bought a second hand rs this was a big jump from my sluggish 4stroke ybr, had to have a top end rebuild after 2 and half days, im guessing this is why the previous owner sold it as they knew what was going to happen, luckily i didn't have to pay for it as it was under warrenty. since then i have ridden the bike everyday for the past 6 months with no problems, the only downside is the money that it costs to keep it running, loves to drink petrol other than that can't fault it.

i have just baught an rs 125 i want to rebuild it and tweek it abit what would people advise my email is [email protected]

Bought a restricted 06 model used, firstly for what it is it's a very quick bike. With my 14 stone on it would easily do about 80mph restricted, it's also so light that you can throw it into corners and lean it back fairly easily even if your inexperienced; this is also why it seems so quick.
Reliability wise it's what you'd expect from a GP rep sports bike, after 500 miles on mine the crank oil seal went, which cost 400 pounds for bottom end rebuild as you cannot remove the swingarm locknut to remove the engine without the expensive aprilia tool.
After it was rebuilt 1000 miles later it blew the clutch cover gasket,(tip don't use pattern parts on it, only genuine aprilia or some race spec alternative). This bike had been maintained very well by the previous owner
who had done the top end rebuild at every service interval, but you have to also remember to do the oil seals every 10,000 miles.

After that it ran fine for the next 4000 miles, I derestricted it a while ago which seemed to make the bike go like a rocket, I was chasing down yammy R6s for a while, though they would just leave me after about 60 mph; though seriously the powervalve makes the bike a lot safer and rideable with no compromises with reliability as long as you remember to up-jet after each mod. Also it's only 28hp untill you fit straight through exhaust.

i brought my rs125 in december 2009 its now september 2010 and the list of problems is just getting longer i have bearly been able to ride it as the preveous owners had no idear how to look after the bike and i have spent the best part of 9 months repairing and pumping money into the bike

my problems have included: blown cylinder,faulty coil, faulty cdi, numerouse faults in the ignition system and other electrical systems and they go on

my advice to anyone looking to buy an rs125 is inspect it with a fine toothed comb take the bike for a good test run qwestion the seller on the maintenace they carried out and what ever you do dont buy on that has been tamperd with get it standard if they have been tamperd with you will have nothing but problems and the parts dont come cheap if you buy one and decide to modify it seek proper advice and ensure u can keep up with the maintenance because there will be alot of it and also only use top quality lubricants and oil's

Excellent bike, great fun, keeps up with larger bikes through corners.Would recomend as it is a great step before jumping onto a superbike. Clutch cable has been an issue as I was stupid enough to buy cheap of ebay.Other than that it has never let me down. So long as you keep on top of the oil situation. Use fully synthetic injector as well as engine oil. Requires a Change of engine oil frequently. I use castrol.

very fast for a 125cc very quick at takeing off only broke a few time very good as a learner bike can beat all 1.2 cars

Originally, I wanted a 4 stroke sports 125. Like Yamaha's YZF R125 or the new Megelli 125R. After having to put up with that falsetto-pitched 2 stroke noise for two years, I began to realize how much I'd appreciate something with a little grunt. However, both of these are over £2000 - even for a second hand one, and I'm eighteen at college. I don't have that sort of money.

So, after biting my tongue over the entire maintenance/reliability relationship issues 2 strokes have, I decided to buy an RS 125 from a private dealer, for £1400. (He did me a huge discount on it. We sent the fairings away to Dreamworks and had it sprayed in full RSV Race replica colours for that price.) So now I find myself with the best looking 125 in Kent, without a doubt. It came with Bridgestone Battlaxe tyres too.

So.. Going from a 8bhp Gilera DNA to a fully derestricted (though standard otherwise) RS125 with 33bhp - everyone told me I couldn't handle it. I learnt perfect clutch control and gear shifts within a week. I've had 114mph out of it in 6th gear, when the top speed of the Gilera was 50mph on a good day. Sure, the RS has got the lightest weight in the class and the highest horsepower (equalling brilliant accelleration for a 125 and class leading handling) - you only really feel the engine kick between 7000-10,000rpm. If you're sensible with it, it makes a great bike to learn on. It is only a 125 though, and don't get cocky with it, because it can and will cause you serious injury, or death. It's a first step onto the long and winding sport bike track, and remember that. It's not an RSV, GSXR, YZF or CBR. And you're not Rossi. So be careful.

The bike has fantastic build quality. The materials used are of good quality and it is easy to see why this bike is top of the 125 class. I'm not sure if it's just on mine or not, but it has a front break disk from DUCATI. So, it really does stop when you need it to. Beware of front nose wheelies, or stoppies.* The back break is about average, though when used properly and together with the front break, the stopping power is more than enough to cope with what the RS engine is capable of.

* I tested the limits of the bike on a private road, with no pedestrians, other vehicles or police around. I wore full protective gear the entire time. You aren't me, so don't be irresponsible. Don't mess around like I did without prior experience. You WILL hurt yourself.

(I wish I could find a review like this when I was searching.. Lol!)

SUMMARY:

Very good handling. I've never had a knee down and I managed it last week by total accident. Felt good though.

Very light. Easy to push around when the engine is off.

Looks pretty damn cool and has that reputation that anybody on L's will respect. Keep that frame clean! It's a huge part of the bike, very expensive to replace and is without a doubt the most advanced frame you will ever have on a motorcycle. Own a bigger bike, doubt my word? Go check it out. Seriously.

Keeps up with all traffic other than that Mazda MX6 that overtook me the other day.

The powerband is perfectly positioned for overtaking. (7-10,000rpm - don't touch the redline if you want peace of mind about your engine condition.)

I don't care what anyone tells you. A standard RS will take a standard Mito to the cleaners. I know this.

It doesn't look it, but I found the riding position very comfortable. Don't bother with pillions. They hold you back, it's dangerous, you shouldn't have them with L plates anyway, and taking a pillion on the back of anything with a sporty riding position is retarded. You want to take people on the back? Buy a Bandit or Fazer. I know this too.

BAD POINTS:

VERY, VERY petrol thirsty. I can't stress that enough. It cost me £4 to get from Lydd to Ashford and back. And it's only a £9 tank.

No petrol light. You'd think, what with having a huge dummy tank and a small genuine one inside it, they'd give you a petrol warning light at least. Or a petrol gauge would have been nice. As it is, without checking the petrol level daily by opening the tank and looking, the only way you know you have to top up is when the bike begins to lose power whilst you're riding. Then you've got to reach down and turn the badly-positioned fuel reserve tap to the backwards position. Well, it's all weight saving I suppose.

It's thirsty on two stroke. Use only the best two stroke oil on these to avoid seizures. Keep an eye on the oil level. Don't leave it to the light to tell you. (yes, it has a 'low oil' light)

It takes 5 minutes to warm from starting. I personally don't ride it at all until it's warmed to at least 60 degrees, but if you must ride it, DON'T do it when it says "cold" on the digital screen. Leave it to run for a while. And pull away at quarter throttle for a few miles. Look after it, and it will look after you.

I've heard nightmare stories about reliability, but so long as you don't thrash it everywhere whilst below 65 degrees, top up oil regularly and do NOT let it run out of petrol (because gunk gets dragged into the carb and blocks the pilot jet, meaning no petrol can get to the engine and also meaning you won't be able to start it) ..you should be fine. Take it to an Aprilia dealer fairly reguarly too. I still need to do that, but that's a huge reccomendation. I don't know anything about servicing a bike myself (no, wiping a cloth here and there and messing around with a can of WD40 does not count as servicing) so taking it to somebody who knows what they're doing will give you peace of mind. And that's worth more than any service, right?

Bought my bike from a dealer brand new! This has to be the safest way to buy this bike! Very quick even though mine wasn't de-restricted, they are ways to fully de-restrict these and the newer bikes. Just look on forums for details and how-to's.

Always used fully synthetic oil, and used 98RON fuel, i.e Shell Optimax. You must let these engines warm up before you ride them to stop cold seizures, everybody knows this. Never had a problem starting mine, and in the 4000km's nothing went wrong - ever. Wish i'd kept in and de-restricted it. Brakes are the best thing on this bike, and it looks the part with the proper tyres that bigger bikes have.

So check your piggy bank save up and get one, then make sure you look after it and it will look after you!

aprilia rs 125 give me the confident in riding the sport bike and also in future for me to upgrade to big cc bike. The bike handling is superb even the braking system and the bike is too fast for beginners. But its will make you more skillful on the road.

i am riding this bike at the min and i have to say i have not had one problem with her unless i caused it be messing lol great bike it is worth the money but u have to keep up with your maintainence and use the best 2-stoke oil also dont rag it i stay in the 4000 to 6000 range unless im giving her a gud run if u have any questions u can PM me will be more then happy to answer any questions u have you can e-mail me on [email protected]

i had 1 for 2 year,top bike,took a lot of babying but understandable for the proformance,i dusted laods of big bikes in ireland with this on windy raods and some on not so windy,sold it to my friend who wrecked it due to lack af maintainence,i was very sad,rip

Aprilia RS are fast for a 125 but unrealiable also parts are to expensive easy to wheelie in first and second gear

The Aprilia RS 125cc is very fast and good in handling sharp corners.