2004 rsv - maintainance - Pricey or affordable?

Hi all,

I am a new member and have only now started paying attention to Aprilia bikes. I saw an RSV on the 405 freeway and was transfixed!

How expoensive is it to maintain older bikes (2000 - 2004)? I have was checking out Ducatis but was warned that maintainance costs on older bikes was prohibitive.

I am due to check out a Suzuki SV 1000s tomorrow but hot &^%^% there are a few 2001 - 2004 Aprilia bikes in the Suzukis price range.

I did a Google search on maintainance costs but no dice.

Would maintainace be a killer for these bikes that you obviously love?

Thanks!

Frank

No more expensive than any other bike I've owned as long as it's been looked after by the previous owner.

Welcome aboard :thumbup

Not sure about Ape maintenance costs myself yet being a newish owner of a 2003 model. Suzuki spares are probably lower priced generally.

However, I also own an Sv1000s so can give a pretty much unbiased comparison.

Depends on what type of ride you want really and how physically big you are to a certain extent. Look at it this way, the Sv is (was) a sports tourer & the Mille 1999-2004 was a sports bike proper,with far superior chassis,suspension etc. The Sv can be improved immensely with suspension & even engine upgrades if you want.

They share very many of the same issues ie: Some dodgy electrical connectors & weak clutch slave seals being the most prolific.

I'm 6" and on the largish size and I find I have more room on the Mille although the Sv is much lower seat wise.

However the mille is the one I ride all the time now, if I could only have 1 bike it would be the Aprilia:inlove:inlove

Good luck
Ian

Hi Mate. In my experience, Ape maintenence is on a par with Jap bikes - i.e., a lot cheaper than Ducatis! They have a few issues - mainly electrical and the sprag starter clutch is a weak point - but if you 're prepared to do a bit of fiddling and follow the recommended starting proceedure, then they are usually pretty trouble free.
In the UK it can take a while to get parts through if the dealer doesn't have them in stock (dunno about in the US) but they're not wildly expensive and you can often source non-Aprila alternatives if you read the forums.
I don't get to ride mine every day but I know there are some people on here that use them for everyday commuting.
Obviously, I'm talking about doing most of your own servicing - if you're going to put into the dealer for every little thing then you're going to pay accordingly.
And yes, we do love them 'cos they're awesome:thumbup

easy to look after dude .....
some people are scared of what they dont understand thats all!

find a guy who knows his stuff and have a chat , then find a guy who deals with nothing but jap stuff , the viod between these two people will be enourmous! one of em will be scared of the unknown ....guess which one!


you 'll be fine mate , !

Thanks folks! I will definitely be joining you all on an Aprillia soon. Thanks again for the insight!