Avis car rental used to have an advertising campaign that said “we try harder”. Aprilia is kind of like the Avis of Italian motorcycle brands; they historically have had to try harder, to take the occasional chance on something different. Just before being bought by Piaggio, Aprilia produced several bikes that were representative of this philosophy, that were a bit “different”, including a sport standard known as the Falco.
The Falco was intended to compete in a new “de-tuned sport roadster segment” that was launched when Honda introduced the VTR1000F Super Hawk. The segment soon had bikes from other major manufacturers, including the the Ducati ST4 and Suzuki’s TL1000S. But buyers didn’t really appreciate any of the new segment models, preferring the harder core full streetbike race replicas and the whole segment kind of died off after about 5 years which is kind of a shame as all the bikes in the segment were interesting bikes in their own way.
2001 Aprilia Falco for sale on ebay US
Angular styling and a half-fairing give the Falco a unique look while still providing decent weather protection but the Falco wasn’t really intended to be a sports-tourer (this was offered as another model, the odd looking Aprilia Futura). The Falco was not as radical as its sister race-replica Mille; where the RSV was tall and uncompromising, the Falco has a lower seat and less extreme footpeg positions so riders sat ‘in’ the Falco rather than ‘on’ it, which made for better cornering with confidence. But the Falco had many of the same components as the Mille including the same brakes and the same basic engine although it was tuned more for mid range grunt that top end performance.
A Motor Cycle News review of the Falco declared: “Less is sometimes more. By making its roadster less extreme than the RSV Mille sportster it’s based on, Aprilia broadened its appeal and produced a motorcycle that’s both easier and more fun to ride.”
A YouTube review can be accessed here.
So whats it worth? Well this particular Falco looks to be lightly modified with different turn signals and an aftermarket exhaust. Also the standard mirrors have been removed which according to reviews is a good idea due to vibration causing blurriness. Mileage is 20,000 miles and while price is above KBB retail values, there is only a $1000 USD difference between first bid and buy it now so this seems to be primed to move to a new owner.
-marty/dallaslavowner
NOTE: As far as I can tell, this model has not been posted on RSBFS previously so I expect to see lots of comments!
I never knew this model existed . Looks awesome . I prefer RC51s to the VTR1000 but this looks like a fun and cool ride . Other than that good luck to seller and buyer .
These bikes had the reputation of being a hidden gem. Comfortable with great handling and more than enough power for the roads. Feels a little pricey given 20k miles.
A friend had a Falco. I rode it a fair amount. It s great running, handling and sounding bike. We took many long trips together and they are excellent sport touring bikes. Not to mention in style!
It IS almost 14 years old thats less than 1500 miles a year… how little can you expect some 1 to ride it?
Back in ’04 I had a Falco very much like that one but with Aprila’s own carbon mufflers that were marked “Not for street use” or something like that. The Aprilia V60 engine has a wonderful sound, maybe the best of any modern V-twin. I kept the bike only a month, that’s all it took for me to realize that jail was in my future.
One thing about the bike is that the reach to the handlebars is quite long and even added heli-bars didn’t help much.
My old bike, which I swapped for a more sensible Caponord:
https://flic.kr/p/pLnSNP
I currently own a 2003 Falco (black & silver) that I purchased NEW in September 2003. To give you an idea how nice these bikes are, the only way anyone else will ever get their hands on MY bike, is when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.
Having said that, the Rotax-built V-twins in these bikes are virtually bullet-proof. As long as regular maintenance is done on them, they last forever.
The one thing I would replace (asap) on the bike for sale would be the Sachs rear shock…..one weak-point on these bikes. The “white-spring” shock from the first generation RSV-Mille is significantly better……it bolts on without any other mods, and it’s re-buildable, too. Or, if you can find one, an Ohlins shock would be the #1 choice.
No issue with 20k miles. Would just expect the price to be lower.
Sigh, why is it the rotax four strokes are known as indestructible and the rotax 2t’s have a well deserved rep for being fragile and maintenance intensive
3 grand tops. they don’t hold their value. even the 2003 Mille R’s can be had for rather less than 5.
I like these bikes a lot. Maybe they’re one of those bikes that the market finally caught up, like the Yamaha TDM, GTS1000 and sport classics, but these could be had $5500 in 2006. I have to say though, as much as I liked these bikes, the first generation Tuono fixed every complaint I had with the Falco.