APRILIA SL1000 FALCO (1999 - 2005) Review

Version: Streetfighter

Year: 2002

A big hearted bike that oozes character and rewards focused riding. Bags of Torque and smooths 4K plus. Crisp brakes and tall but sharp handling - better on a 180 profile. A wired / solenoid mod to cure start spikes is a must. Clutch eats seals and blackens fluid- but easy to sort. Italian build demands and rewards TLC. This has streetfighter OEM kit from new and is a hoot! Mule that spawned Tuono success.

Year: 2003

Annual servicing cost: £185

Too Sporty to be a straight up Tourer and probably better for it! The Falco is a strange naughties Roadster more about fun and thrashing around than cruising to the south of France or setting 1:45's around Cadwell Park. Although you could do, if you had to.

Buying experience: Paid £2k for a pretty decent bike.

Version: dieselewen@gmail.com

Year: 2003

Amazing sound

Year: 2003

Annual servicing cost: £600

Volle accu is een must om je startkoppeling te sparen. 2 Stekers van de spanningsregelaar in de gaten houden voor inbranden.(1 achter kap en 1 achter blok dynamo kant).

Buying experience: Dealer gekocht

Year: 2002

Annual servicing cost: £100

Great all-rounder, not much left to be desired. If I crashed mine, I'd buy another one!

Buying experience: I bought it privately for €1800 eur (advertised for €1900) with a bit over 30,000km on the clock - I consider it REALLY cheap for the package I got. The guy was really nice and I am still very happy with the purchase.

Version: 'Zorro' hot/ red/diablo black model with dark frame and black cans

Year: 2005

Annual servicing cost: £200

You will find it hard to find a better v-twin in this category for the money especially with the high level components (Brembo brakes, Marzocchi fully adjustable forks etc.). It is an absolute hoot and joy to ride and will never fail to put one of those silly 8 year old grins on your face. The riding position is the sporty side of sports/touring and can be a little wearing around town but once of on a B road or the motorway (if you must) it is supremely comfortable. I rode in the bikers for Macmillan sunset to sunrise tour from Holyhead to Skegness a round trip of 800 miles + in two days without discomfort.

Buying experience: I bought my Falco from the original owner who had to give up riding because of rheumatism in his knees. As with most Falco owners they keep these rewarding bikes in good condition and usually own them for a long period of time. This often means for a buyer the risk of a dud is very rare and the confidence that they have a very good chance of picking up a cracker of a bike at a very reasonable price.

I bought my Falco after selling my Africa Twin. It is a good bike for taller guys - I'm 6'5 and i can get comfy on it no prob. Mines derestricted and has RSC carbon cans. Sounds fab! Keeps up with modern 1000's and handles better than my old CBR ever could! with 45mpg average (verified over 2000 miles) its cheap to run too! BUY ONE!

Real value for money, and with 118BHP it has plenty of usable power. Ride is firm, not quite perfect, but at the price I have no complaints. Comfy over long distances for lanky gits like me. Warped clutch needed replacing, but was around £150 fitted as far as I can remember, so its a drop in the ocean compared to price of cans, plastics, etc. Overall a very pleasant surprise - no big expenses, no electrical problems, unlikely to be stolen, and will catch out the Sunday-only Fireblades. Which strangely seem to have copied the red Falco colours. V retro :-)

Great bike overall, especially for the price. Extremely reliable. Fantastic engine. Only drawback is crappy rear shock, but shocks should be custom anyway.

Had mine since new and she's great fun. Certainly keeps up with the sportsbikes on a Sunday. Equipment is pretty good for a cheaper bike - brembo brakes etc. Now that she's 2.5 years old, she's starting to have a few problems. Had to replace the warped front disc and had oval sprockets after France last year. The stand is also a nightmare but thats a general tali bike problem. It's my first big bike, had a Fazer 600 after I passed my test. Love the v-twin and can't imagine going back to a four now. Plus most people don't know what they are so it get's lots of attention. Cracking bike for the money.

Bought new in June '05 for under £5k. This bike never fails to put a smile on my face - it can do just about anything (well, on-road anyway). Excellent Falco community at www.apriliaridersite.com . The motor is awesome and it handles really well. In standard trim it's a great bike .... but fettling and personalising Falcos is completely addictive. This is my first non-Honda and build quality is at least as good - probably better - than any other bike I've owned. Of course the sidestand mod Must be done and upgrading the shock pays dividends. After that, change as much or as little as you want .... but above all ride it to keep that grin permanently on your face!

Bought one new in 05 and although I don’t have it anymore the bike was brilliant! It compared favourably to the VTR I used to own, having better suspension, a bit more power and even better build quality (really, better than a Honda). The engine is really good fun / very good low down as you’d expect and the fuel injection is spot on. Equipment is good, comfort is good (for the rider), faring is good and you get trick components (USD forks, slipper clutch)! The only thing I felt the need to change was the rear shock. This included raising the rear a little to speed up the steering, but that was just my preference. Highly recommended, a shame they stopped making them.

Whilst looking for a sensible replacement for my '01 CBR600F, I wanted something bigger & more comfortable, I was pointed in the direction of the Aprilia Falco. I had never seen or heard anything about this bike before, and on reading as much info as I could, seemed like the bike for me. It does everything very well, it goes well, has bags of grunt, stops very well, excellent brembo brakes, looks nice, is very comfortable for a bike that is on the sporty side of a sports tourer, on my CBR I would struggle to do 150 miles before aching, I have done 300 miles straight on the Falco and could quite easily have done another 300. Wind protection is very good, it handles well enough to keep up with 600cc sports bikes on the ride, which is more than good enough. The highlight of the bike is its engine, just make sure its derestricted, it pulls, and pulls and pulls, all the way to its 10,500rpm limit. Strengths: Engine, Comfort, Looks, High 6th gear, great for cruising, Headlights are like laser beams, VERY cheap used prices, a HECK of a lot of bike for your money. Weaknesses: Sidestand, Suspension is a bit harsh for UK roads, fuel economy can be a bit scary if you ride flat out everywhere.

I sold a VTR firestorm to buy a new 2005 model falco. The falco really is the perfect bike for my needs. I find it hard to think of any way to improve the bike. It feels a class above the honda and more like the 99 R6 I also ride in sharpness terms. Still running the Falco in I gained so much confidence and formed a bond in under a thousand miles. Strengths: Grunt and handling,the individual aspect of owning a bike that is so low key yet real world fast. Weaknesses: side stand is a bit silly and the wiring looks a bitty exposed

Stepping up from a zx-6r, i was under 30 and my insurance wouldn't let me have a 750cc sportsbike. big v-twins were the rage (2 years ago) and i looked at an sv1000, which look better but have a poor build quality reputation. i liked the looks, price and performance of the falco, considering it a worthwhile step up. the bike needs more rider involvement than your typical jap bike, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your mood. Poor residual values due to aprilia discounting is a mixed blessing too. Strengths: the feel of the v-twin makes it a world away from 4-cylinder, the optional luggage is good kit, touring potential (france, italy and spain last may) is superb. And the roar from the wolf exhausts, whilst embarressing in town, was great when i had 3 foot long white flames coming out of it at Monza WSB campsite last year. were you there? great handling on smooth roads. Weaknesses: the standard suspension is too choppy on rough roads, when my mates can easily get away from me. very annoying, but an upgrade (possibly maxton) is on my list this year rather than change the bike. a downsize on the sprokets was necessary due to overgearing plus juddery bottom end power delivery. servicing is a bit pricey, but probably worth keeping it all working well. it can be hard work to ride when you're not in the mood. and the s*d*st*nd gives me temporary hearth failure!!

Purchased a Falco in 04 as I wanted an Italian Twin without the Ducati money. I wanted it to be really different so I located a full Falco Fighter Kit and had it colour matched to the bike. Later I have added Ohlins suspension front and rear, yet still its cheaper than a Ducati. I regularly use it on trackdays and its as fast as any of the other Italian Twins. Excellent power, accelleration, handling and braking. Strengths: The bike is set up for the track, it sounds fantastic, looks different and goes well. Weaknesses: The only weakness is the stock suspension. Junk that and the footrests will be on the floor all the way arond the corner!

Swapped my CBR600 FS for the later Falco (gold forks etc), in 2004 after a serious knee op. The riding position is much more comfortable without compromising any of my sportier aspirations. It came with after market Streetfighter hi-level carbon cans which sounded awesome, window rattling actually, and looked fantastic. unfortunately they caused the engine to run too lean which was picked up at the service on a dyno. i chose to go back to standard which, although quieter, has done nothing to prevent 1st gear wheelies at will and the Falco remains a great looking bike with 116bhp at the rear wheel! every time i ride, this bike thrills and is the first, and i've had many, that fails to bore me into looking for the next one. good levels of quality with brembo brakes, smooth gearbox and comfy seat. good to have a less common and more distinct bike. a piece of Italian exotica with good realiability. (just invest in a battery optimiser for those start-ups after a fews days in the garage! Strengths: great engine, comfortable and roomy, good realiability, price and handling. hard to fault. Weaknesses: side stand as all find out, i believe Renegade do a conversion. Standard Metz 3 tyres not great Pirelli Diablos transform handling

Excellent handling, fast, seems to be made very well, must be the ultimate bargain (I paid £4995 otr), comfortable for us tall guys (I'm 6.3). Even the wife's crazy about it. Buy one, you won't regret it! Strengths: stonking motor, handles, stops, comfortable, well made. Weaknesses: side stand

I undertook a charity ride from Lands end to John O Groats, official distance 874 miles. Actual recorded distance 892 miles. Left Lands End at 00.05 arrived John O Groats 14.75 hrs later. Fantastic bike, easy to ride and the total round trip was 1810 miles in three days. The bike performed without missing a beat and I had no aches and pains after the trip (I was 59 when undertook the challenge). Bike averaged 42MPG even though the average speed was 60MPH. Strengths: Loads of grunt, reliable and a great engine. Weaknesses: Can eat tyres, I find the best BT020's (4500miles). Side stand is poor

Found this bike superb for inspiring confidence even though I have only been riding for 2 1/2 yrs. Very fast and comfortable even for my pillion, having covered lots of miles in Ireland and even over to the Brno GP it has never missed a beat. After market cans are a must. Found that Pirelli Diablo Stradas work superbly. I ride with pals who ride a varied assortment of bikes and the Falco can hold its own with all of them. I could go on forever... Strengths: Not too many around( 100 GSXR's to 1 Falco per meet), pillion comfort, Superb riding position for my gangly frame and nice looking backend. Weaknesses: Cooks clutch fluid regularly, meaning no nuetral until changed and bled well.