Aprilia Dorsoduro 750 (2008-2015) Review and used buying guide

One of the best bikes I've ridden, the super moto riding position gives it a lot of fun day to day use. I like to use it as a commuter and weekend bike at times, I'd say this bike is suitable for day to day use except traffic and city areas. One of it's quirks is it's very tall seat height, at 870-890mm it's really tall, you would need to be around 5'10+ to ride this bike comfortably on a daily basis. Shorter riders will struggle immensely with this bikes height and weight. - Seat and ergonomics is surprisingly comfortable as it can sit on the bike for 3-4 hours straight before needing to get off. - Brakes are powerful and good to stop the bike, not as good as modern newer Brembo's , but they get the job done. - Big suspension and long travel means soaking up road imperfections easily and making the ride pretty smooth. This bike has great usability at weekend riding and some commuting travelling, where it really comes alive is spirited riding where you have a trash at the throttle, some straight roads and corning. - Fuel range is pretty decent as i can go around 200-230km before refueling.- Tall commanding seat height gives excellent visibility all around. Lastly, where you won't want to go on this bike is touring as it has practically no storage areas and a small fuel tank which will greatly limit your travel distance. Off-road is a not go as it has no protection to vital components and it's not made for it.

The heart and soul of the Dorsoduro, a unique experience itself that feels like a partially living machine with a soul.What's interesting is this 90 degree V twin is really smooth as it has very minimal vibrations as in balancing, it's bank angle is well balanced and also has a balancing shaft to smooth things out.It does have a very smooth, linear power delivery that makes it quite pleasant to ride, unless you put it in race or sport mode with makes it very aggressive.This engine is pretty torquey and plenty power at 92-95hp, it does produce a lot of heat as it is a ''race'' engine, however the biggest letdown is the DD's heavy body making it less agile and nimble on otherwise a pretty solid engine powerplant.Starting:When it fires, it does roar and come to a deep, grumbly rumble at idle. Kind of like angry machine that came alive. It does have a high idle at 1500rpms (normal) so it gets hot fairly quick.Moving:1500-3500 rpms, it doesn't really have the urge to be aggressive, interestingly enough it feels like it wants to be ridden in a calm, relaxed manner in like a sports cruiser setting.Speeding:4000 rpms - 55000 rpms, the engine slowly comes alive, you can easily maintain highway speeds all day with the power and torque it produces, kind of like big v twins trundling all day at a certain rpm. Still has a buzzing rumble sound. High speeding:6000 rpms+, the engine really comes alive, at the high rpms it still has a lot of torque and power, does pull like a train and can go scary fast for such a huge bike.

For a 14 year old bike as mine is bought used (2009 model) with 60,000km on the odo, it is build like a tank in hardware quality. The frame is super strong, plastics are quality thick and tough and it rides almost like new surprisingly. The bike weights like 200kg full, but it feels like a very well build bike.The sporty super moto bike despite being 14 years old still looks amazing and stylish even today, not a lot of bikes can match it's looks. Timeless is the word to describe it. When you manage to combine and super moto with sport bikes styling it turns heads. However, nothing is all rainbows and sunshine, there are a few flaws as such:1) Dashboard LCD fade, common issue of Shivers & Dorsoduro's as overtime heat damages the film display, making it hard/impossible to see the display in the day. Solution to fix it is by opening the dash and changing the film. 2) Electronic Issues, bane of every Aprilia bike, mine has a faulty immobiliser so the warning light stays on all the time when start, hazard lights did come one randomly at some point, seemed to stop for now. Had the radiator fan fuse blow while riding which was replaced in the shop with my own money.3) Rusting bolts, older DD's are prone to this, especially if kept outside for long periods of time, things like the rear foot peg bolts, clutch piston bolts and other Allen bolts are known to rust by water acumination. 4) Rear master brake fail, it's know to not work either due to age or it hangs so low and open which dirt and grime and make it not work. Had mine repaired twice.

It's quite alright to run long term on consumables such as gas, tires, chains etc, defiantly on the pricier side but not ridiculous like some high end superbikes (after all it's still a mid CC bike)But for servicing expect to pay more due to scarcity and specialised parts and specialised tech mechanics.

This bike doesn't have much aftermarket support, but from experience it's pretty complete from the factory except a few things.1) Aftermarket exhaust, removing the massive under tail stock box for a pair of twin pipes hugely improves heat management, weight, engine response & feel as well as looks (way better than stock exhaust). A decat is worth mentioning as it hugely improves the exhaust note and heat. Together with the exhaust pipes it really roars down the roads, the sound does echo, bounces in tunnels and cities, making it a very enjoyable experience. 2) Aftermarket mirrors, they do make the bike look better/ sharper without the stock mirrors. 3) Custom paint job & decals, they can really bring out the ''racy'' street bike super moto feel as factory paint schemes are not the most exciting thing.Mine was originally black, was resprayed to a black, dark grey finish with some white, red and black stickers, it does look very unique and good, not a loud paintjob, but rather a tasteful and stylish scheme.4) Phone holder, need to use navigation to find my way around town/city sometimes.

Set up the suspension correctly and away you go. The brakes are very good. Even now, 45K on the clock, still on the first set of pads.

I like it

I have had the bike from new and had problems with the wiring early days. the rear shock had to be fixed 2 years ago.

There are very few aftermarket bits for this bike, there is not much to improve, it is, in my opinion, great to ride, great to look at, timeless.

Hard ride but I like it that way, plenty of stopping power from the Brembos.

Punchy power from the 750, freed up via Arrow exhaust.

Only problem I have is with getting it started if left in the cold. The battery doesn't have enough CCA (Cold Cranking Amperage). Rear indicators both broke from vibration, so fitted some LED ones, much better.

Servicing seems cheap enough.

Added a Translogic quick shift. Standard Dunlops were rubbish but am happy with Pilot Powers.

Fuel tank warping.

I had to have one of the plastic gears that drives the water pump replaced as it was found to be stripped of all of its teeth by the metal gear that drives it thus causing the bike to overheat. After contacting AF1 Racing in Texas, I learned that my problem was more of an anomaly versus a common issue for the Dorsoduro.

Valve adjustment could be a tad costly unless you are able to do this yourself.

The stock bike was excellent; however, after adding Ohlins in the rear, an Andreani Group Fork Cartridge Kit in the front, a slipper clutch, and an aftermarket seat; this is now the ultimate bike for me.

Never had a problem with the seat (some say it's rather hard) for a 2 hour ride, never taken a pillion so cant say about that aspect

Sounds great even in stock

Commute in all weathers (city traffic only) for the past 2 years and has never let me down

Most of the servicing (like oil) i do myself (very easy as I'm no bike expert) and the service intervals are quite wide apart

Rain, Touring and Sport maps are so different that it is hard to adjust... I just leave mine in sport in all weathers and ease up on the throttle in the rain