Aprilia Caponord Reviews
Latest Reviews
★★★★☆
“This is one of the best all around bikes I have ever...”
Written on: 18/11/2010
This is one of the best all around bikes I have ever ridden, the harder you ride it the more you'll love it!! This bike is lots of fun on a rolling dirt road threw the country side or putting a few hundred highway miles on a fall afternoon. It tends to get a little thirsty when you start reving over 5000rpm but that's were its the happiest. Limited and expensive performance parts and support. (read more)
★★★☆☆
“Euro sex appeal and Japanese-like controls and...”
Written on: 15/07/2009
Euro sex appeal and Japanese-like controls and reliability. A great big bike with good manners. Had my Aprilia Caponord 2002 for about a year now- got it with over 25K on the meter- and it runs well. Too bad it is discontinued. (read more)
★★★★☆
“I bought a 2002 Caponord as my "touring" bike. I take...”
Written on: 13/07/2009 by jrflanne (2 reviews written)
I bought a 2002 Caponord as my "touring" bike. I take rather extended business trips so I added the Aprilia aluminum top box and panniers. I also added hyperpro fork springs and shock spring, Leo Vince slip-ons and a Tune Boy (which came with the bike but didn't have a proper fuel map downloaded. Once the fuel mapping was sorted, I get 40-42 mpg down the highway. The fork springs vastly improve the front end feel, which is originally soft. I also have a Tuono, and the Capo engine is nowhere... (read more)
★★★★★
“The Aprilia Caponord is very very versatile, from rush...”
Written on: 21/01/2009 by krz37
The Aprilia Caponord is very very versatile, from rush hour traffic at 5mph to a couple of track days and long long trips in freezing and snowy conditions, to just general comuting. Its always fun. No pub car park envy but can make fun of sports bikes on the twisties. I now only want other bikes in addition to this one not instead of. (read more)
★★★★★
“Generally a great bike to ride, handles well etc,...”
Written on: 20/12/2008 by Steve the Fly (1 review written)
Generally a great bike to ride, handles well etc, servicing costs can be high if valves need checking!
I love the bike!
(read more)
★★★★★
“EFI software worth updating. ”
Written on: 04/12/2007 by FloridaDave (1 review written)
EFI software worth updating.
Keep battery charged using an Optimate or similar, this is a big engine and will drain the battery on a cold winters morning.
Wish list Lets have some solid alloy wheels, those spokes are a real pain to clean!!!
Be very careful when demounting on soft ground, sand etc. You'll have to plan it carefully to avoid the side stand from sinking in and the bike going over.
(read more)
★★★★★
“Excellent value for money compared to other bikes of...”
Written on: 29/08/2007 by eric williams (1 review written)
Excellent value for money compared to other bikes of its kind. Goes like a train! great on long distance runs (780 miles in one go) over all types of ground. Comfy riding position and great for seeing through busy traffic.
Good range on a full tank if you don't cane it.
Overall I think this is a really good bike and are now about 2-3 grand cheaper than a near rival. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a large trailie tourer!
(read more)
★★★★★
“The Aprilia Caponord is a very good offroad bike for...”
Written on: 29/08/2004 by olli
The Aprilia Caponord is a very good offroad bike for almost any type of riding. It has enough power for sporty riding. It is excellent for touring two-up. It is great for commuting (I've done it for 2 years). Riding on gravel roads is also great fun. The bike is top-heavy and I find a little uncomfortable riding on loose sand. I've owned 8 bikes (Japanese, European and American) and Capo is by far the best of them. (read more)
★★★★★
“The Aprilia Caponord offroad bike in stock trim is a...”
Written on: 26/07/2004 by XPADREX (1 review written)
The Aprilia Caponord offroad bike in stock trim is a compromise of sportability, long-travel suspension, and touring plushness. It's marketed as a jack of all trades, that with a bit of tweaking, can meet the needs of its owner. It's fit and finish is beautiful- and it's the perfect Italian exotic for the person who isn't interested in something high-maintenance and low function.
I've found there's two ways to approach the Capo- proaction, and reaction. Some people proactively make the...
(read more)
★★★★★
“Last Spring I started thinking about buying a bike...”
Written on: 23/07/2004 by jjmcnutt (1 review written)
Last Spring I started thinking about buying a bike again. Living in the Desert Southwest with all the desert trails and marginal roads it seemed to make sense to go with the Adventure Tourer style. I started reading everything I could get my hands on about the Aprilia Caponord, Triumph Tiger & and the BMW. I had experience with other air-cooled BMWs (mostly good), but none with either the Aprilia or Triumph. There was something about the looks that made me gravitate towards the Aprilia,... (read more)
Jjmcnutt's Response to jjmcnutt's Review
Written on: 02/06/2006
It has been awhile since I wrote the original review and I’ve made a few updates since then.
I have no experience on modern BMWs but I’m sure they’re great bikes. Here in the States a good used Caponord can be had for a lot less than a comparable BMW. New the Caponord retails for around $13,000.
First thing I did to the Caponord was install heavier fork springs. That firmed up the suspension a lot and helped decrease the front end dive under heavy braking. The next mod was to add Bridgestone street tires (BT020) and lower the forks about 15 mm in the triple clamps. These mods made a big difference in the handling, which wasn't all that bad in the first place. Next a new map was downloaded into the ECU resulting in much smoother running and solved the stumbling issues.
The bike is a great two-up tourer, able to cover about 175 miles at 80-90 mph before gas gets low. Have cruised two-up for 40-50 miles at 100+mph in 100+F heat with no problems. The bike gets smoother with age. Also installed a Givi tail trunk and back rest for my wife and she says it the ride is very comfortable. Only problem I’ve had is leaky fuel connections, that are a common problem and have resulted in a recall in the States. I installed steel fuel couplers and solved the problem on my own.
I would consider the Caponord a very good, powerful road touring machine, but due to the weight would only consider going on gravel roads. Some people do dirt ride their Caponords, but I’m not willing to pay for the damage to the body work that is likely to result from such travel.
There is a very good forum that can answer almost all your questions at apriliaforum.com.
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Mudnut's Response to jjmcnutt's Review
Written on: 04/08/2008
Jim,
<br/>What's your impression of the reliability of this machine?
<br/>Thanks
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Jjmcnutt's Response to jjmcnutt's Review
Written on: 12/08/2008
I finally sold my bike this year, but other than normal wear items the bike was trouble free. There are several good websites with much input from ordinary riders. Some items of weakness include the fuel connectors, coils, electrical connections and the fuel mapping, all of which can easily be rectified.
This bike is no longer in production and it appears that any replacement model will be totally redesigned. There seems to be a wide separation in the quality and ability of dealers, so that should be a consideration too.
There are a few new bikes available at deeply discounted prices and used models have undergone a high rate of depreciation.
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241195_Stephen Lipshus's Response to jjmcnutt's Review
Written on: 03/05/2006
G'day, Yes, this is how most of us greet each other over here!
I am about to buy a 2005 Caponord for $16,000 Aust, $20,000 US. I have not seriously ridden since 2000 and that was on dirt, so my blacktop experience is very limited.
I am in a cunumdrum due to BMW r1150 gs. Should i spend $2000 more and get the BMW. Can anybody tell me that the Caponord handles the blacktop as well as the BMW. Basically because of my limited experience I cannot make this decision on my own and would appreciate some imput.
Critera, Day trips on tar 2 up. Must be comfortable for the boss on the back, provide a confidence inspiring ride and be able to keep up with the other bikes. If this sounds like the Aprilia, I would appreciate your comments. Oh, and by the way, our roads are far from perfect.
Thank you, Stephen.