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Aprilia RS660 Reviews

Discussion in 'General' started by nlzmo400r, Oct 12, 2020.

  1. gcally

    gcally Well-Known Member

    So, what is everyone’s general opinion on Aprilia build quality and parts availability these days?
    That is my only concern with going down the Italian motorcycle route….
     
  2. Robby-Bobby

    Robby-Bobby Steeltoe’s Daddy

    From being a dealer almost 20 years, I can say right about the newer tuono and RSV4 came about the parts supply improved night and day.

    In fact I can’t think of a single part we’ve ordered in the last few years that has any issue.
    I know that older models and specifically the sxf and Rxv Twins stuff is getting harder to get as I bought a bunch of their stock.

    mother than that, including motor parts and stuff is readily available for older rotax twins motors.

    I have had older scooter parts harder to get but these are 10 years old or older.

    just from a personal experience we have had multiple customers that hav had issues getting parts from out of town and I think it’s probably more a dealer issue because the older stuff does require a little legwork and patience.

    long story short, in the last 10 years, I haven’t had much problems filing Aprilia orders.
     
  3. nd4spd

    nd4spd Well-Known Member

    You’ll forget any concerns as soon as you roll into the throttle the first time.
     
    gapman789 likes this.
  4. gcally

    gcally Well-Known Member

    What about reliability and build quality. My last bike was 2017 GSXR 1000 and that bike was rock solid reliable and super easy to work on.
     
  5. Robby-Bobby

    Robby-Bobby Steeltoe’s Daddy

    Other than normal shit or abuse they are rock solid. Even the older rotax Twins.

    Aprilia got a bad vibe from the SXV and motor replacements.

    I can count a single engine failure on the v-4 motors that we’ve seen since they were introduced and it was from another dealer that had just did a top end service on it and are a valve after 100 miles. Of course dealer said it wasn’t their fault but I figure I’d post it.

    however join some Aprilia groups. You know online forums will tell every little thing.
     
  6. nd4spd

    nd4spd Well-Known Member

    Bodywork fitment/overall engineering of my RSV is on par with or exceeds any Honda I’ve owned. Some of the fasteners have gotten a bit corroded but I chalk that up to the bike spending the first part of its life in a coastal city exposed to salty atmospheric conditions. It has over 8k miles now, mixed track/street. I’ve had no mechanical issues other than the shift lever needing some adjustment and there’s no record of the previous owner having any, either. Filters, parts, farkles and the like are readily available from AF1. At times there’s a wait but that’s not something that bothers me. I’ve only owned Hondas up until I bought the RSV and it’s my favorite bike that I’ve ever owned.

    The chassis is incredible, gobs of power and the sound is intoxicating on the RSV. Other than gear driven Honda V4s, it’s the best sounding bike IMO.

    This RS660 seems to have maintained that character. No, 100hp isn’t a lot but the bike is light. I’m betting it’ll be a scalpel. It sure sounds good for a parallel twin.
     
  7. nlzmo400r

    nlzmo400r Well-Known Member

    I’ve always felt they didn’t feel as ‘special’ as Ducatis (when the RSV4 came out in 2009), but were absolutely a well built item. I’d say they’re dead smack in the middle of Ducati/MV and the Japanese brands. Nothing to you’ll miss as a track machine.

    You’re required to start a build thread by the way so we can see pictures of the new bike and it’s progress.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  8. Gino230

    Gino230 Well-Known Member

    I'm gonna hold my enthusiasm until I see some people I know go faster on them than they did on their SVs .

    (Plus I just ponied up big bucks for my FZ motor)
     
    Champer likes this.
  9. jonathanp

    jonathanp Tech drop out

    Half a day and the top guys will be faster than an SV I bet.
     
  10. Chango

    Chango Something clever!

    That's my expectation as well. The SV was never meant to be a high performance race bike. Sure it can be improved quite a bit, but the Aprilia is starting off at a much higher level.
     
  11. nlzmo400r

    nlzmo400r Well-Known Member

    15 years of development is quite a lot though. I'm sure the ceiling of potential will be higher with the Aprilia just by chassis design, but it's gonna take more than 6hrs to get there.
     
  12. Gino230

    Gino230 Well-Known Member

    Fast people will go fast on anything.

    I'm taking about guys I know that are around my comfort level. The FZ is arguably faster, but the SV is easier to ride. Waiting to see how the Ape does with that crew.
     
  13. Monsterdood

    Monsterdood Well-Known Member

    I’m guessing the frame and swingarm combo will make for a really nice handling package from the get go. And not changing out forks like most do for the Twins will probably keep the engineered balance of stiffness and compliance front to rear. Just my guess and can’t wait to hear some direct feedback compared to a race built twin. With more power, slipper clutch, USD forks and a light weight to start with, it seems like what we are all trying to convert out SV/FZ/ER into...
     
    Senna and Gino230 like this.
  14. Gino230

    Gino230 Well-Known Member

    I was excited 'till I saw those top triples. Then I was thinking Oh shit, here we go with the special parts to make it work.

    I really hope it is what we hope it is. It looked like the KTM was going to be a LWT savior too, but turns out it's a dressed up motard with a fast engine. It's tall, the frame and tank are gangly, etc.

    Hopefully the Aprilia was designed as a real sportbike. These FZ's and SV's were designed to get maximum amount of turn radius while loaded with 15 chicken crates.
     
    Tj Hunter and RRP like this.
  15. cajun636

    cajun636 Honda Junkie.

    Here is a question, what mechanically about this engine design makes it put out so much more HP than an SV with 10 less cc’s?

    Because if it does, LWTSS and Twins Cup may as well just become the RS250 cup of old. Literally, there won’t be a point
    On being on Anything else.
     
    RRP likes this.
  16. Monsterdood

    Monsterdood Well-Known Member

    I would suspect it has some larger cams in there, the inlet is probably more direct and it has some monster throttle bodies with a variable length intake and I thought I read dual injectors per cylinder. And the power being quoted is engine power, not power at the wheel on an inertial dyno. I did see that the ECU mod for the kit exhaust increased rpm from 10,500 to 11,500. The quoted torque is 2-4 ft-lb lower than 2mil SBK SVs but that is without tuning or any mods. The base engine is flat out newer and when we see Modern V4’s making 200-220 HP, it stands to reason someone could find 100HP out of half a V4.
     
    younglion likes this.
  17. tgold

    tgold Well-Known Member

    When the SV650 came along, it pretty much made the Hawk GT obsolete. Fair play. If I'm not willing to pony up the dough to be at the pointy end of the field then that's my problem.
     
  18. tgold

    tgold Well-Known Member

    I'm not buying a new Aprilia RS660 for the race track. I will however watch the salvage auctions like a hawk next spring;)
     
    Tj Hunter, Phl218 and Gino230 like this.
  19. RRP

    RRP Kinda Superbikey

    Well said. This makes sense and lacks all the bias in so many comments.
     
    Gino230 likes this.
  20. RRP

    RRP Kinda Superbikey

    Now I really want to get a replica "Fastest Chicken in the South" decal for my 1Gs (which aren't "prestigious" enough for MA anyway :D).
     
    Rising Sun, Gino230 and Monsterdood like this.

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