Considering purchase of 2002 RSV

KDA · 08-13-2007, 02:30 PM

Hello. I haven't had a road bike in several years. An early TL1000S was the last one I owned. Been riding on the dirt with my kids lately, but am considering an '02 RSV to get back on the street. Also have been looking around for an RC51. I am looking for any feedback on reliability, known glitches etc with the RSV from back then. I really don't want something I have to tinker with and work on much. The MX bikes keep me busy enough. The bike I'm considering is all stock, has only 3400 miles and looks like it has been taken care of and ridden by a responsible adult. Is the gearing reasonable for the street? Fuel injection well sorted? No lean surge or stumble? Any other common things that need to be addressed to make it a good street ride? Thanks for any feedback.

Schaden · 08-31-2007, 09:18 PM

Stock fuel injection is fine. Although they will benefit from an aftermarket eprom and power commander. They've got incredible low and mid range torque but less top end compared to the Honda. Stock gearing is not a problem, you won't be wanting for acceleration, although it's quite tall. Who needs to go 165mph ? Dropping a tooth on the front or up 1-2 in the rear makes a great bike even better. These years reputations were built on a superb chassis, brakes and cornering ability.

I wouldn't be concerned with reliability. They're made to be ridden and the maintenance is all very routine if you've owned a Japanese bike. The twin is hard on the battery so keep it on a tender. Only really bad thing I can say is there aren't a lot of dealers around. But as long as you're not in a very rural area, you shouldn't have problems finding parts or service. If all else fails you can order just about anything you need from www.AF1racing.com

I'm definitely biased, but it seems like most people who've ridden both prefer the Aprilia RSV Mille to the RC51 SP1 and RC-51 SP2.

Here's some comparisons. Consider the source, but I think its much easier to find someone on an Aprilia board who's ridden the Honda than someone on a Honda board who's ridden an Aprilia.

http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/s...highlight=RC51

http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/s...highlight=RC51

http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/s...highlight=RC51

http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/s...&highlight=SP2

That's a good Aprilia website. This forum is dead. But I check once a month or so for people with questions.

hagasn · 09-11-2007, 09:34 AM

what the good word? did you get the bike? why be like everyone else. you don't see these bikes everyday. just look @ how many people post on here.

KDA · 09-17-2007, 08:07 AM

The guy with the Aprilia listing in Cycletrader never called me back. I tried a few times, but never heard back. So I ended up buying an '03 RC51. Did my first track day the week before last. Great fun. Although I must say I enjoy the 50-90mph stuff more than the long straights. We were hitting about 155 on the South course at VIR. Kind of makes me start thinking about what a tire or some other mechanical failure would result in at that speed. Thanks for the responses. Maybe an Aprilia will be next.

Schaden · 12-20-2007, 12:57 AM

Aprilia 2003 Mille R Road Test (MilleR)

Honda 2001 RC51 Road Test

Two excellent reviews.

SAHTT · 02-10-2008, 05:09 PM

Two good rewiews but not much focus on what most people actually use the bikes for. For instance, the Mille is a lot more comfortable to me, from the seating position to the seat. Also, the RC runs extremely* hot in traffic. It's by far the hottest bike I've ever ridden, it'll discolor your leathers over time if you ride through a lot of traffic. You can imagine if you are wearing gym shorts what'll happen.