i tried to fight it, but it was a loosing battle all the way. just have a look at the picture and you can guess why. there are times when you just loose your heart and there is nothing you can do about it.
initially i did want to get a new bike, to replace the yamaha yzf.
the reason was not the fact that i did not like the yamaha as a bike, but rather that i was looking at an increasing number of things that needed fixing / replacing (tyres, 40.000 km service, …) and would have cost a lot of money without doing anything for the value of the bike. i have to be fair, though, i rode the thundercat a lot, and i hardly spent anything on it up to that point.
initially i was looking for an older 996 or 916 to stick with the ducati topic. then a guy i rode enduro with who was also a bike mechanic at a ducati & aprilia store told me to have a look at the rsv. i did … and i really liked it. so i started looking for older models that would fit my budget until i found this little beauty.
while it was really expensive (for me at the time) it was a good deal. no details, but it really was. and the bike was almost brand new, with only 2400 km on the clock and still had almost the complete 2 years factory guarantee!
when i went to the dealer to try it, there was no way back. why? some of the reasons.
looks.
the first ‘first impression’: the bike is absolutely, astonishingly beautiful.
simple as that.
especially in silver!
sound.
i don’t know how the aprilia guys managed to get the standard silencer approved as road legal. i guess when they turned on the engine the assessor was simply entranced by the pure pleasure of hearing this amazing sound, and did not even realize he put his signature down. 😉
listen, and you will understand why: this is a big twin, not a japanese sewing machine, and the italians made sure the difference is clear from the first stroke to the last.
a deep growl, and best of all, it does definitely not get hysteric when you zoom off in the direction of the rev limiter.
the standard silencer is actually really heavy but a testament to the general build quality of the mille. now it’s gathering dust in a box.
engine.
it is a good thing the designers furnished the bike with a speedo with really big numbers on. 😉
the mille is really quick, and the best thing is that it does not even seem to break a sweat. there is so much torque through the whole powerband that it really moves wherever you open up the throttle. well, after all it is a high performance twin. no doubt about that.
brakes.
brilliant. powerful, even better than the yamaha’s, and – thanks to the steel braided hoses – with a very crisp feel. the only way you can get more stopping power is by running into a wall.
suspension.
The mille probably had one of the best suspension packages of its time. so good in fact that it nearly won the superbike shootout against several much stronger bikes (btw including the 998). my rsv came with the standard showa / sachs package which was good but lacked the suppleness and adjustability of the ohlins package which i replaced it with later. the other significant change was replacing the standard cast wheels with the oz forged ones. with the lighter wheels the bike turns even better than it ever did.
ergos.
just in case you misunderstood the pictures: this is not a gold wing or a bmw. if you have trouble tying up your shoelaces don’t even think of ordering this bike! on the other hand, it is surprisingly comfortable. you do sit in a pretty racy position (stooped over the handlebars), but somehow it is still ok. even after the longer rides i never felt tired or worn out. that is actually precisely one of the points my mate made: the ducati requires a more aggressive position while the rsv is still actually quite toomy and comfortable. i especially like the way the engineers managed to make the tank real slim; it feels more like sitting in the bike than on it. wind protection is also excellent, but that is not a surprise in a bike that has been shaped in the wind tunnel & on the race track.
overall, it is a great bike.
absolutely astonishing.
it did get a few upgrades over time: an akrapovic titanium dual system which in combination with the older style air boot opened the engine up a bit. the rsv r ohlins supension (head & sholders above the showa forks and sachs shock), the forged and much lighter oz wheels and a lot of carbon fibre parts.
while the rsv is not ridden much any more she’s not going anywhere.