Road test: 2008 Aprilia SMV750 Dorsoduro launch – Aprilia goes hard and hyper!
Written: 23/04/2008 : 10:20. Read 18947 times (44/day).
Aprilia really have acquired some top supermoto experience since the SXV was launched in 2004. Aprilia have added some of that racing know-how to the Dorsoduro and it’s a much more aggressive motorcycle than the Shiver! Dorso means hard in Italian… 91 votes
“This is a true Aprilia”, Francesco Polimeni – Aprilia Motorbike category Manager told me at the Rome presentation. What Polimeni means by saying this is that it carries more of a racing heritage than the last big Aprilia news, the Shiver.
Just by looking at the new Dorsoduro you can see clearly what it is. It’s Aprilia’s take at the newest niche in the motorcycle market. It’s Aprilia’s answer to Ducati’s Hypermotard and KTM’s 990 SM. By using the 750cc V-twin Aprilia also positions itself as the smallest of the big ones.
But Aprilia’s 750 90 degree V-twin is liquid cooled and not air-cooled like the Hypermotard. Despite tuning the engine for more low-end torque, Aprilia Dorsoduro still ends up with a respectable 92 horsepower @ 8750rpm. The main target with the Piaggio developed 750cc V-twin in the Dorso was torque. And torque there is plenty of from very low revs and max torque (82Nm) is available already from 4.500rpm. Aprilia’s ride-by-wire is in place also on the Dorsoduro.
From the starter button you can change from Rain – Touring – Sport settings. The R setting takes away all the fun (torque) for safe throttle usage when it rains. The T setting softens the low-end torque response but leaves full power on top. The S setting allows the hooligan to express himself fully! Needless to say, I spent most of the day in S mode. In the morning though, I involuntary set off in T mode.
I was thinking that this wasn’t too aggressive a throttle response and kept it on full throttle for best drive. To change the 3-way ECU settings you have to let go of the throttle so that the engine is on idle and then push the starter button whilst the engine is running. I didn’t feel that the button change had any instant impact and it takes relatively long for the change to happen. The throttle has to be in a closed position for safety reasons which are fine. But when the throttle is closed I want the change to be instant when I push the button.
I don’t want to wait and on the Dorsoduro it feels the same as when switching ABS on and off on several other motorcycles. You can change whilst on the move, but it’s pointless as it takes too long.
After a heavy thunderstorm during the night the roads were covered with dust and debris. Despite this I felt that I had really good traction from the combination of a long swingarm and the Dunlop Qualifier 180/55-ZR17 rear tyre. The Dorsoduro aluminium swingarm is longer than on the Shiver to stiffen up the rear end for better sliding control.
The rear sub frame is new as well. The front end is a bit livelier just like on a true supermotard. All this allows for extreme riding entering and exciting bends.
The wide handlebars allow supreme bike control and for good measures Aprilia have added the hand guards from the SXV. On a supermoto they mainly protect the clutch and brake levers from accidental contact during close racing. But on the Dorsoduro they’ll protect the levers if having an accident and also shield your hands from wind and weather.
Using short supermoto gloves this is very practical.
The front area of the Dorsoduro has a striking headlight design to resemble a knight’s helmet. Since all the bikes were black it’ll be a black knight then. The design works for me I have to say and the clean view of the 17inch front wheel is pleasing on any supermotard.
The SMV750 have wavy double discs with Aprilia’s radial brake callipers attached.
The wheel is mounted on a 43mm USD fork that is adjustable for spring preload and rebound damping. A generous 160mm travel is on offer to allow extreme control also of the front end. The laterally side mounted rear mono shock also sports the same adjustability and spring travel as the front suspension.
I love the brakes on most supermotards and the Dorsoduro mega motard is no exception. That travel at the front and the Dunlop Qualifiers allows extreme usage here too. Despite being slightly heavier than your usual motard (186 kilo dry weight) the brakes takes care of all weight efficiently when needed.
I expect Aprilia to have to suffer some criticism as the Dorsoduro will be compared to the Ducati Hypermotard that weighs only 179 kilos dry.
So the Dorsoduro have a water coat around the engine, but it is also almost 350cc short of the HM1100 in terms of displacement.
Sitting on the suitably tall seat (870mm) riding in the country side about 50 kilometres north of Rome I didn’t feel that the Dorso was too heavy. About 60 kilos heavier than the real supermotards of course, but as a roadbike it works fine. Getting close to 200km/h a couple of places the Dorsoduro is stable enough for motorway riding too and much more so than the singles. Compared further to a single cylinder motorcycle there are hardly any vibrations either and this allows for a clear view in the mirrors and the ability to hold a cup of coffee with steady hands after a ride. It’s also worth mentioning that the seat is not of the extreme type as I was riding with a cracked sacrum (tailbone)! I didn’t have to top up on painkillers until after lunch which gets the approval from me!
I tried to be as small as I could behind the fair sized fly-screen and even with my offroad helmet I achieved some sort of aerodynamically profile.
This was worth several miles per hour straight away!
Riding in and out of small towns I got the chance to check the fuel injection at very low rpms. In the S mode it was a little disturbing at times as the engine does prefer 2.000+ rpm. But everything above 2 grand provided smooth acceleration with a kick around 4.000 rpm when the torque curve really is at strength. A pleasing V-twin rumble accompanied me the whole day. This will be a mad one with open pipes…
Conclusion Do I love this type of motorcycle or what? It’s the most pleasing niche to arise since the streetfighter and might turn out to be the dominant in a few years time.
Aprilia have created a great motorcycle from its 750cc V-twin platform. Despite being created out from an already existing platform the Dorsoduro is all new in so many areas such as the chassis, exhaust, styling and more. It’s so much more than just a Shiver with supermoto design. I prefer it strongly over the Shiver as the Dorsoduro is pure fun made easy. Is it better than the Ducati Hypermotard? That’s difficult to judge without riding the both side by side, but if I was a betting man I’d go Hyper. All in all, the Dorsoduro is the most fun new Aprilia I have ridden since the SXV. -Highly recommended.
+ Styling and Aprilia supermoto racing kudos Handling and chassis details Reliable V-twin engine that should suit everyone
- Takes too long to change modes for it to be practical Is it enough to beat Ducati and KTM?
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