2000 Aprilia reviews

I came from a Honda 1989 Transalp, which was a good motorcycle. The Pegaso is lighter, better brakes, bigger gas tank, centerstand and has the side bags and the top case as options. My spedo cable broke 2 miles from the dealership and the bike stalled 4 times at intersections while waiting for the traffic light to change. My local dealer called Aprilia Tech and found that two vent lines were reversed going from the carbs to the evap. tank (emissions crap). The bike is the ultimate urban assault vehicle and is a head turner whereever I go with it. The optional tank bag is well thought out. I am getting the rise in the seat taken out to yield more of a flat bench type of saddle. I use to ride sport bikes, use to tour but now I just ride to work 25 miles one way. This type of bike is perfect. Show less

O.K. so it took me a while for my butt to get in shape. My last review was a little rough. I had a new bike and had no knowledge of it. I have since fixed the carb. (Idle mixture was too lean). The vibes have broken in and I no longer have a problem with it. I have put on another 2500 miles and can find nothing to beak about. I am still trying to find a taller windshield. I have a piece of Lexan duc taped to the front extended 12" higher than stock. This allows me to stay in the saddle until gas up, also no neck pain. This is just the right sized bike for a 60-year-old. The price is ok. And I am looking forward to riding until the snow blocks my vision. I also put a throttle Rocker on and my hand never felt better. No cramps. Ride Well Stoney. Show less

My friend bought this bike for learners. He thought he should buy the best available 250 cc bike to learn on. I have tried this bike many times. I think it's a very nice bike to ride. It's very fast and fun. It has a lot of power for a 250. The bad thing about the bike is that the seat is too high for people with average height. The power at low RPM is also not very good. Everything changes when you rev it up to around 8000-9000 RPM. It feels like a racing bike and can get very hard to handle for beginners. The bike is now back at the workshop for a $8000 repair job. My friend couldn't handle the power when he accelerated from a turn. One more thing to remember is that this is a very expensive bike to maintain. Show less

I must say that I have closely inspected the bike and have found no flaws with the mechanicals or the finish. I agree that the decal application can use some improvement but have received nothing but high compliments on the yellow metallic finish. I agree that around town the heat builds (all bikes do to some degree -- no pun intended) and it's a little jittery at low rpms. Let's face it though...this machine was not made to be a commuter. Get it out on the back road twisties in the 6K-8K rpm range and you'll have to admit, there's no heat and not hesitation. The Mille will fly through the turns with no problems what so ever. I've always found, on other bikes, to be a little hesitant on using the side tread on my tires. On the Mille I find it hard not using it. It's so forgiving of my errors and lets me forget about the thought process of taking a corner. It begs me to take it on and reassures me that I will be shooting out on the other side. As you may have guessed, I totally enjoy this ride and find it hard to believe I will ever part with it. I'm also lucky in the sense that I have a local dealer with an excellent, very knowledgeable service staff. Mille owners, from adjoining states, bring their bikes to these guys based on the good things they've heard about them. If you are looking for a thrill, a bike you can ride and enjoy the twisting turning roads in your area of the country, then get the Mille. You won't be disappointed. Show less

This is the most fun you can have on two wheels. On the right road or circuit, there isn't a bike that will get near you. As much as I love the bigger bikes, the R1, the Fireblade, the 996,etc, but there is a lot to be said for owning the RS. You can brake later, throw it into bends and rag the arse of it, and on the way out, it won't complain. You see this bike is a race bike with lights. You only have to look at it s sleek aerodynamic look to see that. I sold my GSXR 600 to buy an RS and I haven't regretted a minute of it. People say "ooh an Italian two stroke. You'll blow that up within 500 miles, bits will fall off, etc.Well everyone, I've spoken to about this bike has said the same thing: if you look after it, get it serviced regularly, feed it the best two-stroke oil, and run it on Super unleaded you won't have any probs. The handling on it is awesome; you can get some incredible lean angles out of it and the brakes are so good. The engine is a little bit peaky and you really have to wring its neck to get some real speed out of it, but once the powervalve kicks in at 8000 revs, it flies like it has nitrous oxide in it. I think its the best $4500 I have ever spent. All it needs to complete the racing image is a nice Arrow exhaust system with Carbon cans. Show less

As in most of the reviews, this bike is great in the handling and performance arena particularly for aggressive Street (twisties) riding. Fit and finish on the mechanical parts of the bike appears to be right up with the best from Japan. Body work and paint finish though generally good are not quite up to Honda standards; Aprilia needs to up-grade decal application and finish (the weakest part of the finish). Aprilia's biggest problem is the typical growing pains of setting up a new dealership chain. There are no shop manuals available for customers, and very limited parts and accessories. Mechanics are getting familiar with the ins and outs of the machines; I think the dealerships are spooling up as fast as they can but, Aprilia should have had more stock on hand and been more prepared to jump into the US market! To be fair to the Aprilia dealers you almost have to expect these problems in the first six to twelve months of start-up (I've heard of much worse service and support problems with new companies based right here in the US such as Excelsior Henderson). The good news is that I haven't heard any of these complaints from friends and contacts in Europe, so I think the service/support problems should be fading away in the next six to eight months. Show less

Around the city the riding position is sporty but not extreme. On the twisties and the track, it simply rules. More comfortable and faster than Ducati 996 or Honda RC-51, the Mille has no unpleasant traits. Derestriction of EFI mapping, airbox and exhaust is free - dealer does it if you ask - and yields an extra 10 horsepower. Aprilia carbon-fiber shotgun cans and new chip add another 18 or so horses. Stock machine pulls unbelievable g's in the curves. It is also very forgiving of rider errors. All performance parameters are equal to or better than other class leaders. My bike is flawless, and I've had all the plastic off. I'm still to find the first paint defect, sloppy weld, or other problem. I plan to buy the sport touring model when it is released next year, but I'll keep my Mille. Email if you have questions, I'll be happy to reply. Show less

I purchased the Aprilia RS250 as a beginner bike 3 months ago. It has really surprised me on how fast it is for a 250cc motorcycle. Everything is great on the bike except for two complaints: the exhaust note on the RS250 sounds like a scooter at low speeds, and the other complaint is the RS250 is a kick starter. If you want a small bike to learn on and you don't want to sacrifice the power, the Aprilia Rs250 is definitely the right choice. Show less

Avoid the RSV. Many, many problems. Bought mine back in May '00. don't know where to begin. ECU crapped out, bike stumbles at idle, and finish is poor. No shop manual either for U.S. bikes. Dealer has had no luck in getting problems resolved. Resale is very poor. Guess I am stuck for a while anyway. Shoulda' bought a TL1000R and saved $4K. Or put the $4K into the TL and had a much better bike. Show less

I picked up the bike on the 20th of January 2000. Since that time I have clocked 2600 miles on it, many of them in the Oregon rain. I have yet to have a complaint about it other than when can my wife get her own. The Mille does everything great and Dealership customer support is outstanding. I thought about several other bikes like the R-1 love the bike but the comfort wasn't quite there and there seem to be a lot of them on the road. I thought about a TLR but thought it to be to heavy and I didn't like the throttle response. I loved the '99 blue ZX9R but the fit and finish wasn't quit there. For me the 996 didn't quit thrill me but the Mille did. It was love at first ride. Show less