potential owner questions

[robdogg]

looking at picking up a 2006 Capo. I have done a bit of research, so I know of the most common ailments, and none seem too serious or difficult to fix. one question I have are how strong the wheels are. I love the thought of a tubliss spoked wheel because of the flexibility, light weight, feel in the dirt etc.. but wondering how strong they are as I do plan to get this bike dirty. the BMW F800GS has a reputation for soft wheels, but they still make them, and plenty of them around.

also, it seems after market is pretty scarce. are there options for armor? like skid plate, engine guard etc. lastly, any concerns/fears the parts chain will dry up any time soon? Buel Uly remains a fairly popular choice mainly because there were a lot sold and there are a ton of parts in the stream.

thanks for helping

[OldMadBrit]

Hi and welcome.

I picked mine up in the middle of last year and did all the mods over winter along with a major service and aftermarket cans (fuel connectors, "brown connectors", RICOR intiminators in the forks, MOSFET R/R). Its been a ton of reliable fun since then. I strongly reccomend the RICOR upgrade (and stiffer springs if you are over 180lb) if you are going off road, they are an easy fit and completely transform the front end.

The wheels are from the same supplier that BMW uses and are strong. The KTM guys buy up spare Capo wheels as an upgrade.

AF1 (this site) has bars and sump protectors but otherwise aftermarket options are limited.

[Capoandrew]

AF1 (this site) has bars and sump protectors but otherwise aftermarket options are limited.

What sump protector? If you mean the RR type, it's no longer available.

Anyway, back to the question......The wheels are good, as long as there is no rust. Some of the UK seem to have an issue in this department. Here in Australia, we don't seem to have a problem.

Parts are relative easy to get, but it's not like going down to the local BMW shop, handing over you left leg as a down payment and picking up the part. Part costs aren't too bad in my experiance. Certainly less than BMW, Ducati or some KTM parts. Then there is the occasional part that can be a bit pricey.

Overall, the owners on the forum love their Capo's. (For the most) As long as you do the small changes as you suggested, it is a bike that will last a long time. It's a bit of a unique bike in that it will do most things without fuss. It's not a true off-road bike, but it was never designed to be that, however I take mine off road regularly and love every minute of it. On road, it is a gem. as long as you do some relatively cheap suspension upgrades. (Very much worth it) The torque on a Capo is glorious, the top end is amazing, and they handle very well for such a big bike. I often scratch with some mates on Jap bikes and leave them in the dust.

Note: there are a few guys here that sold there BMW to buy an Caponord. They most likely would never go back.

Good luck with your decision.

[Precis]

Wheel strength: the prevvious owner of my wife's bike stuffed it into the side of a car; the speedo was stuck at just over 40km/h, so that's the minimum speed it was doing at impact - could have been more. The frontal bodywork was a mess but the key components survived.
The wheel, forks and frame are all fine; I've run it at 220 km/h and she rode it, with passenger, panniers & large top-box on a 3000km trip over New Year, and every journey we take starts & finishes with 4km of pretty shitty dirt roads, so I think any defects would have revealed themselves by now.

There is a forum member in Romania who will make up a good replica/interpretation of a RR sump-guard; it's a hobby and may take a couple of months, but it looks beautifully made in the pictures. Search is your friend.

Difference between Buell and Aprilia is that Aprilia still exists! I saw one of their Aprilia-engined 1125s over the weekend - no wonder Harley shut them down! What a fat, ugly thing that is! Can't imagine what the designers were on when they came up with that thing!

Good luck with your new bike.

[BigSteve]

Get yourself a test ride..............you'll love it..

[robdogg]

thanks for the replies.. seems I found the right place to get quick answers.. a good online community is very important for any bike, but especially the non-maintstream ones. I've owned a bunch of bikes, including KTM 950 (x2), 1150GS, VStrom 1k, a couple of Tigers, and a bunch of thumpers, so an opportunity has presented itself to take ownership of a nice Capo for a pretty good deal.. I was looking at the new Tiger 800 XC, but just don't have $12k large lying around right now, and I don't usually finance my toys; so am looking to spend about $6k maxium (and this one is going for a fair bit under that).. and it seems I could be just as happy with the Capo as most any of the others..

the things I like are the tubeless spoked rims, a 19in front (yayyy! my versys had 17in and the tire choices were just pitiful), that Rotax motor, non-linked, switchable ABS, and of course, the styling - which having owned a versys and a vstrom.. two of the ugliest front ends in all of motorcycling, glad to say the styling on the Capo is rather pleasing.. not as brutishly adventure looking as a 855 Tiger (which I still think is the best looking big traile of all time), or as gaudy as the Multistrada, but it has a flair unlike most of the others.

the things I am unsure about are mostly stated above, but also the low amount of travel does give me some concern as I am around 270lbs and some change and will be wanting to do some two up riding. But mostly glad to hear the rims are stout and can probably take a fair amount of abuse.. and I have a very good wheel man close by in case I do nick them up. I may also give a go at designing my own skid plate.

so thanks again. I'll post up photos if I make the purchase.

[Capoandrew]

Robdogg, if you make up a decent skid plate you will more than likely have people knocking down your door to get one! LOL

I have also owned a KTM 950A and the Capo is a bit more civilised to ride. I did love the KTM for what it was, and having done trans-Australia trips it was good, especially in the dirt, but I could never say I was completely comfortable.