Here are two examples for sale right now:
2001 Aprilia Mille R with just 1307 Miles on eBay
2002 Aprilia RSV Mille R with 16k miles and an opening bid of $4300 on eBay
Quote from the second listing:
Starting price of $4300 is less than the cost of the OZ wheels, Ohlins front and rear suspension and brembo brakes alone.
This is a fact and has me taking another look at this bike. No one will ever confuse the RSV Mille R with a Ducati 916 variant from the same era, but to trade some of the sex for nearly all of the performance is a tempting argument for many enthusiasts on a budget.
These bikes list all the time for under $5k, and the standard RSV’s hover around $3k. Are these modern classics the bargain they appear to be in terms of performance per dollar? I’d love to hear from current and past owners on their experience with the machines and how they compare.
dc
I’ve always said these apes were a steal at its current market value. I’ve owned a total of 3 including an 01 Mille, 01 Mille R and an 04 Factory R. Currently these 01-03 models can be had for truly a steal and they are super solid rotax v-twins that are damn near bullet proof. That combined with a solid chassis, Top notch ohlins everything and a set of OZ wheels and you sure as hell have a truly undervalued exotic.
Currently I’m on an 02 998 and I love the damn thing. If I was on a budget, I’d have a 4th Mille R. Especially that yellow one that you don’t see that often. But honestly, I wouldn’t pay more than 5,500 for these bikes. Not because they’re not worth it. But more for the fact that for some weird ass reason, they don’t seem to hold value and can be had for a steal. Cheers!
So I guess you think they’re a steal!
God,the’re ugly…..
I agree, there’re ugly. But it’s like dancing with an ugly girl that can dance really well. I just bought an 03 Tuono Racing and love the thing. It comes with a little devil you put on your shoulder that makes you ride like Charlie Sheene during a three day meth being chased by a car load of UFC fighters. I think these Aprilia’s are one of the best deals out there right now. An amazing amount of bike for the $.
Aprilia = the ‘honda’ of italian motorcycles, which is good and bad. Good = reliability and perfromance, bad = characterless (unless you consider ‘unusual’ styling ‘character’). They reall are very good bikes and excellent value, and I really want to like them, but they just dont stir yoru soul lke a motorcycle should. I almost bought one, had cash in my pocket was convinced it was going to be mine, then I rode it. Nothing was ‘wrong’ with it it just felt bland and appliance-like.
Have had Ducatis and MV’s but still like the Aprilias more! The early R bikes with light weight OZ wheels and Ohlins suspenders are the best sportbike value out there. Find one with a 1060 kit in it and the grin factor increases exponetially. For us “older” folks, a Tuono Racing is about as good as it gets – upright seating and true sportbike performance. It just doesn’t get better!
Beware / watch out for the 2001, 2002 RSV Mille models with plastic gas tanks (and possibly 2003 – not sure when they stopped using the plastic tanks) – ethanol in our fuel warps the plastic gas tanks at the bottom, around the fuel pump seal – and your first notice may well be 50 miles from home as it starts leaking fuel all over your engine. A known, documented safety problem Aprilia refuses to fix, and a new tank is $1600-$2300 – depending on dealer. Ive got a mint electric blue 2001 with only 1700 miles on it – because despite being repaired by Aprilia – the tank started leaking again after 100 miles. Fun bike to ride though – I own 2 Ducatis, 2 Aprilias, and 1 Mondial.
Good to know Todd. Thanks for the heads up and I’ll keep an eye on mine for sure.
The gas tanks expand over time like all nylon tanks do. The new Ducatis 1198s have the same problem. But I’ve had my used 2002 for 5 years and the tank hasn’t leaked. Electrical problems are more common. Best thing to do is replace the regulator/rectifier with a modern mosfet device. It is more efficient and lets the weak charging system work better. Keep the battery on a tender and use the fast idle lever to start a cold engine and it won’t give you any problems.
As far as the original article. The RSV Mille R does have less sex appeal than the Ducati 996, but it doesn’t give up anything in performance. It turns better, and has an even flatter torque curve than the 996 with far better reliability and ease of service.
And the Aprilia is still a gorgeous bike in its own right. They are rare bikes to see in the wild. Mine attracts attention everywhere it goes.