Motorcycle Explorer Issue 6
Y
ou may find that I review bikes a little differently than you’d find in sport bike mags or
journalists that work for sports orientated mags that have to test an adventure / dual sport. I’m
not going to witter on about how there may be some vibe play in the grips at 10,000 revs
because I don’t use 10k revs unless I’ve fallen off and still have hold of throttle in panic!
What I will look at is how comfortable the stock seat is, how high is it, would this suit a pillion
when all the gear is on and of course how much fuel does it take and what kind of mpg will I be
getting?
When riding do I get a face full of wind or is the hand position so that the cold wind whips up the
inside of my sleeves – these and more are the kinds of things that are going to piss you off 2000
miles into a ride.
When you think that most sports riders may do 2000 mile a year. So I know from bitter
experience of doing endurance qualifications with the Iron Butt Association that when you do
over 1500 miles in a day that the little niggles you get after 200 become utter agony by the end
of the day. So I know when something is going to work out for touring and exploring and when
you are going to have to make some changes.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve gotten my knee down on a GS before now, swiftly followed by an elbow,
the side of my helmet and then the GS!
A matter of memory
Looking at the 1200 Rally, it’s not a rally bike not even close to being a rally bike. If you’re
thinking the Dakar or even the Baja then you have as much chance of seeing a Honda C90 enter
as you do seeing the Caponord. But that’s not a bad thing, just a title gaff in my opinion as there
was not a BMW to be seen in the last Dakar and they sell rather well, so why not the Caponord
1200?
It’s been over 10 years since The Long Way Round but that show still calls loudly in the psyche of
riders. If it’s good enough for Obi Wan Kanobi to ride around the world on then it’s good enough
for me. Forget the fact that the GS has moved on massively since then, the brand GS is burnt into
our minds and the Aprilia ain’t!
Let’s Have a Look at it then.
I have to say that for me it’s a good looking machine and something that would muster a smile
onthe face as the garage door slid up to revel for playtime. With the sit up and beg position and
the ground clearance being as it should it gives a formidable road presence. Supporting that
physique is a mix of aluminium and tubular steel framing that seals in a 1197cc V-Twin packed
full of grunt.
So what have Aprilia done with the name? Well they give it a serious change from the ETV1000
when the 1200 series came into play and now with the Rally version you get the same back but
with some rather nice extras to bolt on.