Caponord Rally - advice taken, it's mine | GTAMotorcycle.com

Caponord Rally - advice taken, it's mine

J_F

J_F

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close to pulling the trigger on a low km Caponord Rally
have been admiring this bike for some time

reviews are great and I love the gadgetry
but of course reading the forums there are horror stories
the Caponord forum is a ghost town
the ADV rider bunch are mostly boxer fans
this site being neutral I though maybe I'd get some good info

any riders here familiar with Aprilia care to chime in?
are there some known issues to look out for?
anyone know if I call a dealer with a VIN,
would they be willing to pull the bike's history?

one in question has only 2,000 km on it
seller appears motivated

a Japanese bike I'd have no concerns
I know them and what to look for

I'd hate to get stuck with someone elses lemon
and it's a fairly expensive potential lemon
 
I have zero experience with Aprilia personally, other than watching my friends heartache with his rxv enduro. Awesome bike when it was running.
My first thought is that you like to tour? What is the dealer network like in the areas you like to roam?

Sent from my SM-A530W using Tapatalk
 
JavaFan said:
close to pulling the trigger on a low km Caponord Rally
have been admiring this bike for some time

reviews are great and I love the gadgetry
but of course reading the forums there are horror stories
the Caponord forum is a ghost town
the ADV rider bunch are mostly boxer fans
this site being neutral I though maybe I'd get some good info

any riders here familiar with Aprilia care to chime in?
are there some known issues to look out for?
anyone know if I call a dealer with a VIN,
would they be willing to pull the bike's history?

one in question has only 2,000 km on it
seller appears motivated

a Japanese bike I'd have no concerns
I know them and what to look for

I'd hate to get stuck with someone elses lemon
and it's a fairly expensive potential lemon
Click to expand...
I don't have much experience with any Italian bikes -- probably because I'm a reasonably learner when it comes to mechanical things. I can't think of a single mechanical thing that comes from Italy that doesn't fail regularly and cost a fortune to service. Even my simple Italian made hand-crank Tomato grinder ate it's own rubber seal in just 3 hours!

If you put together the plus/minus list together on an Italian machine it will probably lead you away from a purchase, particularly if it's your primary bike. If you absolutely love the bike and buy it knowing you'll need a backup for down time and a bit of extra cash to keep it running -- go for it, it will make you happy!
 
I loved my capo. It was thirsty and maintenance costs were a bit high, but damn none of that mattered when out on a ride. If the price is right, get it. It wont be nearly the maintenance disaster that the sxv/rxv are. Try to talk with George at corsa mechanicca and see if he will help you with history.
 
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I'm on my 4th Ducati and have never been stranded.I have had a few minor glitches, but never anything that would cause me much grief. Most complaints that you read about come from people that have modified them (backyard mechanics) or are tales from many years ago when euro brands had bad reputations like British bikes with Lucas electrics.
Having said all that, if i want a bike to tour across North America, it would be from the big four. They are just that much better at reliability and dealer network. Boring... But better.
 
Aprilia has always tried to make an exceptional spec bike, they rarely cut corners and fit them with top quality components sourced from big name suppliers, sometimes they are a little over the top on the tech advancements, they don't make anything in large numbers and I think you would need to be an Aprilia enthusiast to want to own one because of that. That's going to be the biggest issue :/ parts support, you better stock up on the frequent need consumables if you plan to keep it forever.

If i wanted to solo bike across North America it would be on my 1986 K100RS, can't think of anything that would be better.
 
good thoughts here guys, thanks

will call George and see what he has to say
if I buy I'll need a service center from time to time

the touring comments are helpful
for the next 12 months there will be no big trip
nothing over 5,000 km at a time

but next summer my break starts - not gonna call it retirement
so had planned to put some big miles on
and the following winter is gonna be spent in Ecuador
tossing around the idea of riding there
the idea of a piece of Italian magic failing in Central America is giving me pause

I guess what I'm looking for is a litre sized or bigger comfortable bike
that can do some dirt roads safely
and likely put 60,000 km on it over the next 5 years
 
They are asking 5k, in Aurora:
$_59.JPG

Sell me the saddle if you don't like it.
 
JavaFan said:
good thoughts here guys, thanks

will call George and see what he has to say
if I buy I'll need a service center from time to time

the touring comments are helpful
for the next 12 months there will be no big trip
nothing over 5,000 km at a time

but next summer my break starts - not gonna call it retirement
so had planned to put some big miles on
and the following winter is gonna be spent in Ecuador
tossing around the idea of riding there
the idea of a piece of Italian magic failing in Central America is giving me pause

I guess what I'm looking for is a litre sized or bigger comfortable bike
that can do some dirt roads safely
and likely put 60,000 km on it over the next 5 years
Click to expand...
I know it doesnt have the magic and the allure of an Aprilia or a Ducati, but you just completely described a Vstrom 1000.

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You can put a brand new chain on it before you leave and adjust it once in a while,
or you can get a shaft drive and completely forget about it.
 
I've had a k75 and a capo. Not even in the same league.

The capo I've done up to 2300 km in 24 hours in relative comfort. 10,000 km ++ weeks. I wouldnt be worried about touring on it, just make sure it's got all maintenance done before you leave as the odds of finding parts are low. I would carry spare brake and clutch levers in the trunk in case I ever needed them (I didnt).
 
Trials said:
You can put a brand new chain on it before you leave and adjust it once in a while,
or you can get a shaft drive and completely forget about it.
Click to expand...
Shaft drive & BMW isn't always a forget it proposition. Honda & Yamaha and Suzuki have them nailed.
 
different schools of thought on shaft vs chain
sure the maintenance intervals are much longer with SD
but when it fails, and it will fail, it's a serious repair
whereas chain/sprockets are easier and faster to come by
and don't need much expertise to change out

Burgman, no..never, would rather ride a bus
Vstrom, also no...slight improvement over a bus

Super Tenere...maybe
or one of those German things

but I'm gonna have a real good look at this Capo Rally
it provides more wood factor

thanks to the one guy telling me to buy it
that is actually what I wanted to hear!
 
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What you do is get 2 bikes and 2 riders, ride for a whole day straight and switch the next day,
do that for about 2 weeks and both of the riders are bound to fight over one of them sooner or later,
that's probably the better bike (y)
 
Mad Mike said:
Shaft drive & BMW isn't always a forget it proposition. Honda & Yamaha and Suzuki have them nailed.
Click to expand...
The older BMW shaft drive assembly was bulletproof. The newer unit is a pos. Just ask Lightcycle.
 
int-Caponord1200_grigio.jpg

That is a really nice looking piece of machinery.

except for maybe the mirrors ;)
 
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Sure there are cautionary notes, but you only live once! Ride what makes you happy, sell what doesn't.

Pretty sure everyone wants to see a grinning picture of you with your new bike. (please stand behind the bike in the picture).
 
You might want to get it really really dirty and leave it that way before you ride it into central america,
somebody with a machete or something might take a liking to it.
 
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