Please bear with me for a moment as I have to call my doctor. Riding Aprilia’s Dorsoduro 1200 has side effects similar to the warnings you hear on TV for male enhancement medication. And the (ahem) physiological benefits persist for WAY more than four hours.
In fact, it’s oh-so appropriate that “Dorsoduro” literally translates to “hard ridge.” And, after clarifying that this is actually a district in the Italian city of Venice, we will speak of this no more.
The Dorsoduro has a stiff clutch, a hard seat, guzzles gas like a 747 on takeoff, is almost unrideable when in “Sport” mode and there’s no way to fit a tail bag, tank bag or lunch bag. It’s rowdy, raucous, totally impractical and after 15 minutes I’d made up my mind.
“ME WANT!”
FROM SHARP TO SWEAT SOCKS
At $12,595 the Dorsoduro is thousands less than its maxi-motard competition. Under the hood, you’ll find an 1197cc, 90-degree V-twin engine pumping out 130 horsepower and 85 ft lbs of torque. The usual EFI, DOHC and four valves per cylinder are fitted, but the cam drive is a unique combination of gears and chain.
A fly-by-wire throttle hooks up the loud handle and the Aprilia’s three power modes are accessed via the start button once the engine is running. “Sport” is the full yahoo setting with maximum power and incredibly sharp throttle response. “Touring” still dials up full power but with a softer, more manageable delivery, while “Rain” feels as if the airbox is stuffed full of dirty sweat socks and the Aprilia accelerates like it’s towing a large Airstream trailer.
The chassis is fairly conventional – steel frame with an aluminum swingarm and removable aluminum subframe. Fully adjustable Sachs 43 mm USD forks hold up the front end while a fully adjustable Sachs laydown shock (mounted asymmetrically ala the 650 Ninja) controls the hind end. Wheel travel is a generous 160 mm up front and 155 mm at the rear.
Like most motards I’ve ridden, any kind of braking caused the front end to dive like a Swedish hockey player, but cranking in some compression damping and front preload stiffened up the forks without compromising steering or ride quality.
Overall, the suspension was top notch with spring and damping rates well matched to the motorcycle.
Braking duties are ably handled by a huge pair of 320 mm stainless floating discs squeezed by Brembo four-pot radial calipers and stopping power, feel and feedback were excellent. ABS is an option but it wasn’t on my press unit.
Kinda wish it had been. (Foreshadowing of something about to go “all CMG?” Read on).
The Dorsoduro checks in at 222 kg (488 lbs) with the 15L tank full. Surprising because, not only doesn’t it look that lardy, it doesn’t feel like it either. Even at slow speeds, the generous steering lock and abundant low end torque make it easy to maneuver.
You must be THIS tall to get on this ride
The Aprilia’s seat is a good news / bad news scenario. The bad news is that it towers 870 mm (34.3 inches) above the pavement, which makes it fine for Editor ‘Arris and Your Obedient Servant with our stork-like inseams, but those without NBA aspirations may have difficulty climbing aboard.
The good news is that it’s actually quite comfortable. Most motards have seats so hard they qualify for their own Rockwell number but the Aprilia’s is quite civilized. If it were just a bit wider and didn’t have a forward slope, it would be all-day comfortable.
One day trip up in cottage country netted out at around 500 km – not Iron Butt mileage but more than enough to have me begging for mercy on most bikes of this genre. However, the lofty perch is also great for looking over other vehicles when in traffic.
Power to the people
With 130 horsepower on tap, the Aprilia is well muscled but I found the power delivery in “sport” mode shockingly aggressive. Give the throttle a wee crack in first or second and the front wheel reaches for the sky.
What a great read and I had a proper laugh at the fuel attendant comment! LOL!
Looking to buy one of these so hope all goes well. Cheers