New Bike - 2002 Aprilia Mille R

[Devildog]

From Richmond Superbikes. 4000 miles, had been on display in a restaurant for over a decade. The dealer is doing a full 'ready to ride' service before hand over.
Im not trying to keep up with MedicAndy, it's the last bike I'll be buying for a very long time.

[fotoguzzi]

Nice, that machine should really GO!

[Lannis]

Have fun but be careful on that thing .... I don't know whether you've had one like that before, but they're shockingly fast.

Lannis

[Travlr]

Lovely, I like the early Milles.    A buddy had one with Falco bars.  A very fast SPORT tourer.

Mike

[poorBob]

Congratulations!
Lots to love with an Aprilia - the chassis is the best!
My Aprilia has made me a better rider.
Enjoy!

[groundhog105]

I’ve had two.  A 02 Futura 55000 miles and a 2000.5 Mille 35,000 miles.  Wonder bikes and bulletproof motors that you will love.  The Mille is one of those bikes I regret selling. It made a great sport tourer.

[malik]

Congratulations. Have a reputation as a comfortable, spirited sports tourer. The early Mille's too were supposed to be bulletproof. The dealers brought in their usual parts stock, but failed to shift any of it. There's lots of trouble free fun there.

[Turin]

I've had a hankering for an early Mille. Can you post a review after a few rides?

[Thunderbutt]

I have an '03 Mille, Haga Replica which I bought new in Feb 04.  One of if not the best handling bikes I have ever owned and ridden.  If your anything like the rest of us Ape junkies you will find the power and torque addictive.
I had a cam chain tensioner issue shortly after buying the bike.  The warranty covered it however, it took several months to get the parts.  The bike has been trouble free since then.  I have taken several longer trips across Florida, Ga., Tn., without issues and what a blast on Tue open roads!
Plenty of info over on. The AF1-Aprilia Forum on up grades and how to keep your bike running and in tip top condition.  Every now and again I think about selling mine until I take it for a ride.  Never ceases to put a big a$$ grin on my mug.  Good luck and feel free to ask if you have questions.
JERRY

[JJ]

Have fun but be careful on that thing .... I don't know whether you've had one like that before, but they're shockingly fast.

Lannis

Agree with Lannis....that is basically a high-performance "TRACK BIKE" built for the street! 

Congratulations anyway and be safe!  It is a fabulous piece of two-wheel technology!

[Murray]

but they're shockingly fast.

Lannis

No no there not, Guzzi's are simply hilariously slow :P .

[Brand X]

No no there not, Guzzi's are simply hilariously slow :P .

No traction control, no anti-ilock,wheelie control makes just about right on the power produced. It's a real motorcycle without all the nanny stuff added.

Looks like a nice one, too

[oldbike54]

  Lovely

 Dusty

[Lannis]

No no there not, Guzzi's are simply hilariously slow :P .

Well, that might very well be    ... but I know a few Guzzi riders that could get on board a Guzzi and you get on board an Aprilia sport bike, and all you'd see is their Guzzi taillight disappearing into the distance! 

Lannis

[wicks]

I had the first Mille R imported to the states, was incredible to ride for a few years. Aprilia engineers prioritize balance more than any other mfg, and the rotax motor is never going to break, but RUN IT every month. I parked mine for a year once and the fuel injectors self-destructed and oil leaks sprung.

This is the fastest bike one can ride if properly operated. All my Ducati friends used to be like "how are you dropping a black stripe leaned over at 120 mph?" I of course never saw said stripes, only everyone behind me on Ducatis. ;)

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2000/04/01april00sbk/

[wicks]

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2000/06/17june00sbkqualifying/

[Murray]

Well, that might very well be    ... but I know a few Guzzi riders that could get on board a Guzzi and you get on board an Aprilia sport bike, and all you'd see is their Guzzi taillight disappearing into the distance! 

Lannis

Without knowing how I ride, bikes I own, track days or racing I may or may not of done, I'd say thats a pretty big call.

[lucian]

Congrats on your Mille,  great bikes but restraint on the street is a must.  The Rotax twin is a great motor with little to go wrong. Stators were an early issue but upgrades are available. The only other advice I would offer is to stay with soft compound tires , and keep a good eye on tread wear. That bike will eat rear tires for breakfast so be aware. I run super corsas on a tuono and with traction control turned up to three I still roast a rear tire in 2500 miles street riding. Best of luck with it.

[Lannis]

Without knowing how I ride, bikes I own, track days or racing I may or may not of done, I'd say thats a pretty big call.

Maybe.   I'm just starting to realize how long I've lived and ridden motorcycles, how much talk I've heard in that time, how many riders I've seen ... and I always go with the "balance of probability" when I hear how fast someone's motorcycle will go relative to someone else's.   

Now, rather than insisting on a position, I'm more like "timing slips or it didn't happen!"   

Lannis

[wicks]

I'm reminded of a ride down Angeles Crest Highway on very fast bikes, I was on my RS250 gp bike, other fast friends riding litre Ducs, and somehow a very seasoned old gentleman managed to do the whole ride right behind us on an thrashed 80s KLR with enduro tires (that looked dried up and crusty). It is 90% rider.

RIDE SAFE!

[Lannis]

I'm reminded of a ride down Angeles Crest Highway on very fast bikes, I was on my RS250 gp bike, other fast friends riding litre Ducs, and somehow a very seasoned old gentleman managed to do the whole ride right behind us on an thrashed 80s KLR with enduro tires (that looked dried up and crusty). It is 90% rider.

RIDE SAFE!

Maybe 98% ... that's exactly it ....

Lannis

[Devildog]

 Thanks for all the comments. I'll attempt to ride conservatively, I've never been a speed junkie with the Daytona, so it should be fine. The other choice was a Ducati 999, but the Aprilia has been called 'bulletproof' by many.

[Brand X]

Thanks for all the comments. I'll attempt to ride conservatively, I've never been a speed junkie with the Daytona, so it should be fine. The other choice was a Ducati 999, but the Aprilia has been called 'bulletproof' by many.

I don't think those units have the stator issues like the later model Tuono's did. Least not to the same degree. Just check the Brown connector from the stator. Similar problem across most years there.. My 2008 Tuono was one of the worst in stator issues.. Although the fix was in on later V-2 S/N tuonos's

 Single side twin pipes are the coolest setups to me..

[Rusnak_322]

I had a 2004 Aprilia Mille and it was the most hardcore riding position I have ever felt on a street bike. made the Ducati 1098 feel like it had low pegs and high bars (and soft seat).

[Stevex]

Gen 1 RSVs don't have stator issues, unlike the Gen 2s.
Things I recommend you do check however are:

Rear linkage bearing lubrication, easy to take apart and inspect. Bad bearings cause linkage seizure and dogbone failure. Also check the wear between the triangular plate and adjacent swing arm area, large plastic washers are available that prevent contact.

Keep your battery in A1 charged condition; as soon as it is suspect, replace, otherwise the result is a knackered sprag clutch.

Check the white connector in between the V on the right side and the brown connector at the reg / rec. Poor connections at these (which feed stator voltage) will burn them out. Also, the rec / reg is known to cause less than optimal charging of the battery. I changed mine for a Shindengen mosfet item (and removed the brown connector at the same time) and now get 14v+ at idle and above.

A modded exhaust collector and chip will reinstate the 10bhp dip in mid range that is due to the oem 2-1 exhaust system, compared to the 2-2. A good less restrictive can and a decent ECU chip (FR200 or Gabro) will transform the way the bike runs.

OEM gearing is way too tall, replace with 16 front and 44 rear sprockets and again, the improvement is astounding.

The RSV Gen 1s are a fantastic bike, I'm now on my third.




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