Aprilia Dorsoduro 900? Any thoughts?

$10,999.00 MSRP http://www.apriliausa.com/motorcycles/2016-dorsoduro-750-abs.html
So we're not getting the Hyperstrada anymore in the US. How's the Dorsoduro stack up as a replacement?

Seems capable off-road...
https://youtu.be/UCqDMdWbn6M

The HS isn't exactly well endowed in the tank dept. either.

I just realized I linked to the webpage for the Dorso 750

The MSRP is correct for the 900 though, I found that on a local dealership's site.


I really like the 3L TANK SIDEBAG KIT available for it. Wish I had something like that for the HS.

Hehehe range anxiety. I like that. I would have pooped myself in your shoes.

The Dorsoduro is pretty nice on paper. Would love to hear some experiences from owners.

I just test rode the Dursoduro 900 yesterday. Here's some impressions from the 60 mile ride I took.
She feels about 89% the same as the hyperstrada. Same girth, width and balance though she seemed a tiny bit less top heavy. Handling is very close but I felt she tips in a bit faster and isn't quite as confidence inspiring in the tight twists. Bear in mind I did not have time to mess with riding modes and experiment with the various ABS and TC options and the tires needed to be scrubbed in more.

The seat was too hard for my butt. The tachometer display was difficult to read due to the angular hash marks in it. The headlight seemed inadequate. The kickstand is possibly the longest I've ever seen and it tended to get in the way and was quite a reach to retract.

On the plus side the engine had a nice power band with smooth fueling and zero vibration. Overall the bike felt much more civilized than my 13 HS. It is a tamer version of my bike and subsequently easier to ride. Especially in the clutch department. The transmission felt positive and operated smoothly though neutral was tough to find - may just need to be broken in more.
Riding position is the same as the HS though I think the bars are slightly lower.

I rather liked it. I have to admit though I would miss the more aggressive character and edginess of the Ducati if I traded in for the DD. The DD seems like a good solid machine and looks really good in person. Also it's nice she's got adjustable forks but the rear shock has no rebound adjustment.

The electronics suite is much more sophisticated including such gee-whiz items as bluetooth and navigation as well as a big color display.

I think the Aprilia would make a much better commuting bike than the HS. The more civilized nature of it being a benefit in heavy traffic areas and urban streets.
But the hard seat, smaller gas tank and lack of hair raising gusto would spoil any day long rides out into the hills and dales.

Note: regarding the shock, the bike I rode had a lowering kit installed on it. Possibly a different shock than OEM?

During my Dorsadoro test yesterday the salesman came along with me onboard a RSV4 RR. On the way back we swapped bikes so here's my impressions of this V4 sporter.
summed up in 3 words....
OWWWW MY WRISTS!!

I don't ride sport bikes. Last one I rode was a Ninja 1100 back in the 80's and never bothered with them again.
I don't like the riding position, not then and certainly not now with my older body becoming so sensitive to contortions. However, I ignored my discomfort long enough to focus on the performance of the bike. And I have lots of complaints. The brakes were extremely grabby. No idea what the ABS or TC levels were but stopping the bike was hair raising every time. Cornering was freight train like. Just the most piggish feeling thing I've ridden so far. It may be the cornering ABS that is to blame. I've never ridden a bike with this feature before so it may be that I just wasn't used to it.

The engine was strong but responded way too slowly to throttle changes. Again I have no idea about the settings for the TC and I suspect it was very high because I noticed quite alot of hesitation and stutter like you get on the HS in urban mode. The engine also felt and sounded like a metal trash can full of junk rolling down a concrete staircase. Then again I've never ridden a bike with a V4 engine before. Are they all like this?

The transmission was tractor-like. Crotchety and clunky to a disconcerting degree. No smoothness in shifting at all. I learned later on that the bike is meant to be ridden using the paddle shifters near the left grip which nobody had mentioned to me before hopping on the bike. I'm told that they work very nicely. Though apparently at the expense of the old manual way of doing it.

In all honesty I couldn't wait to get off the thing. And I certainly couldn't imagine anyone riding it more than 15 minutes without stopping to get off and stretch their limbs. Such a cramped riding position and very much disinclined to tall people.

I'm sure I'm not a good judge for this sort of machine so take my words with a grain of salt.

The Dorsadoro suspension seemed fine to me on my short ride but really I'd need much more time on the road with one to really get the feel of it. The forks didn't have as much dive as the hyper during braking. But the brakes were different too - less bite. There wasn't as much feel to them. Again I didn't try different ABS settings out.
Also, I couldn't ride as I normally would having the sales guy along with me and we out on the road after 4PM when traffic is heavy making it impossible to really get on it.

The Aprilia struck me as a more polite version of the hyper. The politeness was everywhere, braking, power, handling etc.
No rough edges like the HS. More refined riders will appreciate its virtues. If they don't bring the Hyper back then the Dorsadoro is a worthwhile replacement IMO if you can live with the differences. For my part the reduced fuel capacity would be a serious problem and that hard seat would have to go immediately. The OEM seat on my Suzuki Savage is more comfortable and that seat is crap compared to my HS's seat.

My favorite things about the Aprilia are the clutch and smoother fueling. However, since I don't commute in heavy stop and go traffic with my HS anymore these things aren't as much of a concern for me as they once were and the clutch upgrade for my HS has virtually eliminated that complaint.

BadToTheBown said:

This is all better than the Hyper, no arguing it...my Hyper has proven more like a base to make a better bike but you have to make it better if you're gonna love it, which I will once I get that jutter spring in my clutch and starter upgraded to Denzo one, which will be after I finish my present project bike (BMW R1150SR) so my old **** will ride with me more (she'll ride the Hyper but not for any real distance)...

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I love the HS but I really need to consider other options now with no local Ducati service for her. There were two places nearby when I bought her and now there's none.

The clutch upgrade is the best money I've spent on this bike so far. Luckily I haven't had starter problems yet. When I do I guess I'll have to fix it myself.

BadToTheBown said:

Hear you and see your point, dealer situation could be better here too, since I build most of my bikes, I'll continue to do my own work...best of luck in your search...

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I do work on my bikes, namely my Suzuki Savage but that's a low tech bike making it easy to work on. The Ducati with its advanced technology is a serious stumbling block. I'm sure I can physically replace my blown dash but without the means to sync it with the ECU there's no option but to take it to a dealer.

With modern bikes the electronics can really get in the way of working on it yourself .

BadToTheBown said:

Agreed, sound like neither of us was raised with much in electronics... '-)

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Conversely I worked as an electronics R&D tech back in the 90's and also an avionics tech during my time in the Navy. But without any technical documentation on the electronics and firmware onboard the bikes from the manufacturers it's asking too much to work on that stuff yourself. I really wish manufacturers would open source the firmware for their products so it can be maintained by the public after the product is no longer supported but in our disposable economy that goes against their strategies.

BadToTheBown said:

Funny, I was an Nuc MM (snipe) in the Navy, they wanted me to be a twiggit back when they taught real troubleshooting as opposed to swapping modules like they do now....we're old.... '-/

On the firmware, I personally doubt they'll want to open source it, you can really jack someone up if you hack it and tell it to do bad things....

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I wasn't black shoe I was an airman (AE3). The rate no longer exists because no more component level troubleshooting required.
At 1st I worked on F-14 Tomcats and they were all component level and mechanical troubleshooting.
Then I cross trained for the F/A-18 Hornet and things got module based except for the black boxes it shared with the Tomcat.
Next I went back to training and learned the new F/A-18 Superhornet. Not even modules anymore. You disconnect big hunks of the fuselage and wheel them into the depot where you connect them to a big computerized test frame and it tells you what to replace inside. If it can't be fixed you pull a known good chunk of airframe and install that instead. The LEGO jet fighter.

Nowadays I fix and restore old analog electronic music equipment for a hobby. Makes up for the lack of tangible accomplishment in my work as a software engineer.