Aprilia Sl 1000
APRILIA SL 1000
Mild-Mannered Mille
DON CANET
STOP TOYING WITH OUR EMOTIONS, ALREADY! THE LAST Aprilia CW reviewed ("Mighty Mule," November, 1998) got everybody's blood boiling, only to have the bike's stateside arrival meet with uncertain delay. The initial enthusiasm for the ultra-sexy, high-tech Italian-built Twin began to wane with time, replaced by growing doubts as to Aprilia’s commitment to the American market. Patience is its own reward.
With bureaucratic hurdles to be cleared before the RSV Mille could pass stringent DOT and EPA equipment regulations, the downtime was well spent. Over the past year, Aprilia USA Inc. has been hard at work setting up its nationwide dealer network and a solid infrastructure to properly support it. Warehouses are now stocked with extensive parts inventory, and a dealer/service-training program is fully operational. Did we mention that the RSV Mille, along with several other Aprilia motorcycles and scooters, began arriving in dealerships a few months ago?
They haven’t been sitting still back in Noale, Italy, either, where the Aprilia factory has kept busy putting the final touches on its latest Mille-derived model, the SL 1000. The good news is that this sportTwin, intended to win back Italian honor from the Honda VTR1000 Super Hawk, is slated to arrive in U.S. dealers early this year.
CW visited Aprilia USA headquarters located in the Atlanta suburb of Woodstock, Georgia, where we spent two days aboard the half-faired SL, riding in town, on freeways and into the local mountains.
As its name implies, the SL “Sport Light” is a broader-focused machine than its track-bred Mille sibling. The SL’s more relaxed ergonomics and retuned engine make it better suited to everyday use, which will undoubtedly appeal to a much wider audience. Yet its performance and sporting capability have remained true to its Mille origin.
The SL is built around a 97.0 x 67.5mm, 998cc, dohc, fuelinjected 60-degree V-Twin, done to Aprilia’s specs by Rotax. A lower 10.8:1 compression ratio (compared to the RSV’s 11.4:1), remapped fuel and ignition curves and a dual-silencer stainlesssteel exhaust system have all resulted in a few less ponies, albeit with a smoother delivery than that of the Mille.
Aside from the obvious restyling of bodywork, the SL’s most distinct feature is its “Double Twin Beam” frame. Both frame and swingarm are made of aluminum and magnesium-alloy extrusions welded to castings made of the same lightweight material. Steering geometry is nearly identical to that of the Mille, matching its 24.5-degree rake and carrying just a hint more trail at 3.9 inches.
Euro Sport 2000
Several chassis components have also come from the Mille parts bin. Up front, the 43mm inverted Showa fork is recalibrated for the SL’s broader mission. Brembo fivespoke cast-alloy wheels along with front and rear brake systems of the same make are also common to both machines. As are the hand controls, switchgear and dash instrumentation, the latter featuring a pair of multi-function LCD windows flanking an analog tachometer.
Throw a leg over the SL and you notice its seat is slightly closer to the ground than a Honda VTR’s. The general feeling^you get is one of being cradled into the bike. Even though the SL’s riding position is slightly more aggressive than the Honda’s, it’s unmistakably sporttouring in nature. Aprilia is currently developing soft and hard bags specifically for the SL.
Compared with the Mille, the SL’s clip-on bars rise above the top triple-clamp while the footrest position is lower and slightly forward. The SL’s comfort quotient is further enhanced by its tinted windscreen, which is taller and has a turned up lip for improved wind deflection. Passengers will also appreciate the ergonomically designed grab handles flanking the rear pillion.
Start the engine and the word “cold” blinks on the right MFD, soon to be replaced by a numerical coolant-temperature reading once the engine warms beyond 95 degrees. There’s a 24-hour clock below the temp gauge that can be toggled to show charging voltage. A large digital speedometer serves as the primary display on the left-hand MFD, along with trip and odo readings below. This, too, can be toggled to recall maximum speed or average speed recorded since the last reset. A clever safety feature, all of the alternate modes can only be accessed (via five push buttons located below the tachometer) when the bike is stationary. There’s even a stopwatch feature with a 40-lap memory for those who like to race to the 7-Eleven and back. The LCDs are very readable in direct sunlight and have an attractive green backlighting at night.
Both the clutch and brake levers offer four positions of adjustment. Disengage the clutch and you feel a slight pulsing sensation through the lever-this is Aprilia’s patented PPC (Pneumatic Power Clutch) in action. Engine vacuum sucks against a diaphragm within the clutch cover and effec-
tively lightens the effort required at the lever. This same system also helps eliminate the rear-wheel hop characteristic of large Twins during downshifts by initiating a small degree of clutch slippage.
Snick the SL into gear and smoothly ease away with little throttle, as the engine pulls cleanly right off idle. As with our Mille testbike, the SL’s fuel-injection mapping is nearly flawless, with no lag or hiccups to be found. The only anomaly we encountered was a slight hesitation when the throttle was snapped shut, then whacked open again to pull wheelies in first or second gear.
While this is hardly normal riding behavior, the SL’s torque-rich midrange simply begs to be indulged. Roll the throttle wide open in low gear and the front wheel lifts skyward as the tach sweeps through 5000 rpm. Beyond this point, the rush of power builds without any perceivable steps to the 10,500-rpm rev limiter. Rather than mark the tach face with a red zone, a shift light-easily adjusted to activate at any preset rpm-flashes to signal it’s time to shift.
Gearchanges are buttery smooth throughout the six-speed box, and finding neutral was equally easy on both of the SLs we rode. With the engine’s broad spread of power, rowing the gearbox is hardly a requirement, even on the tightest backroads. Only at low revs in the uppermost gears does the engine exhibit a tendency to shudder under load. Even in these extreme circumstances, once past 3000 rpm things smooth out remarkably. The SL’s AVDC (Anti-Vibration Double Countershaft) is yet another Aprilia innovation that’s featured on all Mille engines. The system uses a second, smaller counterbalancer shaft located atop the rear cylinder head to cancel any vibration escaping the primary balance shaft. The effect is the 1000 runs so smoothly on the highway that you’re likely to forget that it’s a Twin. Roll on the throttle, however, and there’s no mistake, as the engine emits that characteristic visceral twin-cylinder growl. Even so, the SL is notably quieter than the Mille. .
While this civility is what makes the SL such a well-balanced package for daily use, its sporting capabilities allow for weekend jaunts onto the most challenging backroads. Working the twists and bends of Georgia’s Highway 52 between Chats worth and Ellijay was a sheer delight aboard the confident-handling Aprilia. Steering through mediumspeed curves requires little effort at the bars and the SL maintains a neutral feel and solid sense of stability at any speed.
Building heat into the Metzeier MEZ3 radiais was difficult due to the cold conditions and partially damp roads. Suffice it to say, cornering clearance limits were never reached. Also, 52’s road surface was so smooth and free of bumps, we spent the following morning in search of a rough stretch of pavement to give the SL’s suspension a workout. Ride quality was superb on the freeway, soaking up expansion joints as though they were nonexistent. When we finally found a few potholes overlooked by the Georgia chain gangs, our Aprilia’s fork and Sachs rear damper performed their magic by keeping the tires in contact with the road and my butt glued to the saddle. The fork is well up to the task of hard braking over bumps, never bottoming or causing the front tire to lock prematurely.
Stopping performance is superb. Feel at the front lever is firm yet progressive, and the rear system provides good power without being overly sensitive.
Our evening return ride to the Aprilia offices offered a chance to put the SL’s triple headlight array to good use.
Not only is the multi-focal arrangement a key styling element, but its depth and width of coverage makes an afterhours playground of even the darkest backroads.
Our visit also shed new light on the rapid progress made by the Italian firm in setting up its stateside distribution. Likewise, our confidence in the quality and function of Aprilia’s product has never been stronger. Pretty remarkable stuff for a company that is only entering its second year of producing large-displacement streetbikes. With the market still on an upswing, the timing couldn’t be better for Europe’s second-largest motorcycle manufacturer to shift its rapidly growing empire to the west.
