Aprilia Shiver 750
Aprilia Shiver 750
CW RIDING IMPRESSION
NEW BIKES 2008
New direction for an old brand
BRUNO dePRATO
WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS MORE THAN JUST A MOTORCYCLE; it’s a dramatic evolutionary milestone for Aprilia. The all-new Shiver 750 is a radical change of pace designed to boost the Italian firm out of its present role as a niche producer and help it become a full-line manufacturer.
Though Aprilia is a respected name in motorcycling, it is first and foremost a major scooter manufacturer; yearly motorcycle production has never exceeded 8000 units. The Shiver is the first in a line of new models conceived along concepts of modular construction and high production-line efficiency. It is intended as a relatively low-priced roadster mass-produced with cutting-edge tooling and assembly processes, and under tight quality-control criteria.
Around 2001, the R&D department at Piaggio (owners of Aprilia) came up with a new 90-degree V-Twin by transplanting onto a common crankcase the cylinders and heads of the 460cc, sohc, four-valve Single from the X9 maxi-scooter. I tested it in 850cc form back then in a Cagiva Raptor 1000 chassis on loan to Gilera. It made 86 torquey horsepower and seemed a credible alternative to Suzuki’s lOOOcc V-Twin. In its “natural” 920cc displacement (two 460cc top ends), the engine was capable of about 98 net hp, which was more than adequate for the purpose. Highly costeffective, too..
Someone at Piaggio wanted the engine to evolve into a more-advanced dohc design, so the project then tiptoed through the Piaggio Group and finally ended up in the hands of Project Chief Engineer Federico Martini, former assistant to the legendary Dr. Taglioni at Ducati. Martini subsequently developed the most compact 90-degree V-Twin in the upper displacement class, honing and polishing the design to also make it the cleanest-looking by integrating all the ancillaries into the main package. The revised engine Will cover a range of displacements from 750cc to 1200cc.
To make the powerplant as short as possible, the cylinder Vee is canted forward just 15 degrees. Inside, the Piaggio/
Aprilia unit sports highly oversquare bore-stroke dimensions (92.0 by 56.4mm) teamed with connecting rods of very generous 127mm center-to-center measurement, yielding a healthy 2.25:1 rod-length-to-stroke ratio. The crankshaft is very rigid, featuring 50mm main and 42mm rod journals.
A compact combustion chamber delivers an 11.2:1 compression ratio with flat-top pistons, thanks to an included valve angle of just 24 degrees. The four valves per cylinder are 36mm inlets and 31mm exhausts opened via dual overhead cams driven by a single loop of chain and a train of three gears. The engine breathes freely through massive, 52mm throttle bodies to produce an announced 95 crankshaft hp at 9000 rpm and 59.7 ft.-lb. of peak torque at 7000 rpm.
As on Yamaha’s R1 and R6 (and now Harleys!), an electronically managed “by-wire” system rather than a cable connects the throttle grip to the butterfly valves. The exhaust system includes a closed-loop catalytic converter to help the engine meet the required EU3 emissions homologation. A neat-looking modular frame offers ample shared-model flexibility using two castaluminum rear subframes and a steel-tubing trellis front section that bolts to the cast pieces at four points. The swingarm pivot does not go through the crankcase, which instead is clamped by the subframes that bolt to the rear and center engine mounts. The right subframe also carries the front mount for the linkageless, laterally mounted shock. The wheelbase spans 56.7 inches, compact and adequate for both 50/50 weight distribution and good comfort for two aboard.
Up front, the geometry involves a fairly conventional 25.7degree fork rake and 4.3 inches of trail. The fork is a basic, non-adjustable, 43mm inverted Showa. The front brakes are Taiwanese clones of Italian Brembo radial-mount calipers teamed with twin 320mm stainless-steel rotors. Similarly, the wheels look much like forged Brembo or Marchesini units but are not. They come in 3.50 x 17 and 6.00 x 17 sizes and are shod with the latest Dunlop Sportmax Qualifiers, a 120/70 in front and a 180/55 at the rear. Dry weight is claimed to be 417 pounds.
I got a thorough, no-holds-barred ride aboard the Shiver 750 on the tight and twisty Franciacorta racetrack, along with a more-relaxed 80-mile cruise on nicely deserted backroads in the area. The engine proved smooth and responsive from as low as 2500 rpm, thanks to the electronic throttle control that won’t let those 52mm throttle butterflies open too quickly when the twistgrip is dialed on at lower revs.
At the end of Franciacorta’s relatively short main straight,
I was easily able to exceed 100 mph, though the acceleration felt more smooth than fierce. On a stretch of open road, the Shiver was consistently clocked between 125 and 127 mph.
A 9500-rpm redline is conservative for a so-called “freebreathing” 90-degree V-Twin with such a short stroke, and the favorable rod-length-to-stroke ratio almost completely cancels secondary imbalance, accounting for much of the smoothness.
If the engine falls just a bit short of spectacular, the chassis was above any expectations. Though the Showa fork is not adjustable, it is calibrated just right for hard riding, and the behavior of the Sachs shock is impeccable. The Dunlop tires play a large role in the bike’s quick and precise steering response and ability to achieve impressive lean angles. The chassis is well-balanced, solid and surefooted, both on fast bends and tight hairpins. It keeps that reassuring cornering composure under sudden on-off throttle or even all-out emergency maneuvers.
Really, the brakes are the only weak link in the program. They are embarrassingly poor Brembo copies and perform as such. They are spongy and lack the sharp feedback and linear response of the Italian originals, and hard braking takes a lot of lever squeezing. At sensible speeds on the road, they get the job done; at racier speeds or on the track, they do not.
Brakes notwithstanding, the Shiver 750 is still a quite good, very pleasing motorcycle expected to arrive in the U.S. by the end of the year. As of presstime, pricing had not been announced. □
