Pricing moves don’t normally constitute big news, and are more likely to show up in our Press Release section, but Aprilia’s announcement yesterday really caught our eye. We noticed that they are not only blowing out 2012 inventory with dramatic price reductions, the 2013 models are also coming down to fight the Japanese for customers straight-up. This is a significant change from their premium pricing strategy in the past. Here is the pricing on several of the 2013 superbike models for the US market.
Ducati 1199 Panigale (w/o ABS) – $17,995
Kawasaki ZX-10R ABS – $15,299
BMW S 1000 RR ABS – $15,050
Aprilia RSV4 R APRC ABS – $14,999
Honda CBR1000RR ABS – $14,800
Yamaha YZF-R1 (w/o ABS) – $14,290 to $14,490
Suzuki GSX-R 1000 (w/o ABS) – $ 13,799
For reference, the 2012 Aprilia RSV4 R APRC (non-ABS) was priced at $16,999 previously. Each of the 1000cc Aprilia V4s feature the sophisticated APRC system, which includes traction control, wheelie control, launch control and quick shift. Here is Aprilia’s press release on the price reductions for remaining 2012 inventory.
New York, NY January 31, 2013 – With four SBK World Championship titles in the last three seasons (Rider and Manufacturer in 2010 and 2012), Aprilia USA is making ownership of the most technologically advanced and confidence inspiring sportbikes accessible to even more riders.
Aprilia USA announced today V4ALL, a strategic price initiative for the Aprilia V4 family. V4ALL is designed to ensure that motorcycle riders who only dreamed of owning an Aprilia will have the possibility of purchasing the most technologically advanced sportbikes on the market at a price that yesterday was unthinkable, but today is possible. “Aprilia is the World Superbike champion,” said Miguel Martinez, President and CEO of Piaggio Group Americas. “It is our V4ALL goal to provide more sportbike riders the opportunity to own and experience a world-championship derived motorcycle.”
Aprilia’s V4ALL offers highly competitive pricing on all V4 models so riders can find the perfect member of the Aprilia V4 family to fit their riding style at a great price. Enthusiasts can own a model year 2012 Tuono V4 R for $12,999, RSV4 R APRC for $13,999 or a RSV4 Factory APRC for $18,999. Lower prices are available on earlier RSV4 R and Factory models and riders are advised to check with their nearest Aprilia USA dealer. For more details on pricing and to find an Aprilia USA dealer please visit ApriliaUSA.com
Each member of the V4 family comes standard with the Aprilia Performance Ride Control (APRC) system, Aprilia’s World Superbike traction control system. The APRC System provides the rider with traction control, wheelie control, launch control and quick shift – a technological platform not yet available on all sportbikes. For more information on the Aprilia Tuono V4 R, RSV4 R APRC and RSV4 Factory APRC models please visit ApriliaUSA.com
These Aprilia RSV4 bikes never perform well when compared to other liter bikes
in performance tests but a local dealer near me started selling them and I had to
check them out, hot damn these bikes look way better than in pictures, fantastic
looking bikes.
Uhm… the RSV4 has won “sportsbike of the year” multiple times in multiple magazines, and has beaten the likes of a S1000RR around a track in many different comparison tests. It’s not a great drag racing bike, but if that’s what you want, there are better choices.
OK, screw all this. I put $1000 down on one today. Hopefully get it in April.
here’s another bit of irony with the wonderful brand that is aprilia. they continue to be conspiciously absent from the IMS show tour despite having recently relocated their US offices to NYC. so, the big apple is acceptable for their HQ, but they can’t pony up for the unions at javitz, even if it’s the only show they display at…? you’d think they might be able to do that in the absence of all the dealers. btw, are their still even unions at jazitz…? i dunno…?
What does the location choice for their US headquarters have to do with the cost-benefit analysis of attending the IMS or paying the unions at Javitz? I don’t see any irony in that. And not that it is relevant, but I wouldn’t want to pay that much for a guy to plug in an extension cord either.
re: “What does the location choice for their US headquarters have to do with the cost-benefit analysis of attending the IMS or paying the unions at Javitz?”
as someone mentioned, it shows lack of confidence in one’s own product. it’s the kiss of death.
Personally I say about time and much more needs to be done to cut prices…yes the bikes these days are all techno and fast and so on…but the fact remains you can buy a car with steel body and a radio and air conditioning and fairly advanced engines with auto transmissions for $15-16k. It always seemed to me that guys buying bikes get boned for their value versus other goods. I’ve been buying for 6 decades so I’m pretty sure I’m not wrong…….
re: “Personally I say about time and much more needs to be done to cut prices”
of course you do (we all do), but that’s just the myopic “fan-sumer” in us talking and a leading indicator that thinking things through is generally not our strong suit.
but guess what, i can do you one better. check me out…
how great would it be if everything on planet earth were FREE…?!?! and i mean EVERYTHING…!!! 🙂 that would be wonderful right…? WRONG. see, if we take your opening thought to it’s ultimate conclusion, the world as we know it would grind to halt inside of 24 hrs. prolly 24 mins.
so no, it does not automatically follow that MUCH MORE needs to be done to cut prices (certainly not on luxury items). that’s just something we WANT and human history is RIDDLED with stories of mankind blinding “wanting” things to the point of their own detriment.
re: “but the fact remains you can buy a car with steel body and a radio and air conditioning and fairly advanced engines with auto transmissions for $15-16k.”
the only fact i see is in 60 years, no one’s ever sat you down and explained to you the grievious ERR of making “apple vs. orange” comparisons. just sayin’.
re: “I’ve been buying for 6 decades”
what…? groceries, household goods, consumables, and other sundry items…? yeah, those don’t count.
WTF? You OK? “Ramblin’ Man” ain’t makin’ much sense when it comes to bikes. Are the voices an echo or just in your little cage? Best you go back and wet on the carpet and have your nose rubbed real good in that spot.
re: “WTF? You OK? “Ramblin’ Man” ain’t makin’ much sense when it comes to bikes. Are the voices an echo or just in your little cage? Best you go back and wet on the carpet and have your nose rubbed real good in that spot.”
translation: i’m illiterate and i don’t quite no how to go about asking for help. given my age, it’s a lil’ embarassing.
Here’s a simple and interesting inflation calculator. In this case, use it to plug in the price of some favorite bikes from the past and see how that price relates today. Rather surprising.
http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
Remember too that the hyper bikes we see today did not exist back when.
LAw of supply/demand. The reason that inexpensive cars can be made is because millions of them are made, compared to a few thousand of these motorcycles that are cutting edge technologies/materials. It’s something of a miracle that they don’t cost more. Either the market will pay, or these will simply go away.
Private aircraft cost $400k+ for 1960’s technology but that’s where the math lands it.
Nice idea. I will still likely buy a new CB500 just because of gas prices and how expensive the rest of the everyday American budget has become. I too have heard of Italian bike parts nightmares and bikes in the shop or the owner’s garage for months waiting for parts so I will pass. We need bikes that are very dependable. Honda may not be perfect but that have a pretty long and glorious track record. Mister Honda rode a Harley around Japan. He knew all about dependability and how to achieve it.
I have to say I’ve had no problems getting parts for my Aprila or Ducati. The nightmares you’ve heard might be related to either small brands or from a long time ago.
Who would have thought that even though I live in the middle of nowhere (Iowa), I have a Aprilia dealer within 5 miles of my house. I’m seriously considering a Tuono….
I love my 2012 Tuono V4R…amazing bike and it does everything I want it to do. Leo Vince pipe makes it sound even better! Only issue was a demand sensor, and that was fixed easily enough by the dealer. All the problems people are talking about…why not go try one and try to stop smiling when you twist your wrist?
Aprilia’s problem is that they don’t wanna pay the dealers the repair warranty claims. Lot of dealers got stuck with the bills. Heard this from a guy who used to run Aprilia/Ducati/MV Agusta dealer.
re: “Aprilia’s problem is that they don’t wanna pay the dealers the repair warranty claims.”
YAAAAHHHTTTZZEEEE…!!! listen to the topper, he knows that of which he speaks.
“I don’t doubt for a moment that Aprilia makes terrific motorcycles.” (and scooters)
“it seems to have become if your not a millionaire, you can’t get a dealership.”
Can anyone hear opportunity knocking? AF1 started in a very small town an hours drive from most of the people in San Antoino. A couple of guys started that business were super enthusiasts, probably put every dime they could scrape together into it, worked their asses off, had a low overhead operation, swept their own floor, swung their own wrenches and made you feel like they really wanted you for a customer and friend. In a weak economy (especially for expensive toys, but not for money saving scooters) they have expanded into a downtown Austin location (very smart move) and are apparently doing very well. They know the bikes inside and out, apply no pressure to buy, have demos and are easy to deal with.
I have also dealt with Scuderia West in San Francisco. Low overhead, service oriented, bikes in stock, very knowledgeable.
From a capitalist point of view. Aside from the product advantages, not having another dealer close by keeps profit margins up and assures your promotion efforts are rewarded. I started and ran a boat dealership very successfully and had a lot of fun too. Just be prepared to bet all you have and work your ass off for years. Aprilia wants and NEEDS a dealer in every major market. I’ll bet they would bend over backward to help you succeed.
re: “I’ll bet they would bend over backward to help you succeed.”
perception vs. reality. now all that looks/sounds good on paper, but in reality it’s actually quite the opposite.
I don’t doubt for a moment that Aprilia makes terrific motorcycles.
Here’s the problem (for me, at least), though. When I go to the Aprilia website and search for a dealer in my state, the website goes into perpetual spinning mode. If I look in Google for “[My state] Aprilia dealer” I get a list of two dealers. The first one is a Ducati dealer that went out of business four years ago. The second one sells only scooters in a college town.
Sorry, Aprilia, but if you want to interest me in buying one of your motorcycles, you need to have a dealer within 50-75 miles of where I live. Ditto Moto Guzzi, by the way.
I live in a metro area with a 2 million population. No reason why Piaggio can’t get their products added to an existing dealership, unless the parts issue is such a headache that no sane dealer will take them on.
It isn’t so much that a dealer won’t take them on, it is more that Piaggio has burned through all the existing dealerships and they won’t give them another try. I have talked to dealers in my area and the song is the same “we used to sell them, but not anymore”.
Aprilia, Moto Guzzi would need to open up a company store in areas that are not served by the brands. Then at some point sell the store over to a independent operator.
re: “It isn’t so much that a dealer won’t take them on, it is more that Piaggio has burned through all the existing dealerships and they won’t give them another try.”
same as in car world, dealers know and keep company with OTHER dealers. especially those in 20 groups or those with the same franchises. this then brings us full circle back to a “dealer” not taking them on.
There was a dealer in my area (Yamaha) who was interested in taking on Aprilia, but Aprilia insisted that they had to stock all their scooters, and in a rural area, scooters mostly just set in the dealer showroom and almost have to eventually be given away. Since the dealer didn’t want to waste money and showroom space and take the not wanted scooters, Aprilia said to forget it then, so the dealer did.
re: “Aprilia insisted that they had to stock all their scooters, and in a rural area, scooters mostly just set in the dealer showroom and almost have to eventually be given away.”
and here we have gary “swingin’ for the fences” with another little yet known (but critical) factoid i had forgotten about… ie. the K.O.D. (kiss of death) “scooter clause”. see, further proof that the last sentence in skybullet’s paragraph above simply isn’t true.
The problem with U.S. motorcycle dealers is that 1, they don’t really believe in the product. They want to ‘cherry pick’ the manufacturer’s offerings and only stock what they, themselves, like. In fact, they often deprecate (or damn with faint praise) the manufacturer’s models with which they, personally, don’t identify.
And 2, they’re unwilling to work for their money — i.e., “sell”. Many dealers prefer to be merely ‘order takers’, with little product knowledge or enthusiasm for all the manufacturer’s models — and, unless they’re either independently wealthy (and don’t need to make money) or have the good fortune to have landed in an active motorcycling area, are doomed to failure.
It’s funny how it works the other way round. In my area there is an piaggo dealer who only sells vespa/aprilia scooters. Man I wish they sold motorcycles or another dealership would carry them.
The nearest aprilia motorcycle dealer is beyond what I would call close.
Companies go out of business opening up too many dealers who then go out of business. The market has to be proven. If I lived off the beaten path, I would buy a Honda who have dealers everywhere.
just too add a point about a lack of dealers for non japanese made motorcycles, triumph has that same problem in virginia. i was going to buy a new triumph but the closest dealer to the charlottesville area is about two hours away. so i bought a harley instead. i wish triumph and other smaller brands would make it a little easier for existing dealers to handle their products. we would all benefit from that.
if i may, i would like to complete the last 2 sentences of your comment…
“i wish triumph and other smaller brands would make it a little easier for existing dealers to handle their products”… (so long as it doesn’t cost me or the consumers of those brands anything).
“we would all benefit from that”… (at their expense).
Having a good chuckle at people complaining about a lack of dealer close by. I am in Alaska, own 4 Aprilias and on the rare occasion I actually need a part, I call AF1 out of Texas. The part is here within a couple days. Very few dealerships keep parts in stock these days, even my local Yamaha and Honda dealer have to order parts in, which requires much longer waits than 2 days.
Lowering the price, don’t know if it is a good move or bad move on Aprilia’s part. I’m no economist. Don’t aspire to be either. I know a bargain when I see one and will be adding another one (at least) to my stable.
These are not cookie cutter japanese bikes. These are high performance works of art. They have soul. They have quality, passion and thoughtfulness built into them. They are keepers.
re: “Having a good chuckle at people complaining about a lack of dealer close by. I am in Alaska, own 4 Aprilias and on the rare occasion I actually need a part, I call AF1 out of Texas.”
you’re confusing yourself for being “the rule” rather than “the exception” to the rule. and nothing against AF1 as i’ve conferred with them and their dyno guy (micah) in the past, but i ultimately prefer to spend my money LOCALLY (as i’m sure many do) with my OWN aprilia aces. guys who’ve been around well before anybody knew from AF1. plenny o’ cash already circulating through texas.
re: “These are high performance works of art. They have soul. They have quality, passion and thoughtfulness built into them. They are keepers.”
wow, such a glowing endorsement. then it stands to reason they are WORTH you rewarding aprilia for all their hard work to the tune of $15, $17, and $23 thousand dollars yes…? see, can’t have it both ways.
I had plans to acquire a RSV4 prior to the price drop Norm. I’m in school right now and was planning on rewarding myself at the original price. For the performance and spec, I still felt it was a bargain. Their move makes it a no brainer.
Good for you Alaska, however that is getting parts in a non-emergency situation, not the same when you are on the road. Also, did you go to Texas to test ride or buy your bikes. I know some will travel whereever to get the bike they want, but that is not the norm for many.
4 Aprilia rotax motor bikes, in the rare instance one goes down for the count, I move on to the next bike or rob peter to pay paul. Owned em 5 years now, haven’t had one break yet…
Just think if the OEMs adjusted their prices somewhere between the ultra high msrp and the “fire sale” pricing.
People would buy more current year bikes and there would be fewer left covers sold at a loss.
Resale would improve as well
Not so quick on the superior components from Japan. My 2007 Honda VFR melted down electrical components big time. There is an aftermarket just on the fix since Honda wouldn’t fix it. Cam chain tensioner was another deal also. Bikes are now so complicated, subassemblys have issues.
Here is a quick list of Japanese bike issues.
1. Honda VFR electrical issues-6th gen.
2. Honda VFR cam chain tenshioners
3. Honda CBR 1000 oil use. A quart every 1000 miles.
4. Suzuki Hayabusa-cam chain tensioner issues
5. Honda Goldwing 2006 frame failures.
6. Kawasaki KLR 650 ol use.
I love the old VFR format and I refused to buy the ones with v-tec and onwards just because of this needless complexity. I wont even look at the vfr 1200 with its dual clutch and other useless parts.
yeahbut, look at the YENEUR exchange rate, EU mfg is getting murdered.
Previously owned and still miss a Futura.
She was a great girl that took me everywhere in style.
X-pipe and Staintunes booming throughout the air.
Never let me down.
Sigh…….
Could be a smart move to build market share and increase brand identity even if taking a loss in the short term. Then sell special models at a premium….kind of like Ducati.
Lucky to have AF1 Aprilia here in Austin.
re: “Could be a smart move to build market share and increase brand identity even if taking a loss in the short term.”
cart – front – horse. reading the threads below, i think MORE than several would argue that the path to building market share and increasing brand identity has nothing to do with “giving away the store”…? and everything to do with… (drumroll)… REBUILDING THE DEALER NETWORK…?
what value a $13k tuono (you travelled 2 states away to buy) that needs it’s entire engine assembly changed under warranty…? don’t say it can’t happen.
Like most stated, I think this is good news. I don’t know about dealer support or parts availability as some may know. The biggest problem for me, and not only with Aprillia, is that the dealer network is too small and far away from me, and I’m not THAT rural. I know manufacturers try to have good solid dealers to better service their products, but it seems to have become if your not a millionaire, you can’t get a dealership. And especially now, most dealerships outside possibly a very urban area, aren’t worth the hassle and expense. And, when dealerships are too far away, that impacts model sales. Shame, I think these are really good bikes.
re: “it seems to have become if your not a millionaire, you can’t get a dealership.”
not true, a “thousandaire” can get a dealership in this day and age JUST as easy as the millionaire. the difference comes in what i call… “bleed time to padlock ratio”.
see, whereas the “fan-sumer” will get to SUCK the “fiscal marrow” out of the millionaire’s brick and mortar operation for 4 or 5 years before the bank moves into seize the building, these same fan-sumers will only get like a year or 2 to “gnaw” on a thousandaire’s bones before HIS doors are padlocked.
however come year 6, ironically both the millionaire and thousandaire find themselves in the exact same boat (wth i know you?)… ie. U.S.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT.
in their wake they leave 1000’s of orphan customers bobbing up and down like so many frozen popsicles in a frigid north atlantic waiting for life rafts to return (cue epic disaster scene from titanic). but guess what guys…? ain’t no life rafts in bike world. and with that i transition in to my patented phrase…
WELCOME TO 2013 AND THE NICHE BUSINESS OF MOTORCYCLING…!!!
A thousandaire only if you have several hundred thousand. Still out of reach for enough to support adequately the number of dealers necessary for one to feel have way comfortable that they’ll find one within reasonable distance in case of breakdown or emergency parts need. You must keep in mind that most of the majors and even some of the more minor distributors require so big a building, at least one certified mechanic, so much inventory, and often require you maintain so many current models regardless of what you may be able to sell.
Just a guess.. disgruntled dealer who went out of business?
Great bikes, no Piaggio back up on parts. Local dealer had ’em dropped them for the lack of support. Too bad, I like them.
That is basically the same story in my area. I like the bikes, but without a strong dealer network, both Aprilia and Moto Guzzi are not worth my risk.
M V Agusta could use a little help in the dealer network department too.
Any of the smaller brands tend to have a more sparse dealer network. I live within 25 miles of my Guzzi dealer which is great for me but in practice I don’t have the need for them much. Especially on Moto Guzzis, servicing is a snap on routine things which I do myself. It’s an individual call. Although nice I don’t see the smaller brands increasing their dealer count until sales dictate they do. Rather a chicken or egg thing. In this economy don’t get your hopes up.
I could live without a dealer close by after purchase and warranty expiration. But that means I will only purchase a used out of warranty Aprilia product. I am interested in their products, but this puts them in a deep hole when trying to attract customers interested in new machines.
A product that needs a warranty to sell must be thought of as inferior.
With a superior product, a warranty is irrelevant.
I have owned 7 Aprilias and 2 Guzzis since 2007. Local dealer closed late 2008 due to economic stresses, not Piaggio. The local Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki dealer closed shortly after. It’s a bit of a drive to the next dealer now, but not an issue. In this day and age parts are available online with overnight delivery. All my Aprilias have been rock solid reliable. If you want one, take the plunge. My RSV4 is an incredibly fun, nimble machine. And my MG Norge is equally fun when touring or 2-up riding. Piaggio products are great. Just don’t get me started on their marketing department as they s*ck.
I have had a Falco then a Touno and had to change the oil, tires, chains and sprockets. Solid bikes and super fun daily riders.
I own a 2007 RXV 550. It’s a v twin fuel injected street legal racing dirt bike. This is the best bike I have ever owned. It is twice the bike that my Honda 250 CR could ever be. After two to four years other manufacturers have started to catch up with the technology. Dealer support is important on initial set up but I have not been back to them since. I would buy another Aprilia in a heartbeat.
I wasn’t familiar with that model so I looked them up. Do they come stock with such aggressive dirt tires as I saw? Not sure I’d do much street duty on those. Looks like a dirt bike that you just happen to be able to slap a tag on and ride on the street and not the other way around.
There were two versions, the RXV which is an enduro model and the SXV which is a super moto version. The SXV has many different parts suited to the street. It had a larger front brake, larger front forks, 17 inch tires, wider swingarm for wider street tires, taller 5th gear, and it revs 500 rpm higher. Both models are street legal race bikes.
There are actually 3 models TO, The SXV=supermoto, the RXV=enduro/cross country, there is also a MXV=motocross race bike.
The MXV motor and frame are not the same as the RXV and SXV.
Wow!!! I’m gonna get 2, maybe 3 at that price!!! Seriously……who does this really matter to? Those with 15k+ to blow on a bike aren’t gonna be swayed by this…..plus I’m sure their previous buyers are pissed. Not to mention losing some of their “je ne sais quoi” that makes Eurobike riders so damn smug…….
15k is maybe half of what some Harleys go out the door for. Smugness does not come from the bike. If I’m hot for a bike but it’s pushing the budget some, and not a lot, then a couple large off the top would have me signing the dotted line. Bikes are expensive now days.
My 10 years with a Caponord were 100% trouble free and the maintenance was very reasonable. Aprilia is a HIGHLY under rated consumer product with better quality and performance than most brands. Ride one sometime.
Who benefits fom this pricing move? Every enthusiast looking for a great litrebike value.
wait, you mean every “fan-sumer” hell bent on cutting off their nose to spite their face ignorant to the long-term consequences.
in contrast, knowing the value of the kit AS IT ORIGINALLY SAT, “enthusiasts” already came off the dime and made their buying decisions some time ago.
exhibit a…
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h112/shamarone/amsrsv4_zps967258f8.jpg
Looks like a HONDA from the side.
..and very attractive, no?
re: “The fact they are becoming more competitively priced is a good thing.”
good for whom…?
For people looking to buy one.
Risky move to buy something complex from a company that doesn’t believe in it’s value. This smells of a volume grab to dress up the company for sale.
I bought an 2000 Mille R new and still have it today. Now converted to a Tuono due to my old age not the bike’s. Mine has been absolutely reliable and still runs like new. The dealer issue is a problem but given the whole bike industry right now all the brands seem to be struggling. Good for new owners but not so good for those that bought at the higher prices. BMW did the same thing years ago with their R1100S reducing the bike by $thousands in years following the original, driving used prices down for current owners. Free market -that’s the way it works! Rock on Aprilia best of luck. I hope they sell a bunch.
re: “Free market -that’s the way it works!”
let’s be honest, the cry of “free market” is to divert attention away from one’s irresponsible desire for “free lunch”.
The RSV-R electrical problems were really minor and are well understood now… the infamous brown connector is well known and easily fixed. The rest of that bike is practically bulletproof. I’ve had a Tuono for 5 years (this is six, can’t part with it) and 24K – I’ve had one problem… a screw fell out.
All parts were *CHEAP* and readily available, for example I needed a rear signal light with inner reflector and cover: $45 I also needed some screws (a couple for spares) and a headlight which was destroyed by a rock off a speeding dump truck. Everything appeared within days and was simple to install.
Anyway
Good for Aprilia. These bikes are awesome. I’ve ridden the RSV4 and it’s just a pure riding experience that you aren’t going to find elsewhere. I’ve got several Suzukis with 20hp and more over stock, both track and street – they do not give you the *FEEL* or the *EXCITEMENT* that the RSV4 does, even if they are faster in a straight line. It is a very different experience that has to be experienced to understand. It’s not a mistake that journalists almost always pick it as their favourite bike to ride and note that the bike does more track miles than any other bike in a comparison test. You never forget there’s a big, angry V4 under you. Very stirring.
Aprilia needs to sell lots more bikes so they can get more dealers. Now that the v4 development costs are covered, this is their opportunity to do so. The 2013 bikes have undergone many improvements as well, including the new generation of ABS (a bit lighter) as also found on the HP4, more power and many other revisions including a larger tank, lower seat height, the new Brembo monoblocs and slightly improved street handling (which can be changed by adding a bit of engine height for racing purposes).
I am not in any way affiliated with Aprilia. I am just a fan with seven bikes who keeps finding himself riding his (“old” v-twin) Aprilia and enjoying it more than the 200hp superbikes it shares a garage with. And I steal a ride on my friend’s RSV4 every chance I get… this could be the year I sell off the Suzuki street bike and get the new SE Factory…
re: “Aprilia needs to sell lots more bikes so they can get more dealers.”
Aprilia needs to get more dealers so they can sell lots more bikes, and the wheels on the bus go round and round.
Well I do like Aprilia and think their bikes are very nicely styled. I had a bad experience with them, but that was resolved, so I would get another Aprilia. So the reason I won’t buy one is because the closes dealership to me is not close at all. That is one of the problems with Piaggio anything, they don’t’ support their dealers and the dealers drop the brand. The fact they are becoming more competitively priced is a good thing.
Throw that things to the lions
Free Market’ism at work
Not good news for Aprilia fans. This will last only as long as their parent company is willing to absorb the $$ loss, then these models will disappear.
re: “This will last only as long as their parent company is willing to absorb the $$ loss, then these models will disappear.”
exactly, shell games of hiding costs and “robbing peter” have no future. this ain’t car world.
I think it is good for Aprilia fans. For anyone sitting on the fence the new lower pricing will certainly move quite a few more into visiting their dealer. Motorcycles are dream machines and if someone feels that the time is right because of this new incentive they may pull the trigger on one. That will add more out on the streets where the hope is it will spark more interest. Worked for me on my Norge.
Sorry Aprilia, but that experience with the RST 1000 will always be remembered for the frequent large repair bills, the “factory certified” technicians never being able to get the bike to stop having odd electrical problems, and the massive fuel leak AFTER the fuel-line recall service was supposedly done at your local dealer here – whou could hardly suck more if they tried.
Oh, boy. An axe to grind. Don’t ever let it go. Not that I don’t think you have a justified gripe…
I really WANTED to like that bike. I tried. I really did. I owned it for 4 years and spent considerably more on service than the Ducati ST4 it replaced – and I put more miles on the Duc – which was a bit easier to ride, and didn’t melt-down it’s wiring connectors and other electrical components. The ‘Last Straw’ was after a months-long ‘repair’ the service department couldn’t get the engine-fault indicator lights to go off or the idle to settle down. Hardly ‘fixed’ in my eyes – but then I’ve only ridden street bikes for 30 years and bought a mtorcycle every 5 years or so. Worst aspect was the dealer is a big H-D shop, and acted like the REALLY couldn’t be bothered with my silly Italian bike anyway.
I’d REALLY like a Norge or Stelvio, but until I move to another state where there might just be a good shop, I don’t think I’ll try again.
curious, amongst your memories might there be one of italy’s 2002 helmet law and aprilia’s subsequent bankruptcy…?
Agreed. Lets not forget the “engine” recall on the RSV4 and the disastrous RXV450/550 engine debacles and the Shiver melting electrical connections.In this day and age of component assemblies and modern testing how could a bike builder screw up so bad? Im sure the “new” stuff is better but seriously , imagine buying one at full pop and having issues that the Japanese havent experienced in decades.
2012 “worl’ champeen” ta boot. looks like bike side’s cost complainers all out of excuses.