Blade wrote:Did he say what the problems with them was ? Are you considerinf getting one Rocket ?
he mentioned mainly electrics , recalls etc.. he's a genuine guy runs the kwaki part but they sell aprillias as well. Well worth a visit and a chat too not that far from us either.
I did when i was looking at the 899 they both felt very similar to sit on i liked the 899 but did not love it. I did not test ride the rsv4 so can not compare but on paper and sitting on it , it felt DAM good and the noise they make hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
"80mph" sorry officer I possibly could not have done that I'm no Valentino Rossi.
I ve been to Kawasaki Autorama isn't it owned by Clive Padgett's brother ?
Not ridden a 899 but the rsv4 blows the 1199 away IMO and test rode both back to back on same route and had them both for a good few hours in the twisties.
I believe there have been 2 recalls one for early model RSV4 Rs ( ie not factory's) which had a bad batch of conrods so aprilla swapped the whole engine. Other was to do with valves but only effect 3 bikes in total apparently.
Its by far the best bike I have ever ridden by a country mile. I felt confident within a few feet of pulling off. The bike is just so easy to ride. It has exceptional brakes, stacks of power, sounds and looks amazing but for me it was the effortlessness of riding it quick that made it such a joy to ride. The turn in was the stand out feature imo but with no compromise in stability. It was like riding a 250gp bike with 180 bhp and an electronics package so good it was like god was holiding your hand as you rode it.
Get a rest ride and you'll want one. The only black mark and it is a big one is the reliability concerns and poor spares back up from the factory but buy a late model that's been looked after and you should be ok.
There is a bit of a deabte on the PB forum about Aprilia reliability and spares but this has been posted up today. I'm an RSV4 owner and racer (my bike was an Obsession in pb a couple of years back), over the last 2 years my aprilia has been more reliable than the r6 i also race. Done 2 TT's, 2 Ulster GP's a host of irish road races, scarborough and short circuits so it has a tough life. The motor has been a model of reliability!!
I have had an ECU issue but was easily sorted (no need to change a complete lock set, any rsv4 ecu will work and any dealer can upload the latest software).
The early bikes weren't quite as reliable, the cam spec was changed slightly to improve valve life and only the original press bikes had rod problems from a dodgy batch.
When it comes to road racing everything is pushed to the limits and certain bikes have certain problems (zx10 chocolate gearboxes for example, blade cranks/gearboxes/head gaskets...), in my opinion people just expect italian bikes to break and remember when they do!
Parts supply can be a bit of a joke though, I have 3 different suppliers (not all uk dealer supply chain) so can usually source bits without too much issue.
As Kitparts mentioned earlier the collets do benefit from hand finishing on race engines but i've had exactly the same fault with R6 engines too!!
I for one will be looking very hard at the new bike as I love mine to bits... and if anyone needs info or work doing let me know
If you get a good one you will be fine but if not it will be a whole lot of trouble and headaches trying to get it fixed.
Blade wrote:No like neither it was completely unique.
Its by far the best bike I have ever ridden by a country mile. I felt confident within a few feet of pulling off. The bike is just so easy to ride. It has exceptional brakes, stacks of power, sounds and looks amazing but for me it was the effortlessness of riding it quick that made it such a joy to ride. The turn in was the stand out feature imo but with no compromise in stability. It was like riding a 250gp bike with 180 bhp and an electronics package so good it was like god was holiding your hand as you rode it.
Get a rest ride and you'll want one. The only black mark and it is a big one is the reliability concerns and poor spares back up from the factory but buy a late model that's been looked after and you should be ok.
was it the factory or the normal model ?? they have a factory at Padgett's he did say if they had a used one in he would let me try it :-)
"80mph" sorry officer I possibly could not have done that I'm no Valentino Rossi.
Factory mate. Well worth the extra wonga. Full Ohlins suspensions and steering damper, forged wheels, magnesium engine cases, carbon parts, adjustable swingnarm pivot, adjustable engine mounts and adjustable headstock are the upgrades. Its as near as dam it an Aprilla v4 CRT bike from motogp.
Initially I was disappointed but its starting to grow on me. I think the main problem was thanks to all the artist's impressions before the official launch having it looking like a hardcore, updated R6 it was not what I was expecting.
I was under the impression that most 12+ plate RSV4's are quite reliable ?? obviously you get the odd one like all bikes, I think the panigale had 3 recalls In the short time I owned it !!. Mind you not now owning an RSV4 I am out of the 'loop' a bit !! but I don't think they have any more problems than any other bikes. ??
