Aprilia Caponord

[737av8or]

I just purchased a 2002 Caponord. I am wanting to install panniers as a winter project. Anyone have suggestions on which racks and bags are best suited to the Caponord? I am wanting to install aluminum cans, but so far the approximately $1300 price tag is hard for me to swallow. Anyone know of a good bargain out there? I considered purchasing a rack and installing ammo cans, but I'm worried about adding the heavy ammo cans to what, in my limited experience, seems to be an already top heavy cycle. I am not interested in the OEM models because I am not pleased with the look aesthetically. Thanks for the input.

[Parx400]

Hepco racks with happy trails panniers.

[JohnG.]

Originally Posted by Precis

And you could do better than Tourances too: the new Anakees seem to be the tyres of choice if you don't ride muchany dirt.
My original Tourances got shredded in short order, so I fitted Heidenau K60s which are more dirt-worthy - and gave THREE times the mileage of the Tourances; I'm on my second set, with a third pair ready to go on.
My wife rides a Capo too and she has Conti Trail Attacks, which are giving great mileage and are very good on sealed roads, but despite their name, utterly useless in mud, sand & gravel.

So, did you get it yet?

Yes,currently enjoying Anakee 2's and find them very capable on our crap road system.
Haven't really been truly off road yet (busy times) but they seem to handle the loose sand on the driveway
And our shocking roadworks predictably.

[JohnG.]

Originally Posted by Sideout

New Caponord reported by Kevin Ash. What do you think? Visually I am not a big fan of the fatty exhaust.




http://www.ashonbikes.com/content/ap...aponord-1200-0

I trust aftermarket 'can suppliers have stocks ready to go,it's yuk
And many will be watching for MPG figures...

[TIGERRIDER007]

How are these Aprilias as far as reliability goes?
Are they like a Duc, come with small little issues?
Or more like a Yammie, solid-tank like reliability?

I'm really looking at the KTM 1190 (2104 for us here stateside) or maybe even this new Capanord.
When is this Capanord coming out by the way?

Don't throw me under the bus, I just don't know much about Aprilia bikes and we don't have many dealers close by so....

[Precis]

Originally Posted by TIGERRIDER007

How are these Aprilias as far as reliability goes?
Are they like a Duc, come with small little issues?
Or more like a Yammie, solid-tank like reliability?
I'm really looking at the KTM 1190 (2104 for us here stateside) or maybe even this new Capanord.
When is this Capanord coming out by the way?
Don't throw me under the bus, I just don't know much about Aprilia bikes and we don't have many dealers close by so....

For a start, all your internet searches will be more rewarding if you spell it correctly: Caponord - as in the North Cape, northernmost tip of Europe.
As for the original Capos, once small niggles are sorted, they are almost indestructible: there are several in the US with 100,000 miles and at least one European with over 200,000km.
The Rotax engine is pretty-much unburstable if treated to a decent diet of decent oil - and was one of the first Dual-sport bikes with a slipper clutch when it came out in 2001.
The 'small niggles' include replacing plastic fuel disconnects with metal ones, as it would seem that higher ethanol content causes the plastic to become brittle; obviously a one-off job that costs arounf $60 if it hasn't already been done by a PO.
As you'd expect with anything Italian, there are a couple of flakey bits in the electrical department: the original shunt-type rectifier-regulator seems to have cheese inside and is usually an early failure; replacement with a later Mosfet-style rec-reg cures the issue. Luckily, idiots crash 600 Honda and Kawa sport-bikes a lot, so there's a good supply at the wreckers - and these rec-regs fit the Capo perfectly.
Linked to that are two electrical plugs which - because the factory opted to save $0.02's worth of solder - can go high-resistance and melt.
There have been a couple of cases of poor wiring to the in-tank fuel-pump which develop an air-gap, also due to a shortage of solder, and a couple of cases where a wire in the main harness fails because rain or washing-water enters a plastic sleeve and collects at the lowest point, causing corrosion - cured with a hobby-knife and a 5mm drainage hole in the sleeve.
There is a fantastic forum where cures for these issues are openly discussed and cures shared; through that forum it is now possible to remap the ECUs entirely and even have the instrument's electronics recalibrated from mph & deg F to km/h & deg C or a combination.
FWIW, there is also an off-road version of the Caponord, called the RallyRaid - a lot like the GS Adventure from BMW, but I doubt they made it to the US.
Later Capos had ABS brakes (from about 2005) and optional heated grips.
The Capo is tall (a lower seat is a factory option and lowering links exist) heavy (well 12 years ago it was - now it's pretty average) holds 24 litres of fuel (with the remapped ECU, that should give well over 300 miles - close to 400 if you're light-handed) and supremely comfortable for both rider and passenger over long distances.

Now, the new "Caponord": This is just like the Mini, or the VW Beetle: Same marketing name, but all else has changed: the new model is obviously intended to be a rival for the Ducati MultiStrada - which is really a Mono-Strada, as you'd be nuts to take the Duc off the bitumen - and the new Capo is the same: small front wheel, vulnerable bodywork, radiators, etc.
I think of them both (Duc & new Capo) as sit-up-and-beg bikes for rich old folks. Both my wife and I have earlier Capos and we are not even remotely tempted by the new model. We are in our mid-fifties and every journey starts and finishes with 4km of dirt roads because of where we live.
Probably saddest is that Aprilia have dumped arguably the strongest part of the original Caponord, the Rotax engine, in favour of the 1200 Dorsoduro motor - which has a prodigious thirst if used in anger.

Because they were a bit ahead of their time, used Caponords are exceptionally good buying - they turn up for stupid-low prices sometimes. Red ones are faster.
We have two among a bunch of Guzzis, Yamahas and a lonely Ducati - and I'd buy another Capo in a heartbeat.

[Pampero]

In respect to the fuel connectors, at least here in the US: Aprilia issued a recall on these. If you have a cooperating dealer nearby, it is actually possible to get the new style quick fuel disconnect from Aprilia and have the operation performed as part of the recall. They will however, only supply the single disconnect: you need to order the second one (at your cost) for some strange reason.

Anyway, as you're in Georgia I thought this was worth mentioning. My local dealer, Moto International, performed the deed on my bike ( a very clean 2002) for free under the recall. They are exceptionally fine folks, and of course, have earned my loyalty as a result. If you have a good Aprilia center nearby, it's worth a shot.

[OldMadBrit]

I purchased my 2003 a little over 18 months ago



I did all of the mandatory fixes (fuel lines, brown connectors, MOSFET Reg/Rec) and a few upgrades (Leo Vince cans and pipes, RICOR Intiminators in the forks, Catfish re-map, de-snorkel, iridium plugs and free-flow filter)





I put 10,000 miles on it alone and touring with my wife on the back (she loves it). Then I figured I'd try some dirt and gravel and that's when I discovered the limitations of the stock Tourances.

So a pair of K60 Scouts went on 2 weeks ago and I have a transformed bike

[Petrolburner]

Pictures aren't showing up for me oldmadBrit, but would love to see her with the scouts on.

[OldMadBrit]

Originally Posted by Petrolburner

Pictures aren't showing up for me oldmadBrit, but would love to see her with the scouts on.

I'm a dork and copied the wrong IMG code from photobucket - fixed

[Petrolburner]

Originally Posted by OldMadBrit

I'm a dork and copied the wrong IMG code from photobucket - fixed

Looks great!

[OldMadBrit]

Originally Posted by Petrolburner

Looks great!

I am very pleased with the K60 Scouts - its as if Caponords were made with these tires in mind. The K60 has incredibly stiff sidewalls (almost like a run-flat car tire) this seems to work very well with the Capo's soft long travel suspension.

I expected a big improvement with off road grip and stability and got everything I hoped for and more. However I'm amazed by how much grip they give in the twisties.

[BrittC]

I'm curious about how the Scouts do on pavement in wet weather. 90% or more of my riding is on pavement so I need good traction, but when I do get off pavement I'd like the traction that the Scouts likely will provide...

[OldMadBrit]

Originally Posted by BrittC

I'm curious about how the Scouts do on pavement in wet weather. 90% or more of my riding is on pavement so I need good traction, but when I do get off pavement I'd like the traction that the Scouts likely will provide...

They are fine on pavement on wet and slimy stuff and amazing on dry twisty stuff. I wish I had put them on sooner instead of procrastinating. IMHO if the K60 Scouts had been available when the Capo came out and they had been standard issue - the a lot more Capos would have been sold.

[OldMadBrit]

Its been raining on an off all weekend and the local canyon roads are snot slick with mud, leaves and pine oil. So I just did a 70 mile loop of the local twisties along with a short play in a large muddy staging area. The K60's stick like glue and I am very impressed. The only mild drama came when I deliberately gassed in in 1st accross a polished shiny patch of bare tar-seal (chips all worn off). I manged to spin up the rear in a nice controllable drift. I would have been on my arse if I'd tried that on my R1 with Q2's ha ha.