Thinking of buying an Aprilia or Ducati...

cookhj · 12-28-2004, 07:58 PM

so i'm going overseas to the sandbox for a few months and want to get a new bike when i get back. however, i'm torn between 2, possibly 4 bikes; 2 Aprilias and 2 Ducatis. the 2 Aprilias are the RSV and RSV Factory, and the 2 Ducs are the 749 and the 999 (possibly the RC51 if i can't afford the others).

talk me into buying on over the others. i want to hear personal experiences and merits/demerits of each. right now i'm leaning toward the RSV, maybe the RSV Factory, but i know i want a V-twin sportbike; something that not many other people have.

experience wise i have about a year and a half of riding experience and i ride a '02 CBR 600 F4i.

AV8OR · 12-30-2004, 02:44 AM

check out www.apriliaforum.com after all the reading on there, Im sure you will get the RSV.....cannot go wrong dude!!!!!!!!

cookhj · 12-31-2004, 01:16 AM

word, thanks. i'm leaning towards the RSV, but there are so many other bikes that i really want at the same time. i will check out the aprilia forums, thanks.

chsnprodigy · 01-07-2005, 12:57 PM

your going from a F4i to a DUC/APRILIA/RC?? Take it easy when you get one, especially with 1.5 years under your belt....good luck on your pick.

ChicagoMille · 01-08-2005, 12:09 PM

I had that same dilema about a year ago and I went for the Aprilia Factory. To me, it's a better looking bike and a better value for the money over a 999. You get all the Ohlins suspension, brembo radial brakes, Lightweight OZ wheels, and a bunch of carbon fibre, for the same price. Another thing was maintenece/reliability issues. The Aprilia is the same as any Jap bike, whereas the Duc needs a little more TLC and $.

The standard RSVR would be more than enough for you, me, or anybody else for that matter. It's also about $3800.00 cheaper. Same motor and frame, just doesn't have all the goodies mentioned above.

Lastly, if you want to own something different then everybody else, the Aprilia is the right choice. Ducati's aren't as common as the Jap bikes, but there are still WAY more Ducs than Aprilia's.

Both are great bikes, and you can't go wrong either way. The new standard 999's have about 140 RWHP stock, WOW! The Aprilia will have about 120 stock. If Ducati had this available, and in the new black color, a year ago, it would made my decicion much harder, but I still would have went with the Aprilia. Coming off of an F4i, either one will be more than a handful for you. You can't whack the throttle wide open at low RPM's with these bikes. If you do, you'll be on your ass before you know it.

Good Luck with your decision.

chsnprodigy · 01-08-2005, 04:23 PM

Im not sure if your open to used, but thats what I did. I fell in love with the 01 Mille R, my friend let me ride his when I had my GSXR. So what I did last year is went and looked at new Milles, then relized it was out of my price range, so I went used, picked a 01 Mille R with 4300miles and full arrow high mount exaust for 9,500. You could always look used. And like ChicagoMille said, pulling up to the bike spot on a bike that some people have no clue what your on is funny, but its even funnier when you blow them away in the twisties with it. Alot of people buy italian bikes for the image.....i bought it for the performance.

ChicagoMille · 01-08-2005, 06:38 PM

I bought mine because of it's looks, I wanted a Vtwin, reliability, handling, it's different/exotic, and it's performance. Pretty much in that order. Performance was last because any modern day liter bike has more than enough performance for me. The Factory shines more on twisty roads and track days, not straightaways or dragstrips. To me, the fun of having a sportbike is leaning into turns, which equates to handling, and the Factory is one of the best if not THE best in that department.

Going used isn't a bad idea either, you can save a lot of cash.

chsnprodigy · 01-08-2005, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChicagoMille

I bought mine because of it's looks, I wanted a Vtwin, reliability, handling, it's different/exotic, and it's performance. Pretty much in that order. Performance was last because any modern day liter bike has more than enough performance for me. The Factory shines more on twisty roads and track days, not straightaways or dragstrips. To me, the fun of having a sportbike is leaning into turns, which equates to handling, and the Factory is one of the best if not THE best in that department.

Going used isn't a bad idea either, you can save a lot of cash.

Its too bad you live in IL, I think you and I ChicagoMille are on the same page mentally. What you typed here, fits every reason that I bought mine.

mysubaruimp · 01-08-2005, 10:36 PM

I dont know about you guys...I just walked into the dealership and next thing I knew it was parked in my garage. I guess I just blacked out for a minute.

Seriously though, I just stopped in to take a peek and see what they were all about. I saw mine in the front row, it just drew me in. Instantly I knew it was the bike for me. Came back the next day with $$$ and took it home, havent looked back since or regretted it once.

chsnprodigy · 01-09-2005, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mysubaruimp

I dont know about you guys...I just walked into the dealership and next thing I knew it was parked in my garage. I guess I just blacked out for a minute.

Seriously though, I just stopped in to take a peek and see what they were all about. I saw mine in the front row, it just drew me in. Instantly I knew it was the bike for me. Came back the next day with $$$ and took it home, havent looked back since or regretted it once.

Yea I kinda did the same thing, but I had to drive to VA to look at mine, it was used, went back the next weekend with check in hand and put it in my trailer and now its mine!

EvilEagle · 01-13-2005, 10:45 AM

[quote=cookhj]talk me into buying on over the others. i want to hear personal experiences and merits/demerits of each. QUOTE]

I've had a 916 and a 996. I own a mille R now & don't plan on getting another duc. That pretty much says it all.

chsnprodigy · 01-13-2005, 02:55 PM

[quote=EvilEagle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cookhj

talk me into buying on over the others. i want to hear personal experiences and merits/demerits of each. QUOTE]

I've had a 916 and a 996. I own a mille R now & don't plan on getting another duc. That pretty much says it all.

What didnt you like about the 996, and 916??

falco · 04-17-2005, 05:19 PM

[quote=chsnprodigy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilEagle

What didnt you like about the 996, and 916??

The engine is not built by rotax....
http://www.rotax.com/en/Engine/2004/Motorcycle/

EvilEagle · 04-26-2005, 05:33 PM

[quote=chsnprodigy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilEagle

What didnt you like about the 996, and 916??

Well, I liked the duc's -- it was cool to ride them around. But, the constant maintenance on a duc really wears you (and your wallet) out. Plus, parts are a bit more expensive (depends on where you live obviously) and the Aprilia is just more fun I think. It feels more user-friendly. I'm a pretty big dude too and the duc's are just too thin for me to spend much time on (off the track anyway). You do get a few rich idiots that have heard of Ducati's & go out & buy one as their first bike just to show how much money they have. You don't see that as much with Aprilia -- I like that about them too.

Blackduc · 05-02-2005, 11:39 AM

The 2001 900 monster I had, had its share of tech problems and was expensive to maintain. The 749 I have now is not even comparable. Its like night and day maintenance wise. Much better bike with a much better engine. Mechanically I think the new Ducati's are great, they still havent mastered the electrical system yet. But, then again how many radios or T.V.'s do you buy that were made in Italy. The Aprilia is a great choice though. One of the main reasons Ducati's break is because you get these rich guys that like it more for the looks that the riding pleasure and it turns into an expensive garage ornament that sits around collecting dust. Then people wonder why their 2 year old Ducati with 800 miles on it breaks. You gotta ride em. Any machine is going to fail if not exercised, no matter who makes it.