Hi Jony - I'm not sure anyone else would be interested, but the local Suzuki / Aprilia / Triumph dealer has scored a series of hits with me over the past few weeks - first, he sold me a set of Pilots for my BMW within about $15 of internet price, so I was happy to buy locally - then a couple weeks ago I was in drooling on an Aprilia SXV550 and shot the breeze for 30 minutes or so with a friendly guy who looked somehow familiar - I was very surprised when he finally introduced himself as Rodney Smith (the Suzuki guy - heading to a nearby GNCC). In the course of discussion, the dealer offered me a ride on the Aprilia supermoto street version. I didn't have time right then, but went back yesterday and took them up on it. I was expecting a carefully controlled 10 minute cruise, but instead the sales manager checked to make sure I had time, then led me on a very agressive 45 minute blast looning around a combo of back city streets, nasty little county roads, and a few miles of interstate to tie them together. The bike was an absolute blast - factory packages have a level of finish that's hard to replicate in your garage. Although my KTM seems a little quicker (no surprise there - a stock 550 against a very heavily leaned on overbored home-built), and somewhat limited by the 5-speed it was definitely down on top speed compared to the KTM. Although we didn't actually run it out fully, at around 95 or so it definitely felt close to the edge - my KTM will record 122 on my GPS geared 15/40 with a 150 tire and the MXC close ratio 6-speed. Brakes were superb - not especially more powerful than my ISR 6-piston on a big Braking rotor, but better immediate "bite" and very progressive. Steering was a little less "nervous" than mine - the front end felt a little less steep (and maybe more trail?), but still quite agile. I doubt the sag has ever been touched, and the bike felt a little tall - there's a ride height adjuster and the forks have plenty of room to slide up in the clamps, so between that and getting the right amount of sag, ride height should come down where it belongs. Bars, levers, etc were way too high for my taste - I prefer to stay a little more over the front - hard to do with long arms and high bars. Again, easy to fix. I'm sure it was absolutely box stock, but it sounded great - a wonderful cacophony of V-twin rumble, clutch rattle (no dry clutch, tho' - I'm not sure where the noise was coming from), straight-cut primary gears, etc, and an under-tail silencer with dual outlets immediately behind the seat. The styling really does it for me, too - I like that "insect-like" poise and sharp edges everywhere. All in all, it was a great package - that just might have to be my next addition to the garage. If you get the chance to spend some time on one, I'd be interested to hear your opinion. Too bad they've got a reputation for being fragile - it's one thing to spend time building the damn thing, but it's an entirely different matter to be pulling the top end off every now and then.
Anyway - what a fun bike - check one out if you can. Art
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