative at all.

I meant compared to the cruiser market, not the sportsbike market as a whole, I think the US see the sportsbike crowd, the same way "we" see the cruiser crowd, I am certainly not into leather caps, tassles and skulls

I think you will find there are a lot more bikers who own the bike for both fun and travel. These days the roads as so full of idiots in cars that you need a bike to get somewhere without getting stuck in traffic. My dad rides his Suzuki sv650s to the train station every morning, and rides it back again when he gets back from work, but he still goes out on it at the weekends. Mind you he has been riding bikes since he could walk.

Quote from obsolum :

It all depends on what you use the bike for. The way I see it, there are 2 groups of bikers. One group rides their bike all year round (like Racer Y), the other rides the bike more as a means of recreation. For the first group, gas mileage and such will be an important factor when deciding on what bike to get. For the second group (which I belong to) priorities are completely different and gas mileage will probably come dead last

Personally, I couldn't care less about the gas mileage I get on my bike. If I want high gas mileage, I'll take my diesel (company) car. When the weather's been good for a few weeks I'm always amazed at the amount of money I spend on gas, but I will never consider buying another bike just for the sake of having better gas mileage.

EDIT: and yeah, what danowat said. Although I'm not so sure about the non-existant sportsbike market in the US. On my trip over there I saw plenty of sports bikes, to my surprise. But I only visited a small part of the US so my views are probably not representative at all.

Oh no sportbikes are everywhere at least here. I have a Yahmaha (star), a triumph (also sells moto guzzi and Ducati and BMW) and a Honda dealership and this place that makes choppers within walking distance, alittle farther out are a Suzuki place a Kawasaki place and a Harley shop. I don't like the mainstream cruiser set much either. their bikes are too fat. and I can't stand windshields and floor boards. And no, don't pick a bike JUST on gas mileage. We all know what cars are like that get super high milage. A bike wouldn't be much different. and yeah the bike should look cool, but not to the point it tears into performance. like mine with the chrome and the raked front end looks like weekend toy and to many it is. but it really is a good workhorse. alot of people tell me I don't have enough crap on it and wonder why i never have the saddlebags tied on. oh yeah, performance.... Texas has lax laws concerning motorcycles. I don't think mine is street legal in some places due to the pipes. Man I love setting off car alarms.
besides baffles just ...baffle me.

oops I'm sorry. I'd be a complete hypocrite if I didn't admit to the fact that the danger/coolness factor IS appealing and recreation wise it's more fun than a boat