Aprilia SL1000 Falco - Road Test
More Fun Than The Mille? Or Is It Time To Saw Ourselves Open And Count The Rings?
Photography by Dean Groover, Kevin Wing
| 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) |
By Dean Groover
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