Im looking at Falco 1000 V-twin. I just cant stop with the twins, this is my 4th v-twin!
Anyway this bike is going up and down the M4 everyday. I was wondering if anybody had done any commuting on one before?
I dont care if its not comfortable etc, but as with most italian bikes i am worried about reliability and i dont want it to rot away!
any knowledge on these bikes? are you an owner?
I might swap my VTR for one!!! :w00t:
I’ve heard they are good - nothing like Ducatis in the electrics dept. and more like a Japanese bike in terms of overall reliability (like other aprillias).
They were popular on the second hand market when I was looking a few years back - decent bikes got snapped up very quickly because people liked them and they had a good rep.
I ended up getting an SV1000 because it was cheaper and more available than a Falco and I was more familiar with Suzukis - but I’d like to get a Falco myself at some point.
The only thing I would investigate if you are going to get a lot of use out of this bike is parts availability - things have probably changed but a few years back i heard that Aprilia parts distribution wasn’t top notch - people were waiting a few weeks for parts. Don’t know how true this is now.
I own a year 2000 RSV Mille and according to RSVZone and my own experience seems that most Aprilias based on the original RSV 1000 engine have a few issues an owner has to learn how to deal with.Being a Honda owner I don’t know how much bike maintenance you are used to doing apart from the odd chain lubing/adjust and tyre pressure or a blown bulb, thats not what I mean.
I’ve found that owning an Italian bike means you will have to deal with a few more issues of maintenance and keeping the thing tip top running yourself and keep it serviced like clockwork. Aprilias less so than a Ducati of the same age but they ain’t a Honda or a Yamaha thats for sure.
Do as much research on RSV forums like RSVZone and RSVR.net and see for yourself, don’t get too scared off as they are a lot of fun to ride and are like Alfa Romeos, when they are running well you are so happy that you kinda forget the gripes. 
Mainly you’ll need to keep the Aprilia attached to a optimate (about £40)overnight all the time and sling a weight off the rear brake lever and stick a yamaha starter solenoid on it(about £35 straight swap), that sorts out the majority of gripes you’ll experience running a s/h RSV-whatevermodel.
Thanks guys, im trying to figure out how to finance (haha) this but im going to try and buy a V-mille as a second bike i think. Better get my piggy bank skills on! my track record makes inline fours a nightmare to insure, more than the bikes value, but they dont seem to mind about v-twins at insurance companies! i think this is great, ive grown to like twins a whole lot. i miss my Ninja - but having fun on v-twins!
i dont think the apilia is one for the commute because i need to rely on it working each day and by the sounds of things its not designed for that, i dread to think of it rotting away on cold wet. winter roads with salt all over them. Ill let the Honda have that battle! but maybe as a weekend/evening/TRACK DAY bike the aprilia sounds like a diamond from what ive read!
As a March to November 50 mile a day commuter I would consider my Tuono is a pretty good choice.
I wouldn’t want to use it on the salt and ice, but the rest of the time it’s great.
For everything you need to know about Falco’s (and there are other Aprilia sections as well) try this site:
http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=60
That’s my current bike and am very pleased with it. Put 5000 miles in the last few months and never had any probs, ridden in all weather although not daily commuting and the bike’s garaged at night. Next to its direct competition (VTR and SV1000) the falco is regarded the better bike in all departments (especially build and finish + equipment) yes better than the Honda (mags’ opinion, not mine).
In terms of riding the position is not as extreme as the RSV but it’s still very sporty, ie. it’s not an upright bike so, unless you don’t mind and/or are used to that, it doesn’t make it the ideal bike for heavy town use.
This is another good site to check for info http://www.ridersite.ws/rs/index.php?c=5 but don’t ask for opinions/comparison with other bikes, its members are very biased when it comes to this bike!
