New bikes are great, but not everyone can afford or wants to spend their hard earned cash on one. There are some great low mileage, high quality examples out there, saving you a decent chunk to buy that new lid, boots or maybe have a few trackdays. We tried out the Italian firm’s V-twin SuperMoto, an immaculate 08 model with only 4,700 miles on the clock. It would cost you £4,700 from The Motorcycle Centre at Blindley Heath, a spanking new one is £6,599, saving nearly 1900 of your British pounds!!
Mid january, it’s peeing down big time, the rivers running down the main road are washing away the mountains of the white stuff. The roads are full of slush, gravel and potholes large enough to be visible from space.
Daylight is struggling to pierce through the slate grey skies; I know, let’s road test an Italian SuperMoto.
The Aprilia Dorsoduro 750 has an engine based on the rather good Shiver. The 92bhp v-twin is a striking looking machine and boasts some quality components and details. Having not ridden a SuperMoto before, I was not sure what to expect. To me, their image is of summer time blasts along the twisties, ending up at a country pub. How would it perform on dreadful january UK roads in monsoon conditions? Well, surprisingly good. The bike has the same 3 engine map modes as the Shiver; rain, touring and sport. However, I think this bike only really works in sport mode, the fly-by-wire throttle is crisply responsive, the gearbox is slick and Brembo brakes are excellent. The handling is spot on, with very good road holding, even in wet conditions. The bike is pretty well suited to our shabby winter tarmac and gives you plenty of confidence to chuck it through the corners with enthusiasm. The only issues I experienced were at low speeds turning on tight roundabouts and a loss of grip on the rear when approaching a junction with a bit too much pace. Like with any bike, it takes time to adjust to specific handling characteristics, more down to rider
than machine. The light weight, upright riding position and narrow profile make the bike a doddle in traffic, but it’s on A roads that it comes into its own. Drop it down a gear and it will whip past dawdling cars with no problem and will be up to 90 before you know it. There’s surprisingly little wind blast, the small screen does an effective job. I can’t vouch for three figure speeds, but that’s not really the point of this bike.
Overall the Dorsoduro would make an effective everyday bike and a great weekend toy. Touring could be more challenging, though the comfortable riding position with a well sculpted tank, useful screen and hand guards, it would not be out of the question. And you would certainly have a laugh when you get to the Alps and leave the luggage in the hotel. Aprilia have a well thought out accessory range for their machines and this model can take semi-rigid panniers as well as some tasty bolt on goodies.
I want to go faster, I want to go faster..
