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Mille 4th in Fast Bikes test

J

jon_melson

Joined May 2009
279 Posts | 0+
Not sure if this is old news, but in the March issue of 'Fast Bikes' there is a group test of £3k used bikes...

Mille came second from last!!!

Beaten by GSXR750, CBR600, and GSXR1000.

Thing is, I don't think they're wrong either.

I'm convinced the Mille would do better if it was lighter, and had more top end (as they say and I've maintained).

They quote it as 185kg dry, which is simply 15kg too much. Lose that and it'd have half a chance!!!

Trouble is to to lose that lard you have to spend so much cash you may as well just buy a better bike in the first place.
 
I happen to agree with you, but I think that will probably count as heresy to some on here:devious

You should see some of the **** I get over on the Sv Portal as they are convinced the Sv1000 is the the greatest all rounder ever made! and the Ape is a heap of unreliable Italian ***** :dunno
 
i agree too... its heavy... i personally find the top end fine... but im no Rossi... but theres also the look of the bike... sound of the bike... the lowdown torque that trumps the GSXR & CBR in my mind !! :inlove

my friend has a GSXR 1000 K1... not exactly lacking in torque... but he prefers the delivery of the RSV grunt !! :devious

end of the day... if you want the lightest... fastest bike... get a GSXR 1000, R1, ZX10 or CBR 1000RR... if you want something abit different... get a RSV !! :thumbup

because of my starting issues iv sooooo been tempted to say... feck it... & get a GSXR 1000... but then when it works its nice too have a bike that looks different... saying that... i now keep seeing 2 bleeding silver 02's around London... lol !! :eek:
 
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:thumbup:thumbup:thumbup:thumbup:thumbup

I ride what I like,I don't give a s**t what anyone else thinks.

It's nice to buck the boring I4 trend,at least when we get back to a crowded bike park there generally aren't to many identical bikes to ours there.

Mind you,if I had a lot of money I might like different things I suppose :dunno

Thinking Vyrus, Rc8r,1198r etc here :inlove it's a twin thing
 
I agree too, its too heavy even if you have the R
a heap of unreliable Italian *****! possibly
Trouble is to to lose that lard you have to spend so much cash! not so you could just diet a bit!!!!

the way I look at is its about the same power as a 600, and to say its not like any of the 1000's new 600's etc is so true, so much slower!!

But it is one of the best handling bikes I have had; gives smooth del of power etc etc looks and sounds nice
one last and most important thing is.
Its the rider that makes the bike fast not just the bike and The RSV1000R gives you the confidence to just go and play.
 
bruce said:
a heap of unreliable Italian *****! possibly
Click to expand...

Not my description obviously. However due to one members well documented problems with his Falco and anothers with his Bennelli Tornado they are all lumped together under the heading of HOIS.....Heap Of Italian ***** !

So of course I pop over now and again to stir the pot a bit :devil
 
Hi Jon, I read the same article, I have just moved from a '04 ZX636R to An RSV-R '02.
I did this after riding my brother-in-laws RSV. never mind the weight differential, I was smitten by it just by its character:inlove:doug
 
We ride V Twins coz we love em and we're different. Top gear roll ons, bring on any of those IL4's and watch em disappear in the distance. Being a big fella none of those Jap things are comfy, the RSV is. Also can find it in the bike park at meets no worries!! All down to personal preference and I lurve my RSV.
 
IanG said:
:thumbup:thumbup:thumbup:thumbup:thumbup

I ride what I like,I don't give a s**t what anyone else thinks.

It's nice to buck the boring I4 trend,at least when we get back to a crowded bike park there generally aren't to many identical bikes to ours there.
Click to expand...


Same as :thumbup I've been riding bikes for 30 years, had em all & kept changing bikes about every 18 months till I got my RSVR. Had it for 5 years now and it's still mint and never let me down. Like you say, pull into a crowded bike park and they all head for the ape, ignoring the rows of jelly mould jap crap.
Maybe slower but I've never been left behind on the road, we're usually leading due to the confident handling on the crappy roads down here.
 
Like others I have had all sorts of bikes especially Ducatis, but I bought a Tuono 3 years ago and loved it, sold it for a good price but really missed it, I now own my RSV R mille, and love the thing irrespective however how much it weighs, and boy does it handle, I actually like the weight of the bike I really think its a bike that has to be ridden, I find lighter bikes slightly too flighty if you get my drift. Just my opinion but I suppose Aprillia have built the RSV 4 to compete with the others if you have £12k to spare. ride safe guys Ken.:thumbup
 
Did they test it against the standard Millie or the R version ?, were they all in standard trim or did they have the extras that a 3k bike would usually have. ?

I've had many bike's over the years, and when I went to buy a new one I tested all the "big four", I wasn't even going to consider the RSV but a guy I know who owns his own dealership said to take one out. I jelled with it straight away and put a deposit it on it when I got back. Although it doesn't have the uber top speed of the big thou's, it has a lot more character, more kudos, sound better, and feels much more special than them. To me all these things out weigh the lighter weight or more power of the other bikes. :thumbup

Who gives a **** what anyone else thinks :dunno.
 
I just find jap bikes (particularly il4's) so lacking in character and soul. Its all about the grin factor, and the fact that i bought mine straight after the test ride is testament to this Test rode a k5 gixer 750 just before i bought the ape. Lightning quick, razor sharp.... and yet just lacking that something the rsv has.
 
I came from a 99 busa so to me my rsv 2002 feels like a BMX, i love it, it handles ace, doesnt feel slow either , the power is more usable full chat 90% of the time with the busa 30% lol . its not about top end is it any way , not with a sports road bike.:biggrin
Quite right who gives a **** what any one else thinks to me a bike is about fun not posing . and the rsv is ahead of the game fun per £ $.
 
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I agree with what is said the mille is a heavier bike I have had an SP2 (even heavier), Ducati 999 and two RSV"S the one I have now is for the track. I now own a motorbike shop so get the opportunity to take out alot of different bikes, but love the RSV I have never been left behind in a rideout so to me the power is adequate for the road and no bike sounds as good. On the track apart from Snetterton with its long straights the mille can keep up with the best, how many people do you meet who can red line an 09 R1 in every gear on the road? I have not yet met one so what I am saying is the RSV is a great bike has speed, sounds good, different styling and a bit of character shame they have stopped production though
 
I don't care

what magazines say..Had all the Jap nikes and simply got bored with them..My RSV was noticeably slower than the R1 I had before, but I don't care..It's fast enough for me, looks brill, sounds brill and in 3 plus years has been more reliable than the R1 (GEARBOX) AND zx9r (Head gasket) that I owned before..
 
Guys and gals, i hear what your saying. I agree the ape doesn't have the top end power of a gsxr. As for weight, bloody hell its the combined weight of the rider, fuel, water oil and bike that makes the difference. Rider alone/leathers could save you 15 kg's over a jap four.

As for power and speed, i did a charity ride out last sept for the air ambulance and ended up at bruntingthorpe. Did some top speed runs down the runway against 20 other bikes at a time.

And the result of the runway pass, There were loads of faster bikes lining up but only an 09 GSXR thou, 08 1098S and my bro's R1 passed me on the runway. I kept the GSX honest up until around 130mph then the 4 cyls top end came in. I even managed to see off a new shape R1 and my brother absolutely slaughtered him. Just goes to show that low end grunt, pilot operation and drive is better than top end power when it counts.

picture.php
 
I got an rsv because i did not want the same as all the boys i go out with and its looks i dont care that its not the fasts bike out there plus its not the bike its the rider iv hade gsxr zxr the lot but the rsv is best i have had and i love it :doug
 
My RSV gets more attention from other riders and non riders whenever i pull up at any stop/meet. The design of the ape just oozes appeal to every petrol head. I've had loads of japanese bikes and i loved riding them but not as much as i love riding the RSV. italian bikes!. People just stop and stare and point and crouch round it. I've even had complete strangers seek me out when i'm having a coffee in mcdonalds just to talk about it. That has never happened when i've been out on any japanese bike.

I love the japs technology but style, handling and passion are far more important to me now. I sold an 04 R1 to get my second RSV. On the roads I ride I can ride the RSV a lot faster than i ever could the R1 and I feel far more confident and settled on the RSV whilst i'm at it.

Some people will only ever be interested in the fact that, on paper, their bike produces the most horsepower or has the fastest top speed. In the real world, i have never been left behind and in fact i leave others behind because i get more drive through the bends and carry more corner speed.
 
right here goes ,most on here are prob the same or similar to me ,I have had lighter faster bikes in the past but come on who give a flyin ***** about all that bollock unless of course you track your bike against the faster lighter stuff .

the aprilia is the one we are with now and to b honest i dont want anything else from a sports bike . the rest are bland and boring inc the new stuff imo.
every bike meet has a sea of blue and white ,green ,bla ba bla .... yawn !!!!!!!!!!! like it or not the aprilia's will always get the looks at meets because there aint rows and rows of em ...

the rsv is a big bike physically and has presence, so its heavier, so what, it smooths out the **** roads in uk ..

rant over ...........
 

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