Well- I did it. I got a deal I couldn’t refuse on a 2017 Aprilia RSV4 RR. It had 800 miles and change and everything looked brand new. The previous owner hadn’t even removed the plastic bobbles that protect the levers in the crate!
He’d taken the passenger foot pegs off and installed some kind of block off kit- it came with some kind of tail tidy that integrated the directionals into the tail light and removed the stalks, license plate bracket, and rear fender and a carbon Aprilia front fender.
I had a great final ride on my Duc- I had my Kriega bag filled with all the shit I took off- the old bars, the passenger pegs, plate mount and fender etc.
when I signed all the paperwork and was about to head home- I had to mail myself my Kriega bag because there is no way to secure it! I also had to stuff my phone, wallet and garage opener and magnetic tank pouch down my suit because the tank on the new bike isn’t metal! This thing is not really a street bike in any sense- it’s realky a track bike. The fucking thing can use satellites to turn off the cornering ABS on turn three at Mugello in lap four through seven and then back to level 2 for the rest- but it doesn’t have a fucking fuel gauge. The bike is absurd in that way.
It’s amazing how much more wide coverage it has compared to the Supersport and how much more intuitive it handles. The thing is telepathic in a way I’ve never felt with a vehicle this side of my best race bicycles. My hands, back, and neck all feel perfect. About three hours in on the ride back from Santa Monica to San Diego lane splitting in slow traffic- the outside of my right foot started bugging me and my knee armor was cutting into my right knee due to the high peg position and the seat is a brick compared to the perfect Supersport seat- but I’d been riding w bike for almost 6 hours at that point both ways-and stopping for gas about 45 minutes from home solved all my aches. Still the thing is stiffer and harsher than my Supersport S- but I would not hesitate to ride this bike on long trips-although my future Moto Guzzi Stelvio will probably get the nod for any trip longer than three hours that doesn’t involve twisties.
This bike feels like a second skin though. It handles accelerates and generally just rides perfectly. I have no gripes at all- but I will do the Race ECU very soon so I can get some louder pipes. I want to be able to part traffic like Moses did the Red Sea and Harley doods do lanes of traffic during rush hour- and loud pipes do that. Plus the stock pipes look gigantic. I think Austin Racing or Arrows are in my future.
In short- I love this fucking bike. It’s perfect.
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