Aprilia RS125 2000 And 2008 Versions

I had two of these so thought I'd write a review about both as they did differ wildly even with most of the same mechanical components!

http://www.bikez.com/pictures/aprilia/2000/433_0_1_2_rs%20125_Image%20by%20Aprilia.%20Published%20with%20permission..jpg

http://www.raptorsandrockets.com/images/Aprilia/2006_Aprilia_RS125_last-006.jpg

2000 Aprilia RS125

I was the 5th owner, it had 26,000 on the clock and I bought it for just a couple of hundred pounds.

It had just had a rebuild and was good to go, It was a good first 125 but it threw me right in at the deep end as it was way faster than any 50-125 I'd been on. The powerband was smooth and very fun to 12,000rpm where it ran out of puff with my setup. As this was the pre-2003 model it didnt come with all of the restrictions the newer ones had that held them back. As a result it was always very eager from 3000rpm, where it would hit a small band at 6000rpm before choking at 8000rpm, but get it past here it would really go and shoot to 12,000rpm.

The brakes were good and had lots of feel, the suspension was typical Aprilia, very good but also quite twitchy. This said you could get the thing round tight corners very quickly once you built up the confidence to treat that twitchyness on the road as good grip as it followed and gave great feedback. Just the only issue with that is as a first 125 you have nothing to compare to so you don't know if it feels right or not!

The bikes bigger, more bubbly bodywork was a good bonus for weather deflection but you didnt want to ride this for long in the rain anyway as the chances of conking out increased dramatically! It also gave the feel of a bigger bike so your road presence was greater.

2008 Aprilia RS125

This was brand new for less than £3000 in 2008! Bargain little bike and as a result many can be picked up cheaper than you expect off ebay etc.

I got this one after the first one wrote itself off seizing and spitting me off before flying off up a verge into a low wall. That was a fun day!

This one I got as it came with added reliability supposedly. But it also came with those awful restrictions in the CDI, the exhaust and no power valve. Within a month the power valve and CDI were sorted so the bike had a smoother powerband but it still choked as having a CAT in the exhaust wrecked it. So an arrow exhaust was put on and the carb rejetted to boot but it still ran very lean.

The extra reliability only remains the case if you leave it fully restricted. Derestricted it would leave the exhaust glowing if you looked down the silencer. But what finished it wasnt that but the oil, the oil it was fed wasnt up to scratch despite it being the good stuff. It seized on a ride after just 1000 miles as the oil it was being fed was much too thin though this was seen as the main factor so when it went to high revs with an open throttle and then let go it starved and seized.

It got fixed and a standard exhaust put on without a CAT on it. This lowered power but increased smoothness, however it would easily do rideouts with 33BHP bikes even if they were restricted 600's as they had roughly the same top speed and acceleration in the first few gears.

Would I have one again? Yes

Which one? Either as both had their strong points

Are they worth the money? Reasonably priced but they hold their value very well

Is it good as a commuter? Nope, but it didn't stop me using it as such

Is it economical? 700 miles to a tank of £15 oil and 60mpg as an average, below the 100+mpg of other 125s so no.

Easy to service? A bit fiddly but simple as a bag of chips

It had sharper handling and better brakes as well as feeling even lighter than the old shape. It did feel a bit more tinny but that may have just been down to the fact the bike was lighter so the jittery feeling got transmitted as such.

very interested in this bike, but would you recommend it to a complete novice?

In a word... No

It depends, if you like pulling bikes to bits and replacing engine parts boy oh boy is this the bike from heaven as it was for me! But if you need a reliable bike that is fun and fairly fast you want either

Aprilia RS4 125 (new 4-stroke variant, light and great fun)

KTM Duke 125 (The stunt version with the better exhaust as it is agile and fast)

Both deliver above 80mpg. The RS is below 60mpg