Yet another bike dilema

[dyzio]

Hi all,

Sadly I am not as happy with my bike as I think I should be. Basically the idea and purpose this bike was built don't seem to match with me and my riding...
I have been thinking over this a lot lately and I'm beginning to toy with the idea of going back to the SV.

Why the SV? Because I konw the bike, it's a great bike as we all know. Yes it could do with a few extra horsies and some decent suspension, but that was a part of it's charm... put on whatever bits you can and rev it

The new one might have been bought on impulse... But I still think the Falco is a great machine. The noise and power are unbelievable, the looks depend on individual taste. I love the fact that, it will always pull like a train, no matter what gear you're in, 1 or 2 up even with luggage. We just don't get along as well as I did with the SV.

I use my bike for commuting, and that doesn't suit the Aprilia too much. The high seat (for me), the long reach to the bars, low gearing don't suit my everyday use. Out of town however it's a completely different animal. It requires a bit more input than the SV, but is confidence inspiring.

Past weekend, I've covered a 1100 mile trip. No matter what roads I was on, the bike went really well, unfortunately we don't work that well together, and my neck started aching again. After I got back home, I felt the previous days trip and was knackered for the whole Monday. I realise I did 400 miles that day, but the previous weekend the same thing happened after 300 miles. I get a stiff neck even after a 100 mile ride.
On my Eurotour last year (on the sv) I was doing daily mileages of 600 miles on 2 or 3 occasions and I was ok, nothing like now, I don't believe the fact that I'm a year older now could make such a difference.
Another thing that got me to contemplate this is the cost of running the bike... Yes, people have written that V-twin thou's eat tyres, chains and petrol... I've just discovered how true that is, whereas tyres on the sv lasted for ages, tank range was never an issue...

But one of the things that worries me as well is: is it still possible to find a (faired) curvy in good nick with relatively low miles (say ~20k). After all, in best case scenario it'll be a 7 year old bike...

What do you think?

ps
Apologies to pointy owners, they just don't do it for me.

Originally Posted by dyziowg

*Text Msssing*
ps
Apologies to pointy owners, they just don't do it for me.

Cheeky hoore.

Good luck with this mate

Will Keep a look out for curvies..

[dyzio]

I mean, there is something I like about the pointy. Yours certainly looks really nice, but the riding position is different and I think it wouldn't suit me.

Ask Baz when he's around or look for one of his threads, he switched from a curvy to a k8 and wasn't 100% happy.

Yeah I know, I don't regard my pointy as comfortable.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...STRK:MESELX:IT

Wheres Burnely?

[dyzio]

Aye, saw that, and the guy is on here,
Found another black one, full fairing, high level pipe in Oxford...

I need a test ride

How far is that?

Originally Posted by dyziowg

in Oxford...

I need a test ride

meh its only 400 miles :P

[dyzio]

And doable with 2 tanks of petrol (on the sv)

[Lissa]

Dyzio, I'm surprised you feel discomfort on what should be a more comfortable or at least, as comfortable, bike. I wonder if you are able to relax fully due to the bike having considerably more performance than an SV. This was an issue I had with the 996. It always seems to be running away with me and every little twist of the throttle bought some trepidation coupled with tension.

Assuming that the levers are adjusted correctly, I cannot see how your bike can be worse on a journey than mine.

The thing with our bikes is that everything is quality fittings. Brembo brakes that don't seize up for instance. A 7 year old curvy, much as I love them, is more likely to be troublesome and time consuming.

Pete by the way.

[dyzio]

I'll play with the front preload a bit, and will try to borrow a different lid for the next ride, see if that helps.

On twisties, I feel more comfortable on the bike due to the suspension, I know I'm quicker than I was on the SV.
I don't rev it to the peak all the time (in fact it's very rare I do), or don't push too hard if I'm not feeling confident (I've already made that mistake, that didn't go well).