Anyone tried the Rally?

Hoping to buy in next month or so. Anyone tried the Rally version and can comment on differences. Only interested in road going so would be aesthetics only I suppose.

Haven't ridden one and when I first saw the Rally in the motorbike press I thought that Aprilia had made a mistake with the looks; in short I thought it was a pig!
Well, I was wrong. I saw a Rally in the flesh at Teasdales the other day in a satin metallic green and it's a real looker. If I was buying new now I'm not sure that I wouldn't have gone for the Rally version.

Rally Rave

Hi Rockbyter, I'm envious of you - I was waiting patiently for the Rally version because it has a lot of extra stuff for the additional grand in price ($24k Aus on-road) but...I just couldn't pass the run out specials on the Touring model....I'm happy with my Touring spec, and still haven't seen the Rally on the floors of dealers here .....but that's the one I'd be after! It gets the exhaust optimizer, LED driving lights, crash bars, waterproof Givi Traka dual opening panniers,heated grips + new tail light as standard kit, and wire wheels for those wanting the dirt bike look. It's got the lot....just fit some mudguard extenders and ride!

ps as an after thought, it will have the latest maps etc so you will have one nice smooth motor-sickle from new!

I know it looks the business but the UK version looks like no centre stand, no heated grips or anything so basically £1000 UK for 2 lights, small amount of steel tube and spoked wheels. Not sure If I would justify that outlay. Also going to look at the new BMW xr though first impressions don't do anything for me. Last time I rode the K1200s I thought the vibrations were terrible so not expecting too much.

Decisions Decisions

Hi Rockbyter. I still haven't seen a Rally in real life - the sales bloke I spoke to today said they were expecting a new model promo night soon, but he thought it was for the 2015 Tuono. Anyway, I've got my Touring spec Capo 12 in Red, and I've notched up 5,500km's since March, and I have so say I'm well pleased with it. It has not had any of the problems I've read about in forum's and makes up for it's horsepower deficit with excellent suspension and fabulous ergonomics! Not to mention great looks that have stood the test of time! The BMW XR1000 seems right, but here in Oz we will probably only see the high spec version (with a high spec price!) cause BMWOz thinks we are all richbastardswithbigegos! Anyway, take your time and enjoy lots of test rides and buy what suits you best....exciting times......fantastic bikes......we are spoilt for choice

Oh, just thought better add...I get better than 18k/ltr (thats 5.5ltr/100 stupid kms) brisk touring, dropping to 17.5k/ltr with some city work, and I think I could get near 20k/ltr if I really tried to be good.....(but I just haven't wanted to.).

Hello from Spain, yesterday i tested the new caponord 1200 rally and ir was great.
I rode it for 5 hours and about 400 Km.
I headed to the pyrenees first through the freeway where i could test wind protection and this was pretty good, i could only feel wind on my helmet. The bike can go really fast with barely no vibrations. After 100 Km i left the freeway and enter the mountain curvy road, the bike is amazingly easy to ride and very fast. The gas is quite direct but you get used to it quickly. The brakes are powerful but very progressive and the best of this bike is its suspension, just leave it in auto and it will adapt to your riding.
But the best is the sound of the engine, its so good you never want the revs to go Down.

After a couple hundred Km i enter an easy dirt road and the bike perform really good.

So the good things:

Very comfortable
Easy handling and fast on the curve
Traction Control not too intrusive and very efficient.
Extraordinary suspension.

The not so good:

Fuel gauge not very useful info and not progresive.
Too much heat from the engine.
Windshield a bit small.


I have a BMW GS ADVENTURE 2009 and the caponord rally is going to be my next bike ��.

G'day Gadiv, great test review! I agree with your evaluation and after 5,600km on my Touring spec, I can say that the motor frees up a lot after the first 1000k service and map upgrade, and that I only notice exhaust heat when I put my right foot down at the traffic lights. The temperature gauge has never gone over 3 bars and the fans cut in briefly when expected. The motor is a little 'tappety' (nowhere near as noisy as an MV Augusta) and the cruise control is handy, but lacks fine adjustment once set. You may not have noticed the tall gearing, but this is a cheap and easy fix with a 16 tooth front sprocket and chain re-tension. I have always had bikes with sensitive throttles, and this one is no harder to ride smoothly than a sports bike, but it gets smoother with more km's. Most important of all is that it is really good looking! Of course you have to choose what is right for you - get that right you will be very happy indeed! Cheers from Australia!

Thanks very much for the review. Gonna test ride the rally before final decision. A little put off the Touring with the reports of lost panniers! Would hate to see it crushed under a truck with my camera or other in it. Looking Like September before I will take the plunge so no rush.
Looked at the BMW XR, Multistrada and the new KTM1290 adventure but all have 160 bhp and a price tag to match. Don't really need that amount of power any more.

Well i have finished testing all the bikes i liked and i´m getting a Caponord Rally 1200.

I have tested:

Bmw R 1200 GS Adventure LC excellent bike, comfortable pretty fast for its weight but too big for everyday riding and lacks character.

Ktm 1290 superadventure comfortable, very efficient, great electronics, super engine. And that was my problem, i don´t need/want 160 Hp, you just can´t go relaxed or slow. I rode in the mountains and the curves kept on comming fast to me, it was kind of stressing.

Yamaha Super Tenere ZE comfortable, it does everything right but lacks power and personality. If i was going to do most of my KM on dirt roads this would be my bike.

Honda Crosstourer smooth, interesting automatic gear box, way too heavy, poor protection, when you get used to the auto gears it can go very fast but again the weight makes things a bit complicated when using the brakes before cornering.

The capo is the bike for me, comfortable, fast but you can ride at a lower pace, good protection, superb engine and sound, excellent electronics. And the price is also better than any of the others.

Rockbyter said:

Thanks very much for the review. Gonna test ride the rally before final decision. A little put off the Touring with the reports of lost panniers! Would hate to see it crushed under a truck with my camera or other in it. Looking Like September before I will take the plunge so no rush.
Looked at the BMW XR, Multistrada and the new KTM1290 adventure but all have 160 bhp and a price tag to match. Don't really need that amount of power any more.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry about losing the panniers off the Touring model, they seem pretty solidly mounted to me and have a fail safe clip to stop them "escaping".

I really appreciate the input guys, my mind is made up to go with the Capo. Probably the tourer as I have no need for the off road and don't fancy laying out extra then more for a centre stand. And 160bhp on a bike like this is wasted, I found the Capo had plenty of get up and go and made me laugh under my helmet as it took off with a mighty roar from the pipe. Is there any intention to fit the resonator to the normal one does anyone know?

This is where these forums are so useful, real life experiences to reinforce my decision. Again, thanks.

Hi Rockbyter why you ask about the resonator? here in Spain because of that resonator the bike pay less polution taxes, at the end almost 1.000€ less for the bike. And about the centre stand the Aprilia Rep. in my city confirmed that it can be put as an extra, at first they said that the Rally couldnt fit one. About the panniers the ones used on the Rally are Givi made and are really good and tough. also they have a safety wire in case they fell down. Also i can state that are almost 100 % water proof, a friend of mine has the top box in his BMW GS LC and he is really satisfied with them, so much that he is selling his BMW vario panniers and get the Givi.

By the way this morning i ordered my new Caponord 1200 Rally and it will be delivered on late June.

I was asking because the reports seem to be in favour of the resonator for improved mid range running.

i haven´t ride the standard caponord, but the rally you can twist throttle from 3.000 Rpm and the bike goes really smooth, but where it really feels comfortable is in the 6.000 Rpm range.

Caponord 014 Touring - A Good Experience

Hi guys, I've been moonlighting on the other forum.....I was all set to fit the resonator to my 014 Touring model (bought new in Feb15) but I won't bother now, it runs so well it would not be worth the expense and the trouble dropping the pipes etc to retro-fit it.....but I am thinking about the Arrow muffler c/w Ex valve...... I have put 6,600k on and it is now fully loosened up and a really refined machine.

I thought the 2015 Touring was to get the exhaust resonator standard, only the Strada missing out, but I guess a visual inspection is the only way to check this - we still only have 2014T models on show-room floors here in Aus.....the only 2015 model to arrive is the base model Strada (we only had the Touring spec till now), and of course, the 'still to come' Rally.

I assume Aprilia has pulled it's finger out to overcome 2013/14 model complaints as I have had a pleasant experience from day 1. Just took a little patience to allow the thing to run in over 5000k.....and a few drops of Loctite now and again as I spotted anything coming loose (it is Italian - only the Japs know how to vibrate tight).

There is a thread covering Touring panniers....and an easy mod to ensure they are adjusted just right. It's a simple fix to ensure the wire safety clip works properly. The Givi panniers on the Rally are (I assume) three point latch to Givi frame, and would never give a false lock-on, or let any water in!

Ps There's a heap of threads and tips and photo's and advice etc on this and the AF1 forum site - well worth a read.....just to get ready for the big day! Cheers from Down Under.

The local Aprilia distributor invited me to a pre-release of the 1200 Rally about a fortnight ago. Had the opportunity to take one for a ride through the Blue Mountains for about 2 hours. I'd ridden the "standard" 1200 about 3 months ago and loved it, so it was interesting comparing the two.

Overall, I found it very similar in ride to the 1200 although a few things stood out.

The turn in with the larger front wheel is a little different to the smaller front wheel. I was riding on a road with lots of twists and although it was easy to ride, it just didn't fall into corners quite the same. This is by no means a niggle, it was just different. The bars seem a little wider? Am I correct? I liked that.

It took me a little while to get the screen just right. I'm 6'2" so I have always struggle with screens. After a few goes I got it right. Good protection without buffeting. I currently ride an ETV 1000 and wind protection on the Rally was much better.

The Rally came with an aftermarket exhaust. I'm not sure what it was because the label had been taken off due to testing/marketing reasons. Nice bark on acceleration and very very smooth. I think it was an Arrow, but it was hard to tell.

I gave the bike a bit of a flogging at one stage and got some drift into some corners. Handling was superb. I've raced a few bikes in my time and not had the same sure planted feeling that the Caponord gave. It just felt like you could push it and push it and the Caponord would respond by giving more confidence.

In comparison to other new "Adventure" bikes I've recently ridden, I have to say the Rally is my favourite, and this is without any bias.
The Rally seems worth every extra cent. The bigger tank, the different screen etc etc just refine what is already a great bike.

A small edit: I thought the tank was supposed to be bigger on the Rally. Its actually the same as the Touring. I confirmed with John Samples who are the distributor here.

I got the spec info from a Dealer who was also on the test ride. Seems they need to check the specs before sprouting BS.

G'day Capo-andy..... I've not actually sighted a Rally, but I reckon the bars are the same as the Touring and base Strada. Glad to know you've had a taste of the Rally.....you lucky bugger! I waited and waited and then succumbed to the delights of a sexy red Touring model at a great price, instead of holding out for the Rally as I had planned.

The Rally is a bit heavier than the Touring, but it's only 10kg of crash bar and pannier frames and wire wheels. Small price to pay for a great touring mount with lots of usable go and great brakes etc etc. The Givi Trakka panniers also have top hatch access, so you can get to your stuff without opening the whole pannier lid. I thought I'd read that the Aussie spec Rally had the works, but maybe we will have to buy a centre stand. Cheers

2016 Rally

Ive checked this posting and I cant find anywhere were someone has a Rally.
I do!, I got it over a year ago the day after it hit the showroom floor at my dealer in Spokane Washington, USA.
I traded my 2010 Ducati MTS 1200S for the bike. The Duke was a "thug in a nice black suit"
The Rally is more of a "laird in a green suit"
What got me was the smoothness of the bike, now th early MTS's had terrible mapping which the dealer could never really fix for me.
My first impression when hitting the curves on the Rally was that there is something wrong with the front suspension, it appeared to fall into curves. But that's what you get when you alter the trail and add a 19" wheel. I'm now used to it and have never felt in peril.
The suspension is first class, poor mans Sky hook really.
My only complaints are the rock hard seat and the heat from the engine.
I've fixed the seat with an "Air Hawk" top, bu the heat is something for the Aprilia to fix.
Apart from that I like the looks, and 125hp is more than enough, I don't think I ever used the last 25hp on the Duke anyway.
just my thoughts
Michael
BTW, I may be a newbie to this forum, but Ive been riding bikes more than 50 years, and have 12 at home.

G'day Mikethebike, if you sneek over to the 2014-2016 Capo forum (AF1 sponsor) you'll find some Rally owners. If you haven't already fitted the centre stand - you can - you just need the bits to extend the LHS frame (just like the Travel Pack version) see photo's on AF1 forum site.

You US guys sure have an issue with heat - my 2014 TP (doesnot have the hot box optimizer fitted) is not hot and is no bother to me even in Aussie summer temps..

Cheers from Aus