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Aprilia falco 1000SL

 
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Carnage
British Superbike Racer
British Superbike Racer


Joined: 05 Oct 2010
Posts: 1432

PostPosted: Sun Aug 04, 2013 7:11 pm    Post subject: Aprilia falco 1000SL Reply with quote

right so I have had the Falco for a month now and decided to give my opinion of it against the inline 4's ive had.

build quality...so far no real issues ...footpeg came loose today but for a 13 yr old bike I guess that's down to some dodgy git failing to tighten it.
as stated its a 13 year old bike and yet the plastics remain in good shape and none of the metal work appears to made of swiss cheese. the side stand requires a modification by replacement with an 06 fireblade stand to give the bike a buggier footprint when on the stand......to be sorted.
The hooter was a joke, like something from a noddy car so in came the stebel nautilus 8/10

Handling.....unlike the past 2 streetbikes I have had where they had to be pushed into corners the higher centre of balance on the falco means it literally falls into the corners and more than once I have found at low speeds I am far more over than I intended.
I see this as more my error than the bikes and something that will naturally rectify itself. its planted most of the time when a moderate pace is being run but once you start to give it the beans the front end gets light and a little squirmy with the odd head shake if you show it a high white line, I see this as something that can be rectified by having the suspension tuned to my weight and balanced , anything else after that should be seen as pure grin factor. 8/10

performance ....power on tap from 2k in any gear and the higher it revs the more power seems to come pouring in, way too easy to loft the front end in 1st and 2nd gear , 3rd still feels like its hovering at the point of lift off and will return treble figures ( I imagine Embarrassed )
the engine braking is amazing compared to the the 2 streets I had whereby their weight alone carried them into corners at an amazing rate of knots and relied solely n the huge disc brakes to work when required to bring them under control, with the 60 degree v twin its a case of set the throttle on the straight ....roll off on entry hold a neutral throttle around the corner then pour the power back on as you sit up and exit ...that when got right is a huge grin on its own....9/10

Fuel consumption..... I am used to having a fuel gauge with bars to let me know how much fuel I have left , the falco falls down here as it only has a light that comes on when you have approx. ...Ferk knows how much fuel left Laughing ...I appear to be getting around 130- 150 miles to the light ...that's at a guess as I havnt really measured it ...no doubt im going to run out at some point which will teach me to learn my bikes scopes......? / 10

comfort .....tough one to call this for me as I have been used to a far more relaxed position of riding, whilst not a full on sports bike I still find the more forward angle of the falco giving me wrist ache and neck ache but I am guessing that's going to improve the more I ride it, as jimbo worte in his rsv review , they are not too kind on the bum but if your moving about in the twisties its not very noticeable. .....7/10

overall....as with any new bike there is a big grin factor each time I ride it and the confidence grows but along with that there is always the down sides, these are what we have to balance out on our heads and when making the change from the gsx1400 to this I had to make a big decision ...could I feel at home on this bike ...answer ...yes of course or I wouldn't have bought it, it has revitalised my joy of riding although its doesn't seem to have done much for the wifes joy of it.

would I recommend the change ....damn straight I would. Very Happy
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JimBo
Pedantic Cnut
Pedantic Cnut


Joined: 18 Nov 2004
Posts: 5394

PostPosted: Sun Aug 04, 2013 7:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looking good on it Pete, and it's a beautiful colour in the sunlight. Riding it well too now. V-Twins, don't you just love 'em?

I test rode a Falco and was mightily impressed. Almost bought it but I'm really not suited to a sportsbike position, even a less extreme one.
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