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buyer beware??..or not??

F

flavrat

Joined Nov 2009
2 Posts | 0+
first of all..hi to everyone:thumbup
the story so far..
I've never owned an Aprilia before. Me and the missus went looking for a new bike for her last week (she owns the Blackbird), I've got the '96 Blade. She couldn't decide, and I spotted an '04 rsv factory..mint and 10k on the clock. Couldn't stop thinking about her all week, so I went and took the test-ride today.
AWESOME.. :biggrin
loved every second of the hour I had with her!!....but...
well, first of all, the shop couldn't start her. So they gave her a booster charge for 20 minutes. Great! after a free coffee, she's ready to go...for 200 yards! Cuts out at the first set of lights. Wouldn't start on the button, wouldn't bump, so I push her back to the dealer. New battery installed, and off we go again...just before I notice the leaky fork seals. No problem..my blade pops a few now and again..dealer will fix before I buy. Missus begging me not to ride her, but I do anyway. New bridgestones fitted and wet roads, I take it easy....for a while..
Let's see what all the fuss is about these beautiful V twins...
OH......MY.......GOD!!:doug
Why is everyone pootling about?? I'm only doing....oh s##t!!..130!! SO WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE 70??..and why is there a brake lever?..just shut the throttle and she's at 40 before you know it. And the f#####g GRUNT of the thing! Absolutely, brilliantly, fantastic!!..Radial Brembos, Ohlins, Carbon and ***!!....and oh God, did I mention that swingarm?? Michealangelo would've wept..and yes, I know he was eyetie as well, but still...
But then I get back, grinning like Jack...to have my new world shattered..
Tuono rider comes up to me and says..'Had one of those...best and worst bike of my life. Bloody thing was always in the garage! Make sure you check all the recall work has been done..'
WTF!! My blade is 13 years old, and never missed a beat. I change the oil and filter every two thou, and the pads and rubber when required..(and a few fork seals)...and thats it! She's done 97,000 miles and still going strong on the same engine. I'm deadly serious. I don't know what a re-call is..thought it was some old Arnie Sci-Fi movie..
DO NOT shell out 5 grand. Get home and check internet, and.. 'hello'.. rsv zone. It's pretty heartbreaking to tell the truth...cos I fell in love with that bike..and I still am..
BUT..
SUSPENSION PLATE FRACTURES, SPRAG CLUTCH FAILURE(shouldn't have kept pressing the starter like that..), BROWN AND WHITE CONNECTORS MELTING, REAR BRAKE RECALL, REAR MASTER CYLINDER RE-POSITIONING..the list goes on..
You guys know all this, and yet you don't care! You put up with all the crap because the good is..well...SOOOOO GOOOD!! I read the posts and sat there shaking my head...should've been saying 'Ohhh Yeshhh'...but found myself saying 'Ohh no, no,no,no...'
Thats why I'm sat here at bloody 2am, thinking up a plan...a plan to tell my better half in the morning, that I'm not crazy...DEFINITELY NOT crazy, to give the very nice man, 5 thousand of my earthly pounds for a piece of metallic heaven..


I call it.... Plan 'A' .....


.....because I definitely can't go back to Plan 'B'....
 
Hi Flavrat - welcome!
I thought exactly the same thing - had been looking for a while, read all the negative comments, but still bought mine anyway. It was from a dealer miles away from me, so didnt even test ride it......I was sooo nervous that when it turned up there would be tonnes wrong with it, but fortunately it started first time, and hasnt shown any sign of problems yet touch wood. The guys here are super helpful, and it usually only takes a short while searching the forums to find answers.

I've also found coming from a GSXR which never missed a beat, that I've formed more of a "relationship" with my RSV because I spend more time in the garage having a look around etc..!:devious

In short, they do have a few issues (back brake has been the biggest for me), but there a few tweeks and mods that can be done relatively easily at home to help, and the positive sides will massively outnumber the negatives ! :)

If you really like it, might be worth asking on the forum if anyone is selling or knows of anyone - that way you get the benefit of having a bit more confidence in the bike + lots of these "issues" might have already been fixed.

Hope you make the choice with your heart - not your brain!!
 
it gets better. That 10k might not be the real mileage as some 04 bikes i believe reset the odo when the battery is disconnected! Although you had your battery replaced so its either a good one or been fixed already. I had a 99 blade before this, and most on the forum have had similar pasts i guess. I plan to use mine for commuting (not as bad as it sounds as i don't have to travel in rush hour, hence how i'm at work now!)

If you find a good one and go to a good mechanic (there is southern cross if you are london or even better griff at aprilia performance if you are prepared to journey to tamworth) and you aren't afraid to get your hands a little journey sorting out the fiddley bits like brake and clutch bleeding a little more often than you should have to, then the only problems you might find is if you spend lots of money on performance mods (not been mentioned but it has to put a bit extra wear and tear on) and carbon things (dreadfully addictive but also quite expensive!)
My mille is an 01 and i've had to replace a few seals already. Just working my way round the bike now, rubber does degrade with time so it's not unreasonable for them to start going after 9 years and 37k!
 
oh and the best thing about bikes like these is that owners tend to keep their bikes and so they have a lot of knowledge, as you will find by posting on here and reading the posts
 
Buy it!!!!

I bought an 04 in May.......not a single problem. Oh apart from me dropping it twice.

You didn't mention how stable it was. Just rock soild! and mine isn't a factory.
 
Welcome Flavrat.......
DO IT
I bought a 07 factory untested didn't even check on the zone till Id got it.
Coming up to 2 years and 9500 miles now and she has not missed a beat.
Im a tech dullard so she gets her service when due by a qual tech (FORZA) at Silverstone and Ive treated her to some of Griffs rearsets.
Due its first MOT in March so will make the trip to Griffs for 10 thou service Mot and suspension fettle
Do I regret it never
More smiles per mile than anything else out there:thumbup:thumbup:thumbup
 
I@ve got an 02 reg RSV and I have had a few bikes over the years but there aren't that many problems with them all the bits that I have done to mine were out of wanting to rather than it had broken.
I have had other bikes (jap) that have been less reliable
There are lots of members on here that repair there one bikes thats why you see so much about the problems.
My advise is to go for it so much fun
 
Welcome to the forum mate. :thumbup

Ignore everything you see and trust your senses, what did they tell you?

I'm willing to bet that even though your first impressions are that it's gonna be heartache, you'll still be hankering after throwing your leg over the bike for the next ride out. :inlove

The only time I'd advise you not to buy is if this is your commuter bike, possibly not a good idea if you want to keep your job. :roll

Have a good look over it or if your still unsure then ask a forum member to pop along with you for a gander at this RSV. Basically if the major mechanicals are OK then buy it, if it rattles, knocks, crabs own the road then run for the hills. :doug
 
i was the same when i picked mine up..00..but ive found that you "own" a mille, its a love affair as my wife calls it..you hate it one minute and the next is all smiles..you get to know the bike not just fling a leg over it n ride..and its lets me spend more time in the garage..i can strip the bike injust over an hour now..lol
 
Sometimes you just have to take a chance i've had quite a few problems with my 01 haveing come from jap inline 4's last one being a 00 blade I was used to being able to just swing a leg over and frankly my mechanical knowledge was shocking however I am now a exspert when it comes to sprags etc and I love the mille all the more for it, its defently a love affair the mille has soul and I wouldn't have it any other way.:):)
 
Buy it mate, as has been said with a few simple mods (starter solenoid, battery, sidestand etc) you have a significantly more reliable machine that is still one of the best bikes for road and track today.
 
it takes you over an hour to strip yours? Were you wearing mittens? Did you stop for lunch half way through lol! I've told grif if he ever hears of anyone starting up an endurance team using milles i'm their man lol.
 
Actually, the list doesn' go on much further than you've written mate - and there are precautions you can take to make sure that most the bad stuff never crops up - correct starting procedure, swapping the fork seals for GSX-R ones, fixing the brown connectors before they go, etc.
It all depends why you own a bike in the first place - if you want a 100 per cent reliable Bosch washing machine, keep your Honda - if you want something that encapsulates what motorcycling's truly all about but which might give you the occasional hassle, buy a Mille. It's your choice and nobody's going to think worse of you which ever you choose.
 
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You have two pretty ***** you fancy the **** off, one agrees with everything you say, does whatever you want, will always be there at your beck and call and gives you the missionary every night . Nice for a while eh :devious

The other says make your own fcuking tea, and when youve done that get your kit off and take me doggy style big boy :doug:pirate

This is how i see it as a comparison for the mille against all other bikes i've had, which sounds the more interesting is the bike you need to buy mate :devious
 
1 golden rule with aprilias and you will generally be smiles all the way.

Always keep on an optimate when not using it and never labour it if it won't start.

None of the recalls were serious except the swingarm which should have been done long ago. (worth checking)
Cut out the brown connector by the rad expansion tank as preventative maintenance as it's crap.

The back brake has never been great on Aprilia's and you either live with it or bleed often or buy aftermarket rearsets and relocate the M/C

It sounds like a few niggles on these bikes but nothing like Kawasaki's cracking front wheels or Suzuki's breaking frames etc.

Re the Linkages there have been a few failures although small in comparison to how many bikes are on the road. If it were me i would replace them with Acculigns version which you can buy from AF1 for £40 ish. Just piece of mind really.
 
Swng arm

sprocker said:
You have two pretty ***** you fancy the **** off, one agrees with everything you say, does whatever you want, will always be there at your beck and call and gives you the missionary every night . Nice for a while eh :devious

The other says make your own fcuking tea, and when youve done that get your kit off and take me doggy style big boy :doug:pirate

This is how i see it as a comparison for the mille against all other bikes i've had, which sounds the more interesting is the bike you need to buy mate :devious
Click to expand...

The guy I bought the bike off didn't mention anything about the swing arm recall. How will I know if any mods have been done ? It's going to griffs in the new year, will he be able to tell me ?:dunno
 
Ever owned anything Spanish? - These are stone-axe reliable by comparison...

Just buy it. The RSV is an enthusiast's bike & makes no compromises. It demands a higher level of maintenance than most Japanese "2-wheeled Volvos" but you've experienced the rewards of riding one. The good news is that thanks to this crew, you know what to look for & how to fix it.

I figure the back brake, like the mirrors, is just for decoration anyway...
 
Do it, do it! I decided I wanted a new bike to step up from a ZX-6R and I wanted a v-twin. I didn't fancy a Ducati and the KTM is too new and expensive. I just trawled Autotrader for a few weeks then thrashed down to Basingstoke (from Northampton) in May to have a look at an 07 RSVR in Black with just shy of 2000 miles on it. Didn't ride it, sat on it, drooled a bit and put a deposit on it :) Picked it up in June and it's been modded, polished, commuted on, IAM'd on and ridden to Koblenz and back this year. I've had more of an attachement to this bike than anyother except my first one. Go forth and splash the cash, it's all worth it :D

Here's me in Cochem looking at the Rhine :)
 
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