Aprilia SL1000 Falco - Road Test
| Cheers & Jeers | | APRILIA SL1000 | | Engine | 8 | More torque than the Mille | | Drivetrain | 9 | Lubricious gearbox, no slop | | Handling | 8 | Sharp enough unless you’re T. Corser | | Braking | 9 | Powerful and sharp | | Ride | 8 | Controlling yet compassionate | | Ergonomics | 8 | Halfway between racy and recumbent | | Features | 9 | Great instrumentation, lap timer | | Refinement | 9 | Tasty components well stuck together | | Value | 8 | Pricey by Japanese standards; cheap by Italian | | Fun Factor | 9 | It’s a big Italian V-twin isn’t it? | | Verdict: A practical and beautiful exotic packing 90 percent of the Mille’s performance—for $2500 less. | Aprilia SL1000 | PRICE | | MSRP | $11,299 | | ENGINE | | Type | liquid-cooled, 60-degree | | V- twin | | Valve arrangement | dohc, 8v | | Bore x stroke | 97.0 x 67.5mm | | Displacement | 998cc | | Compression ratio | 10.8:1 | | Transmission | 6-speed | | Final drive | #530 chain | | CHASSIS | | Weight | 485 lb. (wet) | | 452 lb. (tank empty) | | Fuel capacity | 5.5 gal. | | Rake/trail | 24.5 deg./3.94 in. (100mm) | | Wheelbase | 55.7 in. (1415mm) | | Seat height | 31.9 in. (815mm) | | SUSPENSION | | Front | 43mm cartridge fork | | adjustable for spring | | preload, compression | | and rebound damping | | Rear | single shock adjustable for spring preload and | | ride height | | Tire, front | 120/70ZR17 | | Metzeler ME-Z3 | | Tire, rear | 180/55ZR17 | | Metzeler ME-Z3 | | PERFORMANCE | | Corrected 1/4-mile* | 10.99 sec. @ 125.0 mph | | 0-60 mph | 3.33 sec. | | 0-100 mph | 7.29 sec. | | Top-gear roll-on, | | 60-80 mph | 4.56 sec. | | Fuel mileage | | (low/high/average) | 34/42/39 | | Cruising range | | (exc. reserve) | 182 miles | *Performance with test-session weather condi-
tions corrected to sea-level standard conditions
(59 degrees F, 29.92 in. of mercury) |
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