Honda VTR1000 SP-2 or Aprilia RSV 1000 Mille

Mille. Build quality is as good as a Honda. Well certainly where it counts.

Yep they can eat batteries but easily solved as Fizz suggested and fitting Braking Wave discs should cure the warping problem.

I suppose the SP2 will hold it's price better as it will undoubtedly become a classic.

Fuelling was pants on the Honda but maybe the previous owner has sorted it. Cr@p tank range too.

You'd have to ride them both.

[Skip]

Originally Posted by petevtwin650

You'd have to ride them both.

Agreed - I dont think you can make the decision without at least riding them both.

SP-2 looks the mutts nuts though!

rsv is the better bike on the road simply because it offers more comfort, comfort a side the sp2 is a better motorcycle when the fuelling is sorted.

HONDA for the win

Originally Posted by dyziowg

Search for "the wire mod" on Aprilia forums (improves connection between the reg/rec and the battery), keep the bike on an optimate if not used for longer.
Discs are a bast***, but most of the time, it's the rotor buttons that get dirty, get an m6 bolt through it, tighten with a nut, spray brake cleaner and rotate the buttons (don't use mole grips). Job done in 30 minutes.

The oil pressure thing I dont know about, might have been an isolated problem?

Warped disc's can occur, but as above really.

Batteries can be eaten, but then it is starting two big pistons with high compression. As above again with Wire mod, easy to do and works a treat.

One more thing, Id test the 2001-2003 RSV Mille too. A lot claim they are the better model. Lets face it the new one wasnt bread for the track, the original was (and the original had a lot more torque than the latter ones, to the tune of 6ft-lb!).

Mille every time..

[Sid Squid]

Neither - they're both awful road bikes.

If every inch you ride is on a nice smooth track then the H****.

[ChrisCaveman]

Well I've had a gander about, TBPH I'm swinging towards the Mille. It's cheaper, cheaper to run + insure plus there's one close enough for me to actually have a test ride :P

So my Wednesday is going to be filled with Mille goodness and hopefully the weekend following if the price is right

Well then it might well be a welcome to the V990 club

[TimTucker]

Batteries are a known weak point, so it's best to have an Optimate to plug it into when you're not riding it. The clutch can be a bit of a bugger on the early new-shape bikes. And the electrics can play up at times. I was heading out for a ride one Sunday and found an RSV-R '06 broken down (his girlfriend/wife had a beautiful Street Triple) due to the electrics shutting-down completely. Italian character, I think they call it.

The good side of all this is that the problems are all known and have fixes. I have browse on http://forum.rsvr.net/, you'll find lots of information there.

If you have to go slowly for any period of time in this weather, you'll find the inside of your right thigh gets nicely broiled. The right footpeg also heats up tremendously. On mine it can start burning my foot through my boot after about an hour.