Highs and Lows

Just wanted to chuck down a few views since getting my RSV

Until now I've always been on the darkside of biking on 4 cylinder jap bikes (last one was a 9r). Loved every minute but always dreamed of having a sexy twin (no I don't mean another one of me that would be just wrong lol) and the RSV was always going to be the one to buy :biggrin

Since getting it (just over a month) it's been a roller coaster of a ride on whether I stay with me new baby or wave the white flag and go back to the cheap tarts down at the harbour (the big 4's).

The bad stuff
Felt like a complete noob again as the bike is totally different and wasn't expecting it

Gear changes are completely different

First day after buying it I had a battery problem (wire under seat loose garage fixed it straight away)

Rev limits and the red light did me nut for a while

Bitch trying to get neutral now and again

Never charged the battery for a week. Battery seemed dead as alarm didn't respond when I went to disable it. Put the ignition on and all the lights showed up. Switched it off and back on and all seemed fine :dunno

Lots of moans from others on forum about dodgy electrics

Ok bad rant done :rant


Good stuff

First off reading the manual would have helped but never got round to it

At the end of the day it all wraps up in to one thing:-

When I'm on it, fook me words can't describe how amazing it is :doug :thumbup

Just love my RSV :inlove

i always wanted an italian car,lancia delta intergrale,then a v6 alfa romeo
always put off by the bad stories about electrics and build quality ect,
but what beauty and what a soul/sound!
decided there was no way i was gunna let it put me off the mille i always longed for while pretending i loved my r1's and blades ect
and thats not changed one bit since owning it.
whatever went wrong,ill just fix it,cos deep down,the bike suits me and what i want from biking so much,the room,the riding position,the torque,the power delivery,the handling,the looks and ooo the sound!!
luv it to bits!
hope you stick with yours to fella.

You have answered your own queries by saying you love your rsv, am a little bit biased though. It is true that they do have niggling faults that il4`s dont have but that makes the bike for me. I was 7 years riding il4 and never got my hands mucky, they have hardly been clean since owning the rsv as am either repairing or modifying, wouldnt swop the riding experience though, just amazing

Hiya buddy i know its a pisser when things go wrong but the bike is defo worth all the blood sweat and tearsirate, for example i had a fiesta rs turbo a few years back which i pretty much rebuilt and oh my days i did love that car:inlove! since then i brought a brand new Civic Type R which needed nothing replacing as it was reliable as fook which was good but i never got that mental bond to it that i did with the fezzi, i liked the civic but i loved the fezzi if that makes sense! and my RSV is my new Fezzi ive built the beaut back up from the grave and she is as good as ever yeah i get some probs along the way but that just makes it more rewarding when its fixed!
Stick with it buddy it will be worth it :thumbup

Please remember these are not problems we have with our milles its all CHARECTER :thumbup :thumbup:biggrin

If i leave my RSV for a week or so i have to turn the ignition on and off before i can disarm the alarm, i assumed this was normal for the alarm system i have on it????

If it's a meta then they go into low current draw mode after a certain amount of time. turning the ignition on then reactivates the alarm which will then work correctly

I've come from a VFR and CBR60zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz and would never go back after getting the mille, its what all bikes should be like....makes me feel alive :dougfaults and all :thumbup

I'll post a review of my Mille that I did for another forum:

"I've had the Mille five months and 5000 odd miles now so I thought I'd write up my findings.

This is my first litre bike and was bought by me as a way into 1000cc machines without the insurance bankrupting me. I came from a background and love of inline 4s. At first I thought this bike was a mistake but as time goes on I've grown to love this bike more and more.

Bad points:
• It takes time for an iL4 rider to learn how to ride it and what gear to be in.
• No Fuel gauge, just a warning light.
• Eats batteries - buy the best battery you can afford and keep it hooked up to an optimate.
• Over geared - Get a 16 (or even 15) tooth front sprocket.
• Hard work in town - What do you expect it's a big twin, it was always going to need lots of clutch feathering in slow traffic.
• Clocks look like they were stolen from British Leyland...
• Quite a thirsty bike when doing stop/start riding, sometimes the light comes on (with 4/5 litres left) at 90 miles.
• Burns oil. They all do that apparently...
• Starter sprag clutch is a real weak point and is very expensive to replace.
• It shakes bolts and screws lose with the big V-twin vibrations.
• The rear brake master cylinder gets cooked by the down pipes and the brake slowly fade away to nothing; seven weeks after bleeding it mine has no braking effect whatsoever.
• Tall - not for the stumpy of leg.
• Pain in the arse to check the oil.

Good points:
• Very economical at long distance motorway work - Mine returns about 50mpg sat at 90mph.
• Surprisingly comfortable, I've done a 620 mile day from the south of France on mine.
• The drive out of corners is deeply, deeply addictive and flatters your riding.
• The handling on sweeping A roads is very easy and stable. For a big bike it's pretty nimble. I've had it shake it's bars when it's hit cat's eyes etc. but it hasn't slapped despite provocation.
• Clocks are incredibly comprehensive if you can figure out how they work
• Italian exotica carries a surprising amount of kudos with fellow bikers. I'm always surprised at how much attention my Mille gets.
• Even on the standard can it sounds great.
• There are loads of bling parts available for RSVs and they are quite easy to tune for even more grunt.
• An active and friendly on-line community.
• Once I'd dealt with the awful maintenance of it's past owner mine has been very reliable.
• Very handy under seat storage, I've got half an RAC van under there.
• That big 'ol fairing is great for distance work and weather protection, this really is a sports bike that will tour.
• The lights - especially the high beams - are excellent.
• The front brakes are the best I've ever used - Braided steel lines attached to four pad, goldline Brembos! Single finger pressure is all that's needed to stop.
• Very tall - good for the bigger riders.
• Decent pillion seat, not like the brillo pad most bikes have.

I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this bike until I took it on some long distance, high paced ride outs with you lot . It was so good on these ride outs that I'm properly impressed by this machine. It flattered my riding and cosseted me through long days in the saddle. All the good points about the Mille have really impressed me, it's a real rider's machine and the bad points have faded in my estimation. You get a hell of a lot of bike for your money when you buy an RSV. Sure there are bikes out there with much more BHP/top speed but for real world riding this bike will stay with most things.

I think the biggest compliment to the Mille is that I'm having real problems deciding what it should be eventually replaced with. All I can currently envisage is a new shape RSV."

Of course this review was written just before my clutch started making a horrible banging noise...

I agree with everything said above

I think what it boils down to with me is I'm building a relationship with the bike where as the 9r it was just a bike, a great bike but just a bike.

Can see why a lot of you call it your bit on the side or the other missus now :devious

Oh and as mentioned on here, this place is great forum, friendly and very helpful :thumbup

BIG UN said:

i always wanted an italian car,lancia delta intergrale,then a v6 alfa romeo
always put off by the bad stories about electrics and build quality ect,
but what beauty and what a soul/sound!
decided there was no way i was gunna let it put me off the mille i always longed for while pretending i loved my r1's and blades ect
and thats not changed one bit since owning it.
whatever went wrong,ill just fix it,cos deep down,the bike suits me and what i want from biking so much,the room,the riding position,the torque,the power delivery,the handling,the looks and ooo the sound!!
luv it to bits!
hope you stick with yours to fella.

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Its funny..Never put me off, bought a Lancia Beta Coupe in 1980, after reading a test which said the only car which handled better was a Lotus, had that car 2 years and thrashed it (Empty roads in those days) did 30,000 miles without a minutes bother..Ditto the RSV have now clocked up 13,000 and touch wood have had no electrical glitchs.,. (Am I just lucky)

22'000 Kms on my 02 and touch wood also (tapping head) i have not had a single lecky problem rear its ugly head. That said, i just gotta go over and give her another hugg. :thumbup

I'm currently on my 3rd Mille, The first was a 2002 standard RSV Mille which was replaced with a new style 2004 RSVR which was just too cramped for me hence going back to my current 2002 RSV Mille R.

I covered 13700 miles on the first RSV, 6500 miles on the 04 RSVR and currently i've clocked up 7200 miles on the 02 R. The only thing i've needed replacing was the swinging arm due to a safety recall and a revised master cylinder under warranty to cure the clutch self bleed issues on the 04 RSVR, a battery on the original 02 Mille, and a set of fork seals and a fauly spark plug on the 02 Mille R.

Now touch wood that pretty reliable biking in my book.

not had any big probs with mine either tbh,only leccy glitch was a neutral light constantly on,and other prob was the clutch,but the 2 were connected anyway,
some idiot had put an odd sized bolt in the clutch m.s,causing it to leak onto the cable for the neutral light,adn letting loadsa air into the clutch.
both were solved within 2 wk of getting the bike,after 1 good,thorough service,and with tons of help off here.
no probs since at all.but i dont count me chickens,lol
theres new niggles popping up each day with fellow members bikes,and i could be next.
we all learn from other folks solutions which aid us in solving them easily when we suffer them.
so ill just mend and continue to enjoy this fantastic bike.
no point in selling it,id only end up getting another thatll cost me more than i got my beloved for,and ill have to put all these niggles right again on someone elses bike ffs.
did think about trading eventualy for the newer shape factory,but itd be no good,id suffer from lack of room like legs!
i hope to eventualy pimp mine up with carbon bits and once she gets a bit stone chipped,have a fresh coat of paint on her and keep it for ages.

I have declared i want my 02 stripped down and packed in the box with me when i go down to the eternal 6ft deep pub! :thumbup Then maybe i can still ride and raise hell from the otherside. irate

AusRSV said:

I have declared i want my 02 stripped down and packed in the box with me when i go down to the eternal 6ft deep pub! :thumbup Then maybe i can still ride and raise hell from the otherside. irate

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LOL dont forget to take the tools to rebuild it once your down there mate :biggrin