My question will be is the Ducati about £2,400 better? I am inclined to think, "probably", but only test rides and seeing bike in the flesh will give me that final answer.
Although for road riding and trying to stay fairly legal having a smaller and less powerful engine that I can thrash on quiet roads in the Brecon Beacons has its attractions. That is why I am pretty sure that I won't be able to make a final secession without seeing the bikes in the flesh and riding them.
I think that one of the tests on a 660 Aprilia, Michael Neeves of MCN did point out that having an engine doing legal speeds at around 4-6k revs was good on the road. 200bhp may be good on the track but on the road it is impractical!
you are so right, claiming that you are constantly running 40 in a 30 because the bike doesn't like it any slower won't stand up in court.
Supersport is an excellent bike, feels much more than 110hp. Handles great, comfortable, 150+ mile tank.
I'd be confident that either Ducati will have suffered less depreciation than the Aprilla when/if you come to trade it in or sell it. Nasher.
Whats your limiting factor? Seems like a narrow window of choice for a segment with so many to chose from.
That Supersport think looks gash IMHO!! If you see the Aprilia RS660 in the flesh you'll love it. They look amazing in standard trim and the paintwork is immense. The Acid yellow isn't extra (not that I’ve been told anyway) and the dealers are really struggling to shift them. The lava red (purple) is stunning but the paint is matt, so not sure if that would turn you off or not? All this talk about HP and electronics etc can be a bit meaningless really. 100bhp on the UK roads is plenty enough (says the guy with a 214bhp RSV4 factory) which should make riding enjoyable. Major downside with Aprilia is second hand value. Can be a bit hit and miss but the RS660 looks to be very popular so second hand prices may fair better than the RSV4's. Good luck choosing!!
Colour aside the Aprilia looks much nicer, the Ducati (I won't call it Monster because its not), is butt ugly, if you are able to get past the looks and switch off all the unwanted gizmo's then there's not much in it
Here's how you choose between two things when you can't decide: 1) Assign each choice to the side of a coin 2) Flip the coin in the air and let it land on the floor 3) THIS IS THE IMPORTANT BIT: While the coin is in the air, you will be secretly hoping it comes down one way or the other 4) Go with the one you were hoping for (unless when you test ride them one is obviously much better for you)
It appears that I am. Looking at the website again, all three colours are £10,150 and that includes cornering ABS. The Ducati Supersport is £10,495. So, price difference is not that great. I do not GAF about resale value. I am not planning on ever selling whatever I get. This will probably be the last petrol bike that I buy and may even be the last one of all if I don't go electric. I am not worried about touring capability as I plan to use neither for touring - just mucking about on in the UK. I got a bit fixated about wheelie potential but that is stupid. I won't be doing any track days, or wheelies. Just sensible riding to explore. Maybe an Irish adventure for a few days. And then a Scotland jaunt And finally, or first of all, Wales!!! Coz there isn't a big price difference and I like the dealers where I might buy from, it will probably just come down to test rides and which I feel most comfortable on. The Aprilia is flipping light and that might make me happier - I don't know until I try.
