Aprilia Atlantic 500 Review

Good Points
Reasonably fast
Very comfortable
Excellent weather protection

Bad Points
Niggling build and electrical faults

General Comments
I'm writing this as a biker temporarily forced on to a scooter while awaiting a hip replacement. My comments may have a bit of anti scooter bias. My comments are based on 15 months, 2 winters and 12.000 miles.



I bought the Aprilia Atlantic 500 bike for a 60 miles per day commute, which includes motorway and therefore needed 80mph plus capability. I needed a step through with a highish seat height to footboard relationship, and the Atlantic was the only machine I found that fitted these requirements, so what's it like.



I found it strange at first - the enclosed fairing, lack og engine noise and the fact that with the CVT tranmission it accelerates without the revs increasing meant that I was frequently going faster than I thought - a point to watch in town.



On the motorway it can keep up with the traffic. 80 mph cruising is easy with top speed of about 100 when the conditions are right. The 17 litre fuel tank gives about 180 miles before the low fuel light comes on - about 60mpg (UK), or low 50s US.



It's annoying not to able to shift down a gear to overtake, and the centrifugal clutch makes fine throttle control difficult at very slow speed filtering through heavy traffic, but that's the nature of a twist and go scooter. It does accelerate well enough to clear most cars away from the lights, which is the inportant thing.



The linked brake system - left lever operates a reduced front disc and tha back disk, right lever operates a full strength front disc - is designed for easy use by an inexperienced rider. THe brakes are easily powerful enough to haul the bike down from speed, but the inability to operate the rear brake seperately means that care has to be taken at slow speed on wet or poor surfaces.



Weather protection is excellent - important through a UK winter and the bike is extremely comfortable. Stowage is good under the seat - not quite two full face helmets despite the claims and a handy little dashboard locker is usefull. The bigger front storage locker is too shallow to hold much more than the user manual, but it does hide a 12V socket for re-charging your mobile phone.



Handling is OK considering that all the weight - 200KG is at the back. Like most bikes it's sensitive to tyres and tyre pressures. I found that a combination of Dunlop rear (140/60 14)and Michelin (120/70 15)front improved the handling to the point where I can stuff it into bends with confidence, although it'll never be a sports bike.



An adjustable steering damper under the front of the fairing is a useful touch, allowing the rider to tune the steering response to suit rider wieght and riding style.



Conventional motorcycle suspension - front telescopic forks and rear swinging arm, - is adequate. The swinging engine of a scooter makes the rear suspension a bit on the hard side over small bumps, but much of this is soaked up by the very comfortable seat.



The downside seems to be the electrics. My bike has been back to the shop three times for warranty work - the first time because the valtage regulator was faulty from new and twice for computer / sensor problems. I've had no fails for the the last seven months, so it looks more like build quality than design. Otherwise, the lights are fine and it has has all the bits you'd expect, including a high level third brake light - not always fitted on US models, and a car type computer of questionable accuracy. I've had no mechanical problems except for the rear axle nut becoming loose after a tyre change - this due to an incorrect torque figure in the manual.



A conclusion then?



A good middle distance commuter or touring scooter, easy to ride for the inexperienced but providing adequate performance for the more experienced person who needs or chooses a scooter over a motorcycle.



What would improve it?



For me, an extra 10bhp to give a reserve of power on the motorway, de-linking the brakes, a bigger fuel tank and a manual clutch.