Aprilia Reliability

[mdorkenhoff]

I really like the looks of the Aprilia RS660. What are peoples' thoughts on Aprilia's reliability? I've read everything from "rock solid" to "it's Italian, you expect issues." Are they somewhere in the middle? Does anyone have any personal experiences (positive or negative) to share?

With my current bike (Yamaha FZ6R), I don't think I've ever waited more than 3 days for a part. Again, from reading, Aprilia parts and dealers are a challenge.

Thanks

 

[scootergmc]

My experience is with older Aprilias- early/mid 2000s... My experiences lead me to expect issues, same with Ducati of that generation. I generally shy away from the Italians unless there's a really good deal to be had.

 

[kuksul08]

It seems to be really hit or miss. Some guys have zero issues and others have catastrophic failures. My perception is that the reliability is better than Ducati but still nowhere near a Japanese bike.

 

[ejv]

I've owned my Tuono for over five years now. I've not had any serious issues. Sometimes when I fill the tank the bike will start and then immediately die. If I give it some throttle while starting it won't but it already barks to life when starting and I am not one to brap a throttle so I try to let it just do it's thing and occasionally I have to start it again.

When I had the valves checked a bit over a year ago at Evolution, Frank said my V4 was only the second V4 he has had come in for its first valve check that didn't need at least one valve adjusted.

They have had issues in the past with stators and gas tanks expanding with the use of gas with ethanol in them. The stators were fixed in about 2013 or 2014 IIRC and the gas tanks were changed in around 2015. I have only seen one person complain of the gas tank issue with a 2016 or newer bike.

Some people have had issues with the dash. I don't recall many complaints with the newer TFT dashes. I used to spend a lot of time on AF1 and if you didn't pay attention you would think there were a lot of problems but once you get rid of people doing stupid stuff, not maintaining the bikes properly, and people buying used bikes that they have been lied to about, there really aren't many problems.

I would have no reservation about buying a new Aprilia.

 

[HadesOmega]

The RS660 is a new bike if you are worried about reliability it would be best to wait till next year and see what problems pop up. Sure was fun to ride though

 

[fufo47]

The RS660 is a new bike if you are worried about reliability it would be best to wait till next year and see what problems pop up. Sure was fun to ride though

I'm still pissed that I missed that trackday due to work!!!

I've had 3 different Aprilias

2010 Dorsoduro
2013 RSV4
2017 Tuono RR

Frankly, never had any major issues with any one of those... In total, I would say that I've probably put around 20k miles to all 3 of those bikes and really my biggest pet peeve was getting accesories for them. Simple things like a tank back that was plug & play and you didn't have to drill holes to make it fit... but Service wise, no issue. AF1 has all the parts and I've used Rockridge for warranty service with no issues either, although I prefer to use Catalyst for oil changes and the rest of work.

As someone else commented, probably better than a Ducati BUT not as reliable as a Japanese bike but a beauty to ride... I would say that you should buy the RS660 and let me know if you don't like it and I'll buy it from you! :laughing

 

[Whammy]

Whammy has a 2016 Dorsoduro 750 and its been 99% perfect. One oil seal issue which was handled in 20 mins and under warranty.
Bike rides great and there have been no issues whatsoever.:thumbup
Looking at this bike the RS660 Whammy is intrigued!

 

[mdorkenhoff]

Thanks everyone. Lots of good feedback. My current bike is a 2009 FZ6R - I bought it the first year they came out and have had no issues ever with it (60K miles on it now), so my reliability standards are pretty high

 

[elskipador]

In 2015 the team I worked for raced them in the moto America series & the rsv4 was definitely reliable & I must say they took a crash great. All that ever got damaged was bodywork, muffler, bars & rearsets. They do use some silly hardware for a metric bike, so make sure you know where your 13 & 15mm tools are.

 

[afm199]

It's an Aprilia. If you work on them, you'll find out for yourself.

 

[NorCal Factory]

AF1 Forum has the most info on all the Aprilia bikes and you will see what the chronic issues are. The forum has many super experienced riders with a lot of knowledge.

I’ve been an Aprilia owner since 2003 and currently have two. Go for it and join the club!

 

[HadesOmega]

Also if you want handlebars as opposed to clip ons they're coming out with a baby Tuono version. The RS660 was pretty comfy to ride from what I remember, its kinda small and when you rev it up past like 5k it takes off like a rocket.

 

[Caddywumpus]

Ejv you don't ride hard enough for the valves to go out of spec. Also my experience with apes is they are stone reliable. Owned a tuono and rsvr in the past

 

[ejv]

It's hard to ride hard enough when trying to stay behind you ��

 

[mdorkenhoff]

Also if you want handlebars as opposed to clip ons they're coming out with a baby Tuono version. The RS660 was pretty comfy to ride from what I remember, its kinda small and when you rev it up past like 5k it takes off like a rocket.

Thanks.

 

[llrdhsktr]

Shiver 750 bought new in 2016. No problems at over 20K miles. Serviced regularly. I'm eyeing the Tuono 660 when it comes over here.

 

[OldMadBrit]

I've had 2 Ape's so far a 2003 Caponord ADV bike and my current 2016 Tuono 1100 Factory. The Caponord had a few well known issues that were easy to fix after which it was utterly bullet proof for the next 34,000 miles.
I have had my Tuono for only 2 months and have put 1,400 miles on it so cant rally comment other than I wish I'd got one years ago.

 

[89fj]

if I was in the market for one, I would buy a 660 and just go for it. The RS is loaded with features

 

[dittoalex]

Pretty, well-engineered bikes. A~pri~li~a.

 

[Gravisman]

I never had any reliability issues with my RSV4. What did stand out to me was that the service manual sucks compared to Japanese bikes, and of course parts are less plentiful and more expensive.