Aprilia Futura

I live in New York USA and own an Aprilia Futura. I was probably one of the first, if not the first, Futura owners in the United States. I've been asked many times what I think about the Aprilia Futura from other motorcyclists, so I decided to write up a brief review.

Aside from a few annoying quirks, the Aprilia Futura has been a joy to own. Its has a wonderful engine, great handling and provocative looks. The 60 degree V-Twin has plenty of power and smooth delivery. However, the fuel injection is very jumpy in its first gear delivery and this hampers precision handling at low speeds. The gear box works wonderfully with deliberate up/down shifts, but finding the Neutral "sweet spot" is sometimes a complete chore. The Aprilia's handling is solid and inspires confidence. The ability to dial in the the rear monoshock's compression dampening on the fly works wonderfully. However, Aprilia's multiple choice of tires (some are clad with Metzlers others have Michelins or Pirellis) has led to variable tire feel. I'm currently rocking a new set of Michelin Pilot Sports which a nice, but not as sticky as the Dunlop Qualifier's on my Hawk GT. The angular design of the motorcycle causes a "love it" or "hate it" reaction from motorcyclists, so I'll leave that up to you. The mirrors are pretty m uch useless unless you jam your elbows into your sides to see behind you. In addition, my right side mirror jiggles around quite a bit blurring the image.

The Futura has been discontinued, but there is a great online shop that supplies many parts (although it can take a very long time to get an Aprilia part). The underseat exhaust is screaming for an aftermarket can to bring out the timbre and dynamics of the V-Twin. However, it's probably not worth the investment. I would also like to see a much more elegant solution for a license plate/saddle bag support system. The fuel gauge is pretty much useless; it never reads Full, even when completely topped off, and when its on Empty, you probably have over a gallon of gas left.

I've had mixed results from Aprilia USA, my original dealership, and my new dealership. In the case of Danbury, I was never able to get a straight answer (especially in regard to replacement parts). My new dealership was very frank about Aprilia sucking ass in terms of dealer support. Aprilia, now owned by Piaggio couldn't give a damn about the American market and treats it's loyal following in the States very poorly.

Bottom Line:

 Honda Hawk GT

I've owned a Honda Hawk GT for about 15 years. I bought it as a short distance commuter for use in New York City and completely modded it into a real Street Fighter. I've pretty much done all the major mods including:

Honda Hawk GT

There have been several times when I was going to sell the Hawk, but I can never bring myself to do it. The bike is 17 years old, but the styling is still fresh and it rides great with just regular maintenance. The bike was my main transport when the Futura was in the shop for 3 months waiting for parts from Aprilia, and I fell in love all over again. I just put on the aforementioned Qualifiers and bike really carves.

 Links

Here's some other sites that I like:

plants