Why do used Aprilias sell so cheap & other newbie questi

[PeteW]

Hello All,
This is my first post on the forum, I am very glad that it exists. I am about to buy a 2001 Aprilia Mille R and the price seems very good to me (under 10k) for a bike that originally cost $17k and only has 4300 mi. Not to mention he has extras going with it. Why do the price of these bikes seem to drop so badly. Are there reliability issues, hard to get parts, or is it just too new of a bike that people are afraid to buy? I want to make sure that I buy a bike that can last the long run, but keep me happy performance wise. My last bike was a R1 and I loved it but the vibration from the engine put my hands to sleep (common complaint).
I love the look of the bike and the fact that it comes with top notch equipment from the factory. I don't do too many track days any more but do mostly back road riding and everyone once and awhile go for a little sport touring. How does this bike fair on the long runs? I know it won't be a Futura but can you do a 300mi day and not feel like someone beat you with a hammer? Thanks for all your help guys, I look forward to your answers.

[Damon Slowpoke Baumann]

Because people allow them to go for that price..And some dealers in BUMFOOK USA are willing to let the leftovers go at or below cost

[Smoke Eater 41]

Don't sweat it. All bikes lose their value. Its coffee brandy swillin', trailer trash buy Hardly Ablesons that cost more than their homes that keep those prices up. So, its not just Aprilias that lose their value.

[RichL025]

Pete,

Yes, the bikes do not have a high resale value. Several reasons for this, in addition to those mentioned above. More importantly, though is for you to know the bikes do NOT have reliability problems.

There are a few known recurrent issues (headlights, sidestand switches, etc), but overall, these bikes are SOLID.

[King Atlas]

Having owned an R1, I can't see how the Mille would be any better for your wrists as far as vibration is concerned. Gel grips & heli bars helped me with my R1.

[rsvmiller1]

Pete,

Welcome to the forum! If you're like me, than you'll enjoy being here as much as I do and get great feedback and info from all of the other forum members.

I have an 02 R1 and a 2000 Mille R. I have done 300+ mile days on both of these bikes through the same routes. I find the Aprilia a little better on comfort, but you get very similar vibrations as you would the R1 (like Dave mentioned).

I enjoy the Mille for trackdays and Sunday rides more and the R1 for Commuting and casual rides. I don't know what it is about the Mille, but it just makes me want to go FAST :evil:

Nothing you can do about resale value... depreciation is a biznitch.

Maybe you don't need the R model... from what you're saying. Look up the maintenance schedules and find out for yourself.

Good luck!

[ZeroTwoRSV]

Just give in man, you know you want it! :p Honestly though, the vibration is just a biproduct of motorcycling, and from what I've read, the bike is truly pretty solid, as Rich points out. If you are buying as an investment, I'd say run, but if you're looking for a great machine that is fun, easy to ride, and somewhat different, then I say join us!

[PeteW]

Hey guys thanks for the info. I am definitely not worried about the depreciation as all my Japanese bikes went down as well. But the R for this guy went down in half in two years. :eek: The problem I had with the R1 was not the body position it was with the motor vibrations through the handle bars. It was only on highway speed cruising. Even the magazines note that it is a vibration heavy motor. I figured the Mille was a good pick because most of the mags say it was one of the more comfortable sportbikes out there. Cushy seat, smooth power, decent ergos (for a sportbike), and the Ohlins is supposed to soak up the bumps as well as or better than anything out there. Any body agree....disagree? Thanks, again.

[Apriliacati]

One of the reasons, I got into twins, was also because I hated the annoying buzz, of a 4 cylinder bike. A twin vibrates in a therapeutic way, like a gentle jackhammer, that gets smoother as the revs build. Some 4 cylinder bikes aren't that bad, like the big Gixxers, or a ZX12. What also annoyed me about R1s is the top end noise, sounds like a loose ball bearing in the motor, and they all seem to do this.

Since I buy and sell bikes, as a hobby, I can tell you these bikes depreciate if you buy them new. If your buying a 2001 R for anywere around 10 K, you should be able to break even next year. For comparison, late model 996 Ducatis are the same way, I have seen several 2001 996s going around 10 K.

As far as the suspension, I never thought there would be that much of a difference, compared to a standard Mille, which I had previous, to my R. I didn't really notice, how huge the difference would be until, I hit some sharp type bumps in the middle of a turn. The bike just stays planted, really unbeliveable.

Apriliacati, formerly known as Kawa44

[y2kmille]

Me likes mille. Me thinks mille is good bike. Yumm yumm mille good!

[DazRSV]

Gday Pete,
Im a newbie too and not as experinced as some of the boys here on the forum, but I love my bike (2000) and I have come from a long history of I4 bikes, I love the look of them, I love the finish of them , and the horsepower these things put out is nothing to sneeze at.
You might get sick of trying to explain to people what it is (I enjoy it) and you may have to carry a bat around to beat off the crowds that gather around your bike when wanting to leave.
They are easy to work on and the information you can gather here on the worlds best Aprilia forum is invaluable.
I can not see me riding another bike (unless I win lotto) and most of my riding friends are all jumping camp after a taste of Aprilia.

[ducatiwv]

I own a Duc 916, 02 R1, and 00 Mille R. The Mille is definitely my favorite....It really does beg to be ridden hard, lots of torque, easier to ride faster IMHO. The Duc is for show, but don't want to go far on it,lol... The R1 is fast , but harder to ride fast. Put some Heli bars on the Mille and Ride!!!

[Damon Slowpoke Baumann]

You cant go wrong with the Mille..Owning both a 2001 R and a standard I can tell you in my opinion the R definately hits the bumps softer..Not that the standards hits them that much harder..Maybe it has to do with a combo of wheel weight as well as fork valving and dampening..Regardless you cant go wrong with a Mille..Standard or R....As for vibrations..Well maybe a set of heli bars would purt you in a better less hand straining position..Ask around the forum.....Welcome to the best place on earth:O)


Damon

[jimbobvfr]

Pete, et al.
As for value? Yeah, the hardley's have us there. Simple economics: keep the demand up, the supply low - people ACTUALLY wait up to a year for those things!!! As for the RSVR. It’s a toy man! Don't buy it to save money! I have found it to be one of the hardest accelerating(out of a turn-not monkey straight) bikes ever. I spent a few days on a 748, and it was smaller, cramped, really noisy- exhaust and that rattly coin-thing where the transmission is supposed to be. And very focused for track days. OTOH, the Gialo just finished her 2nd track session(1st at Spa in Belgium, 2nd at Jennings, in FL) and for high speed compression and bottle testing(Spa) it ran with the big boys - kitted GSXR750's, and a bored out Zuki 1150. for lightness and flickability with endless left handers(Jennings) it would leap out of the turns and chase down the veterans who would then pull away a bit in the middle of a turn(my inexperience), but then get caught at the next apex. One of the locals said he thought he missed a gear. He had about a 15 meter lead into a turn, and we came out side by side for the race down the short straight. I gave it some stick and never saw him again. I too didn't like the buzziness of the Il4's and rebuilt a CBR6 solely for the purpose of selling - on its maiden voyage(250 mile day). I wrung its little neck and did a complete(165mph) road test. Turned it off, and immediately jumped on the RSVR for a more exhilarating ride. I would recommend getting the RSVR, do a little work on the suspension(it makes a big difference), add the Helibars, a sergeant seat and 3-400 mile days are no problem!

Jimbob cruising the Hotlantabahn..

[kirkmoon]

In my opinion, the low resale value of the Aprilias in general is due to the fact that they don't have the name recognition value in this country and thus the demand is lower than the supply of bikes brought into the country. There are NO major issues relating to engineering or reliability that I am aware of. I think that they are superior in most ways to their competition in that regard.

Unfortunately, people want to go with name brand items. Those with a bit of extra cash looking for an exotic, non-Japanese bike tend to favor Ducati because it has a higher profile and gives them what many are looking for, which is an image thing more than just a technical thing. People who buy Aprilias tend to be those who are willing to downplay the lifestyle aspects of the motorcycles and focus on the technology. It would seem that there are relatively few of those types around.

I think that the best deal in high performance motorcycles right now is a used Mille, Futura or Falco with a few thousand miles on it. They are essentially new bikes but are already broken in and sell for the price of a Japanese bike with mass market components. Go for it. You won't be sorry. But if you don't want to lose major change, don't get one new from the shop. It is very easy to find mint used bikes for 60% of the price of the new ones.

Just my $.02.

Kirk

[davenet]

Kirk is right on the mark.

If you do get the deal you write of, there is no reason to worry about depreciation. The person you are buying it from is taking the hit & it will be many miles before it goes lower than 10K.

[co2bruce]

I have also owned a 2001 Mille R and a 2002 Mille R. The resale value on Aprilia are way below average. The reason is two fold. First, the factory makes toooo many changes each year. This makes the older bikes less valuable. Second and more importantly is the factory rebates are killing everyones values. I wrote the company about this and they didn't even bother to respond. I bought my 2002 for 16000 when they came out. I can now get one new (2002) in the crate for 13200. What does that make a used one worth??? 10000 - 11000 if your lucky. As far as reliability goes these bikes are great. Italian design, but with Japanese reliability. My Mille's were my favorite bikes I have owned so far. I just wish the factory would protect its owners better in the resale market.

[Apriliacati]

The low resale value, has nothing to do, with name recognition. That why I used, a 996 Ducati, as a comparison. A 2001 996 that sold for almost $17000 new, can be had for $10,000 now, which is about the same as a 2001 Mille R. Ducati also does the same thing, at the end of the year, slashing prices. Leftover 998s can now be had for $13,500.

Apriliacati, formerly known as Kawa44