Thinking of Buying an Aprilia or Ducati...

[cookhj]

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.

[mysubaruimp]

Ride both and make up your own mind. They are all amazing machines that will make you very happy.

If you go for the Aprilia, I suggest getting the factory over the standard R. It comes with Ohlins and a bunch of carbon goodies. It is well worth the couple grand extra.


-edit, I forgot to finish typing

[cookhj]

i would love to ride them and test them out, but the dealerships around here don't do test rides, so unless someone around here has one, i will be going at it blind.

[chsnprodigy]

I Ride a 01 Mille R.....Now known as the Factory R. The bike I have is absolutly the best handlening bike ive ridden, the wat it responds is amazing. Im not a fan of the dry clutch the ducati has, but Im sure its a awsome bike to have. If you cant afford a new Factory R, look for a used Mille R. You wont be disapointed, I was kinda in the same boat as you and went and looked at the new Factory R...and then looked at the price. I looked online to find a used Mille R, had to drive a couple of hours to look at it...but the next weekend I came home with it. I dont baby this bike either, I ride the ever living shit out of it. The great thing is people reall dont know about Aprilias, atleast the new squids dont know this bike. When you go to your local spot people look at you like your on a space ship. Either way you go with your choice your going to be happy...Duc or Aprilia...there both going to be a wet dream!

[cookhj]

thanks for the response. i've heard really good things about the RSV and the main reason i was looking at it over the Ducs is because it requires a lot less maintenance than the Ducs (or so i've heard). i'm lazy and don't want to have to take my bike into the shop every week and a half.

[999Duc]

If you like the look of the factory ,save your money and just buy the RC , they look like the same bike, and that always pisses Factory owners off when someone says it.

They are good bikes though,if you like the RC51 look.

But seriously, if you dont want to spend money on frequent ( every 6000 miles ) expensive scheduled maintenance , dont get a Duc.
They do require more maintenance than Jap bikes and unless you absolutely love the bike, it will weigh on you and piss you off, while emptying your wallet all at the same time.

However , if you do decide on a Duc , I say spring for the 999 , the 749 will more than likely leave you wanting more for ummppphhh for the price you paid.

[FryDaddy]

Oh great - I look in here and who do I see talking about the RC51 as usual. Get the Aprilla. Reason I say this is because I don't see many of those bikes around. From what little I know about them, they seem to be great bikes. But hey, you could always get an RC51 and spend the 7k - 10k that you saved and make it a better bike than it already is. But all of those are great bikes.

[999Duc]

Another RC51 owner hanging around the Ducati threads .......

Fry , come help me get my track bike back together , I will supply the beer.

[cookhj]

how much do the valve jobs normally cost? i've heard that the duc jobs are pretty damn expensive.

[999Duc]

Heres the cost rundown for maintenance on a 999.
Depending on where you get the service done, it can be more or less but this is what I have found to be average.
This is the service schedule:

the initial 600 mile break in service $300-$500

every 6000 miles service ( valves etc ) $600 - $800

every 12,000 miles service ( Valves and Belt replacement etc ) $1000+

So valves need to be checked / adjusted every 6000 miles and Belts have to be replaced every 12,000 miles ,along with the other things performed during the services like throttle body sync , plugs etc.

It's true , Duc's need service more frequently than almost all Jap bikes and yes , the service is more expensive.

For example , the dealership I bought my 999 from charges $90 an hour labor rate for Ducati's and BMW's.

[mysubaruimp]

Aprilia breakdown - IIRC

the initial 600 mile break in service $300-$500

every 6000 miles service ( valves etc ) $450

Valve checking at all service intervals. Adjustment not needed until 10k+ on 99.999%, so you can skip that if you really need to in order to bring service cost to about $200 every 6k.

[cookhj]

word, sounds good. i think that the aprilia sounds like its a little bit less costly maintenance wise. for right now i think that i will stay with the RSV and wait till i'm making a little bit more dough for the Duc.

[999Duc]

Im glad you took the time to look into factors like this that enable you to make a well informed decision before you make a purchase because not everyone does and that leads to pretty unhappy owners when they get hit with the bill.
May I suggest a good dealership in your area:
www.redlinemotors.com
Give them a call and Ask for David or Scott , tell them Tony who owns the 999 with the #1 on it thats in thier shop recommended them to you and they will take care of you.
They are in Yorktown and worth the drive , they sell both Aprilia and Ducati and can handle everything you need , including in house dyno tuning.
Good luck with whatever you get.

[FryDaddy]

Originally Posted by 999Duc

Another RC51 owner hanging around the Ducati threads .......

Fry , come help me get my track bike back together , I will supply the beer.

If you need my help for anything, just let me know and I'll come and try to help you out. Just IM me if your serious.

[cookhj]

thanks guys, i appreciate the help. i will let y'all know when i get back!