European or Japanese Motard?

[tati]

Guys I need your help, advice call it what you want!!

The time has come to get my motard and I think I have come to two of the following

Either the Aprilia SXV or the beautiful CRF450

I just have nooooooo idea what-so-ever of how reliable the Aprilia is and what are the problems that show up.

If you have any tips or can help me out in some way I would like to read your opinions!

lets see....... ;)

[tati]

the title should be europe OR japan :lol: :lol:

[Flash]

Are you going to race, commute or is it just a weekend toy?

[SMC690]

Aprilia.

No contest. :)

[Muzzard]

Aprilia from me too Tania.
Shane assures me the SVX450 is the choice over the 550.
I am happy to act on his advice ;)

[tati]

an every day toy and and hopefully will start going in the track, but that is not my first reason of bying it

[Muzzard]

You have access to the HM Honda Motards that we dont like the CRF450 as a street motard and also the KL prepared KXF450.
In that case the HM prepared bikes are good buys as well.

http://vsmr.net/albums/tasty/dscn05919qe_Medium.sized.jpg

The Aprilia and the Hondas are maintenance intensive like your WRF450 is now so either you need to limit the commuter miles on.
Having said that though my Yamaha commuted a round trip of 52km each day to work and back as well as all the run around trips in between as my only bike.
If you are prepared to change oil and filters regularly then my choice would still be the Aprilia for the performance.

[SMC690]

Hmmm, Aprilia and everyday..... I wouldn't do it I don't think.
I can associate Honda & every day but not a bike with no warranty once you open it up.
But the Aprilia is damn sexy.

You have a hard decision ahead of you.

I would go the Aprilia but I also wouldn't take advice from me either. ;)

Damn, I'm confused, I just said no then yes, lol.

[shane]

sxv 450 hands down make sure your dealer is on the job and it is derestricted with the latest maps . if your dealer has not sold many of these bikes go to a dealer that has, an extra 30 min drive is well worth it in the end .
most of the problems you here about the sxv are not the bikes fault , they are caused from stupid mistakes by the owners or the dealers .

but if you want a CRF i will sell you one so i can buy another aprlia :-}}}}}}

[Muzzard]

There you go, a man ready to ditch a perfectly good CRF for another Aprilia :D

[MrMez]

Shane... ne reason for thr 450 over 550?
Also i hear the prilyas need expensive rebuilds... unlike the bergs ;)
?

[shane]

Shane... ne reason for thr 450 over 550?
Also i hear the prilyas need expensive rebuilds... unlike the bergs ;)
?

yes mate the engine was designed as a 450 then bigger pistons fitted to make it a 550 .
the 550 has issues with oil pressure , they blow the seals often fill the airbox with oil and water .with the 450 do not have this problem , when you change filters the 550 filter looks like its been squashed and all bent out of shape :shock: :shock: 450 the same as it went in only dirty :) :)
as for rebuilds no they are not that bad i only have race bikes so they will be rebuilt at the end of the season weather they need it or not . the cost works out about the same as a crf sort of :?: :?: it cost more but you get twice as many hours out of it :D :D .
talking to a guy the other night who has an RXV 450 he is still on the orignal pistons and has 400 hours on it . they use the bike for testing and want to see how long before it breaks 400 hours latter and its still going strong .
stuart from alice racing just rebuilt both his 450 and 550 these where the first aprilias in the UK , engine builder said you could have put them back together only very slight wear the only part that he said need to be changed was the front cam on the 550 . pistons,valves rods etc all ok .
he changes pistons, main bearing just because he had them apart and they are race bike so every HP counts :) :) both these bikes have 2 seasons of racing on the engines without every being opened 8) 8)

so for the odd race or trackday you could double that easy and still have top performance out of the engine .

starting to make the berg look expensive now isnt it :D :D

but the best bit about the bike is that magic button :D :D i have never had electric start before ..

[tati]

I would go the Aprilia but I also wouldn't take advice from me either. ;)

Damn, I'm confused, I just said no then yes, lol.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

the exact words I wanted to hear :lol:

[tati]

sxv 450 hands down make sure your dealer is on the job and it is derestricted with the latest maps . if your dealer has not sold many of these bikes go to a dealer that has, an extra 30 min drive is well worth it in the end .
most of the problems you here about the sxv are not the bikes fault , they are caused from stupid mistakes by the owners or the dealers .

but if you want a CRF i will sell you one so i can buy another aprlia :-}}}}}}

I haven t really got clear in my mind the good and faulty points of each bike in my mind, there is where I am asking for your advice. You mean to say that the aprilia on the hole does not come along with problems it is the owners to blame mostly otherwise it is a reliable bike? and tobe honest I haven t seen even one on the greek streets.....

[Sibbo]

So do you think you will have a bike by the 8th of August this year?

As thats the last day I will be in Europe and we have to organise a ride/race!!!

I am sure there are cheap flights/trains/buses/etc from Austria to Greece???

[shane]

I haven t really got clear in my mind the good and faulty points of each bike in my mind, there is where I am asking for your advice. You mean to say that the aprilia on the hole does not come along with problems it is the owners to blame mostly otherwise it is a reliable bike? and tobe honest I haven t seen even one on the greek streets.....

yes thats what i am saying :D :D get yourself a 450 have the dealer derestrict it fully . also get them to check on the build date if it is an 07 the starter gear issue has been fixed so no need to worry there , also get them to lay the bike over take off the left engine cove and check the torque spec of the stator bolts , again 07 build not an issue but cant hurt to check right .
drain all the oil from both the gearbox and the engine dont forget the oil tank {one of the reasons the seal blows as people only drain the oil from the sump and forget the tank }
then put 550 ml into the gearbox {right side of engine} and 1250 ml into the oil tank . for get about the sight tubes for oil levels no need to check it untill you change it again .{second reason they blow seals people keep filling untill they see the ol in the sight tube.}
with racing or trackdays we found they use about 100ml of engine oil every 80min or so , i change mine after 2 hours of use and filter every second oil change .
for the road after the first few flushes , you should change at 1000km and you will be fine . real hard riding with track day here and there thrown in change at 500km .
the engine will go a lot longer between changes but oil is cheap so why not change ;) ;)

hope this helps

[tati]

So do you think you will have a bike by the 8th of August this year?

As thats the last day I will be in Europe and we have to organise a ride/race!!!

I am sure there are cheap flights/trains/buses/etc from Austria to Greece???

I can come to Austria and we ride/race back with the wrf :lol:

[tati]

[quote=tati]


hope this helps

It sure helps more, thank you

I have to do my research here as well and when I come up with more precise questions I shall bother you again!! ;)

about the crf has it any standar problems?

[Muzzard]

So do you think you will have a bike by the 8th of August this year?

As thats the last day I will be in Europe and we have to organise a ride/race!!!

I am sure there are cheap flights/trains/buses/etc from Austria to Greece???

I can come to Austria and we ride/race back with the wrf :lol:
That would be a really great adventure to do if you planned it well and stayed off the main roads.

[Sibbo]

So do you think you will have a bike by the 8th of August this year?

As thats the last day I will be in Europe and we have to organise a ride/race!!!

I am sure there are cheap flights/trains/buses/etc from Austria to Greece???

I can come to Austria and we ride/race back with the wrf :lol:
I have a ride in Romania lined up for me if you want to come along? I think I have some sort of KTM to ride, not sure on the size.

[tati]

nice idea but it really needs to be planned time before because I have already planned the summer holidays!!

trully considering of coming to Greece or just said it as a joke?

[Sibbo]

trully considering of coming to Greece or just said it as a joke?
I have not planned every country that I am going to, so I might pop over to greece, but I hear there are no Greeks there, as they are all in melbourne :lol:

[shane]

sorry double post :-{{{{{{

[shane]

about the crf has it any standar problems?

CRF is a great bike apert from oil changes every hour, filters every 2 ,check valves every 3, rings at 10 ,complete top end at 20 ,crank at 40 hours .
again i am talking race bikes { i dont do street}

so if you want a CRF make sure you get a CRFX you will spend a lot less time in the workshop .

only one CRF made it to the end of the 4 day enduro over here :shock: :shock: :shock:

[tati]

about the crf has it any standar problems?

CRF is a great bike apert from oil changes every hour, filters every 2 ,check valves every 3, rings at 10 ,complete top end at 20 ,crank at 40 hours .

so if you want a CRF make sure you get a CRFX you will spend a lot less time in the workshop .

only one CRF made it to the end of the 4 day enduro over here :shock: :shock: :shock:

:shock: These are the the things I need to know!! I have to really go into it deeper.....

thanks for your answers!!

[Flash]

I"d still stay away from an Aprilia if your going to ride it regularly!

[tati]

I"d still stay away from an Aprilia if your going to ride it regularly!

why is that?

[Flash]

RACE bike with 2 of everything!Work out how you are going t use it and if it is "purely" a toy then go for it! Other wise if it's going to be transport get LC4, 610 or a DRZ. You will find youwill use them more anyway. I had a 450 (and loved it) but now I have the 610 I ride a lot more because I don't have to worry about it.

[tati]

RACE bike with 2 of everything!Work out how you are going t use it and if it is "purely" a toy then go for it! Other wise if it's going to be transport get LC4, 610 or a DRZ. You will find youwill use them more anyway. I had a 450 (and loved it) but now I have the 610 I ride a lot more because I don't have to worry about it.

ok get the picture..

I am getting all the more confused :cry:
:lol:

[tambi]

Get a 2 stroke.

[Wobbly]

What's the purpose of the bike? Road riding, racing, or commuting? How many kms do you intend on putting on it?

[Sibbo]

Get a 2 stroke.
x200!!!!! :twisted:

[tati]

What's the purpose of the bike? Road riding, racing, or commuting? How many kms do you intend on putting on it?



Mainly for my only bike to get around as the other one I want to restrict only for the dirt.

Athens is a small town mainly, everyday I do about 30 khm in total, now further than that if I want to go outside Athens I know that the crf is not ideal at all but that would happen so seldom that I am willing to sacrifice the longer ride.

Now as I said before I would really like to start to race, but as it is just an idea yet, I wouldn t base my decision on that only.

[tati]

Get a 2 stroke.

heard that one before........ :twisted: :twisted: :lol:

[shane]

SXV :D SXV 8) SXV :D SXV 8) SXV :D SXV 8) SXV :D SXV 8) SXV :D SXV 8) SXV :D SXV 8) SXV :D SXV 8) SXV :D SXV 8) SXV :D SXV 8) SXV :D SXV 8) SXV :D SXV 8) SXV :D SXV 8) SXV :D SXV 8) SXV :D SXV 8)

[Sibbo]

huh?

get a berg Shane??

[Bara]

this is what id do if i were you.

get myself the prillia.

get a red cape ( loin cloth optional but full leathers recommended ) , spear ( not sharpened ) and a mx helmet with a red mohawk on it

and wheelie throught the local streets, spear raised in one hand shouting......... FOR SPARTA!!!!!!

not before ditching the spear and hiding behind a truck as the cops start a city wide search.


but thats just me. i would go the sxv as a mate of mine has ridden it and is in love, thus the new ah, whitish paint scheme he gave it. he owns a 600rr. bloody stupid mofo he is. :P

[Flash]

I wouldn't go for an SXV for commuting.

[Muzzard]

30kms a day or so and the odd blast outta Athens,
Go for the Aprilia SVX450 Tania and dont look back ;)

[tati]

30kms a day or so and the odd blast outta Athens,
Go for the Aprilia SVX450 Tania and dont look back ;)

I fell in love yesterday guys...........I had never ridden either of them, but yesterday it so happened that a friend came up with a crf motard and we went for a ride :shock: what a beautiful bike it is.........in all its ways..

another friend will arange most likely for me a test drive for the SXV..

my hart is set more for the crf I think but I really don t know.......

confusion......................

maybe the test ride will clear up things

[tati]

and wheelie throught the local streets, spear raised in one hand shouting......... FOR SPARTA!!!!!!






I am an Athenian....... :twisted:

:lol: :lol: :lol: ;)

[Wobbly]

The CRF will be very maintenance intensive for commuting..... :!: I wouldn't recommend an sxv for commuting either, but I'd do it on one of those rather than a CRF...

[Bara]

and wheelie throught the local streets, spear raised in one hand shouting......... FOR SPARTA!!!!!!






I am an Athenian....... :twisted:

:lol: :lol: :lol: ;)

that may be a problem....