Carlos and his Aprilia

[Carlos]

Made a small change, switched the foot pegs with carbon ones.

And a little walk around

 

[Carlos]

Got puller over today by cop on motorcycle.. I got a little bit lucky. Weather was nice today so took the bike to work, last bit is driving through city of Rotterdam. Waited on an ambulance to pass the junction and then floored it to the next junction, which is only 240 meters away (I Google mapped it ). Somehow that took the attention of a cop I didn't see standing a few cars behind me. Then I made a left turn and there was a hold up, but I just went left little bit onto the other lane, that goes opposite. Some quick lefties and righties later I parked my bike. When I stepped off the bike I saw a cop bike in my mirror, uh-oh!

He said: "haha I saw you startle when you noticed me". Okay, nice guy, this might end well for me He followed "I could see with your driving style you had no clue I was on your tail, this is what I call driving like an ass." I explained to him I was happy it was nice weather again and couldn't resist to make up the time I lost waiting on the ambulance. He then told me about passing the white line onto opposite lane, that these sort of things make my driving really irresponsible. Obviously I agreed... He was scanning my driving license when I asked him about his phone, because he was scanning my license with it. He showed it to me and there was a photo of me with all my traffic violations, saying: "look, that's you! Happy to see you have no violations, yet.." I laughed and asked him if I was in trouble. He said "no no it is alright, if you had a violation already you would have." We talked about driving in general, that he had a sports bike too and advised me to go to the track. So as we shook hands he almost crushed my hand saying "now don't be stupid and drive responsible from now on". I told him I wouldn't be driving like such an ass again and we wished each other a nice day..

Phew...

 

[Swagger897]

Got puller over today by cop on motorcycle.. I got a little bit lucky. Weather was nice today so took the bike to work, last bit is driving through city of Rotterdam. Waited on an ambulance to pass the junction and then floored it to the next junction, which is only 240 meters away (I Google mapped it ). Somehow that took the attention of a cop I didn't see standing a few cars behind me. Then I made a left turn and there was a hold up, but I just went left little bit onto the other lane, that goes opposite. Some quick lefties and righties later I parked my bike. When I stepped off the bike I saw a cop bike in my mirror, uh-oh!

He said: "haha I saw you startle when you noticed me". Okay, nice guy, this might end well for me He followed "I could see with your driving style you had no clue I was on your tail, this is what I call driving like an ass." I explained to him I was happy it was nice weather again and couldn't resist to make up the time I lost waiting on the ambulance. He then told me about passing the white line onto opposite lane, that these sort of things make my driving really irresponsible. Obviously I agreed... He was scanning my driving license when I asked him about his phone, because he was scanning my license with it. He showed it to me and there was a photo of me with all my traffic violations, saying: "look, that's you! Happy to see you have no violations, yet.." I laughed and asked him if I was in trouble. He said "no no it is alright, if you had a violation already you would have." We talked about driving in general, that he had a sports bike too and advised me to go to the track. So as we shook hands he almost crushed my hand saying "now don't be stupid and drive responsible from now on". I told him I wouldn't be driving like such an ass again and we wished each other a nice day..

Phew...

How far is Zandvoort from you?

 

[Carlos]

How far is Zandvoort from you?

It's not too far, around 80 kilometers. But the circuit is not really a bike circuit with the barriers so close to the track, almost to no run off in some areas. I don't feel comfy riding there, I'd rather go to Assen in the summer, 245 kilometers.

 

[Carlos]

Put the GoPro on my helmet today so did a little drive to see if the angle was right. It wasn't, but only just. So here is a little drive through my hometown

(just uploaded, quality could be better in the next few hours)

 

[Carlos]

Driving home from work this morning 6.30 am. Almost empty highway so was going a bit fast. Somehow I did not see the cop car parked on the emergency lane... He was lasering cars until I came by. He couldn't get my speed (was going over 200kmh) so he came after me. When I got off the highway I looked in the mirrors and there was nobody behind me, but I had a red light. When the light went green he passed me and pulled me over. Had a little talk, they were pretty nice. He explained he could take my license away and had to discuss with his colleague. They sat in the car for a few minutes and agreed on giving me a fine for 30kmh. I said "wow thank you!". They have to take my license from 50kmh+... He said he agreed on 30 because from 30 to 49 it's going through the justice department and that is punishment enough for now.

It's going to be expensive though, I'm sure Can't deny I feel lucky, almost happy...

 

[Mike-ZENKAI]

@Carlos, you're quite lucky there. You could have been using the bicycle for a few weeks.
First time +30 fine?

 

[Smoke&Slide]

Hi Carlos, it's nice that you own a bike, you must love it mate ? Get out there and ride it.I am going to do my advanced car and bike test, just for my parents piece of mind and it can't do any harm to me can it or anyone else for that matter ? I am going to learn everything there is to know about bikes etc.Motorcycles are what i am passionate about, they are my first love so i will learn about them the most.As regards anything else i will have the same attitude to learning.Remeber this mate, one mistake and you could lose it all and i mean everything if you have an accident.Not saying you will have one.Just have that thought in your mind, learn from mistakes and get better and you'll succeed in being a better rider, maybe better than me who knows.

Cheers Nath.

 

[Carlos]

@Carlos, you're quite lucky there. You could have been using the bicycle for a few weeks.
First time +30 fine?

Haha exactly.... Yes first time, last speeding ticket was 4 years ago (120 where 100 allowed).

I've been to Rockanje a few times with the bike last few weeks, from Spijkenisse to Abbenbroek through Zuidland, then to Hellevoetsluis via Oudenhoorn. Not sure what road it is but I'm sure you know of it, when you drive out of Hellevoetsluis you pass that school and later you can take the roundabout 3/4, then right and from there you have a nice twisty road to Rockanje.

Hi Carlos, it's nice that you own a bike, you must love it mate ? Get out there and ride it.I am going to do my advanced car and bike test, just for my parents piece of mind and it can't do any harm to me can it or anyone else for that matter ? I am going to learn everything there is to know about bikes etc.Motorcycles are what i am passionate about, they are my first love so i will learn about them the most.As regards anything else i will have the same attitude to learning.Remeber this mate, one mistake and you could lose it all and i mean everything if you have an accident.Not saying you will have one.Just have that thought in your mind, learn from mistakes and get better and you'll succeed in being a better rider, maybe better than me who knows.

Cheers Nath.

Yeah I really love it! Can't imagine life without bikes. Advanced test is nice, I'm thinking of going to the circuit sometime soon and take some extra lessons on positioning etc.

Drive safe Nath and good luck with the tests 👍

 

[Mike-ZENKAI]

I've been to Rockanje a few times with the bike last few weeks, from Spijkenisse to Abbenbroek through Zuidland, then to Hellevoetsluis via Oudenhoorn. Not sure what road it is but I'm sure you know of it, when you drive out of Hellevoetsluis you pass that school and later you can take the roundabout 3/4, then right and from there you have a nice twisty road to Rockanje.

That last "dijk" is called Schapengorsendijk but be careful the police quit often check in the weekend just before the small tunnel under the N57. (after the roundabout and that long left hander). Only 60 allowed there was quite lucky there myself last year.

Went to Rockanje for a coffee at MotoPort?

 

[Carlos]

That last "dijk" is called Schapengorsendijk but be careful the police quit often check in the weekend just before the small tunnel under the N57. (after the roundabout and that long left hander). Only 60 allowed there was quite lucky there myself last year.

Went to Rockanje for a coffee at MotoPort?

Ah thanks I didn't know, I'll look out for them.

No but can do next time. I need to bring it in for maintenance too.. My clutch is slipping in sixth gear I want to rent a bike when it's there for maintenance if that's possible. Something completely different like a Dorsoduro.

 

[wfooshee]

Clutch slips in 6th is a pretty good indication of needing new disks and plates. Does it slip in lower gears right after an abusive shift, as in revs too high and a very firm engagement after the shift? Of course, the more it slips, the worse it gets.

And two stops in six weeks? You're headed for trouble, you hooligan!

 

[Carlos]

Clutch slips in 6th is a pretty good indication of needing new disks and plates. Does it slip in lower gears right after an abusive shift, as in revs too high and a very firm engagement after the shift? Of course, the more it slips, the worse it gets.

And two stops in six weeks? You're headed for trouble, you hooligan!

It has happened, since then I'm less aggressive on the engine. Second gear is now the only one I go high rev, pretty much short shift through the rest and won't go to full throttle right after the shift. I'll make an appointment soon to have it done in May. Probably have it fully checked, I have put ~3000km on it and it has around 10.500km total. Last full service was at 4080km, though I wonder if they did the clutch. My neighbour got new levers so that got me looking around, black ones would be nice. No idea if I want them long or short, the stock levers are pretty long and I have no problem with them. Also ordered black fairing bolts two months ago, didn't arrive, contacted the seller last weekend and he would send it again. Maybe little performance upgrade like a sportier air filter and better mapping, they're still stock.

 

[Carlos]

Uh-oh.... Was driving to the city, had to stop when a bridge opened up. Some other guys on bikes were waiting too so I pulled up next to them. When the bridge came down we kinda floored it all, that was nice. Some miles later I was waiting for a red light when my engine skipped a beat. Looked down and saw I had an engine error. Pressed the kill switch and that was kinda the end.. After start up it only ran on 1 cilinder. Called my dad to pick me up and bring me to my house so I could get my car and rent a trailer. Did that and brought it to the motor store. They said they were going to pull the engine out and have a look, he said he hoped it was a electrical defect but if it wasn't I should expect worse.

 

[Swagger897]

Uh-oh.... Was driving to the city, had to stop when a bridge opened up. Some other guys on bikes were waiting too so I pulled up next to them. When the bridge came down we kinda floored it all, that was nice. Some miles later I was waiting for a red light when my engine skipped a beat. Looked down and saw I had an engine error. Pressed the kill switch and that was kinda the end.. After start up it only ran on 1 cilinder. Called my dad to pick me up and bring me to my house so I could get my car and rent a trailer. Did that and brought it to the motor store. They said they were going to pull the engine out and have a look, he said he hoped it was a electrical defect but if it wasn't I should expect worse.

Well that's just great to hear from another Aprilia owner...

 

[Carlos]

Well that's just great to hear from another Aprilia owner...

Yours is probably not so aggressive on the engine

 

[Swagger897]

Yours is probably not so aggressive on the engine

Yeah.. I don't plan to keep it and ride it, but to flip it (it's dirt cheap) and buy some gear with the profit.

 

[Carlos]

Yeah.. I don't plan to keep it and ride it, but to flip it (it's dirt cheap) and buy some gear with the profit.

Ah that's smart! My colleague does that too, always motorscooters. Good luck 👍 I hope you can buy yourself some nice gear soon. What is the gear you want?

 

[Swagger897]

Not quite sure. I tend to not like flashy things in particular, so I'll suffer through the heat with most likely something black in nature.

I've tried on a few Shoei helmets and quite like them, so maybe I'll take a peak at one of those..

 

[wfooshee]

There's an awful lot of checks to go through with a misfire before pulling the engine out......

Also, mechanical problems do not light the dashboard up. The engine light comes on when there's a sensor issue, some sensor gets a reading out of range. If you got an engine light, there's checks to make to read stored codes, and the codes will tell them what sensor did what that the ECU didn't like. None of that entails removing or disassembling the engine!

 

[Carlos]

Not quite sure. I tend to not like flashy things in particular, so I'll suffer through the heat with most likely something black in nature.

I've tried on a few Shoei helmets and quite like them, so maybe I'll take a peak at one of those..

Black is always nice I've had a Shoei too, they're very nice. Make sure you get one with double visor against fog. If Shoei fits nice then HJC should do too. The HJC fits a little bit better but makes that little bit more noise.

There's an awful lot of checks to go through with a misfire before pulling the engine out......

Also, mechanical problems do not light the dashboard up. The engine light comes on when there's a sensor issue, some sensor gets a reading out of range. If you got an engine light, there's checks to make to read stored codes, and the codes will tell them what sensor did what that the ECU didn't like. None of that entails removing or disassembling the engine!

It showed "EFI" what seems to be an oil pressure problem. And it only runs on one cylinder, barely. The mechanic was worried that led to a serious engine problem.

 

[wfooshee]

If it said EFI, then it's not oil pressure, that's a different light. Unless, of course, that light came on, too.

EFI indicates an electronics problem, not a mechanical problem.

 

[Carlos]

If it said EFI, then it's not oil pressure, that's a different light. Unless, of course, that light came on, too.

EFI indicates an electronics problem, not a mechanical problem.

Got that from apriliaforum.com and more people had that warning what seemed to be some kind of oil problem. But yeah it better be an electrical problem. Saves me money.

 

[wfooshee]

OTOH, not sure what kind of electrical problem would affect one cylinder, other than a bad injector, bad injector wiring maybe.... Still, if it lit EFI it should have stored a code, hopefully.

Almost anything I can think of that definitely kills one cylinder actually is mechanical, and might be pretty bad..... you know, things like timing chain skipping teeth at the crankshaft and destroying the valvetrain, but that would have been very sudden, and you would have heard noises that you haven't reported hearing. Connecting rod or bearing issues, maybe. Con-rod problem, you couldn't even crank it trying to start it, and a bearing would be noisy, or seize the engine. Neither would light EFI, but might light oil.

i guess we'll just wait and see what they say....

 

[Swagger897]

Could be poor compression..

 

[wfooshee]

I still think "EFI" is an electronics issue, but i'm not sure how electronics kills one cylinder. I "consulted" my brother to see what he thinks, he came up with nothing different.....

 

[Skython]

Driving home from work this morning 6.30 am. Almost empty highway so was going a bit fast. Somehow I did not see the cop car parked on the emergency lane... He was lasering cars until I came by. He couldn't get my speed (was going over 200kmh) so he came after me. When I got off the highway I looked in the mirrors and there was nobody behind me, but I had a red light. When the light went green he passed me and pulled me over. Had a little talk, they were pretty nice. He explained he could take my license away and had to discuss with his colleague. They sat in the car for a few minutes and agreed on giving me a fine for 30kmh. I said "wow thank you!". They have to take my license from 50kmh+... He said he agreed on 30 because from 30 to 49 it's going through the justice department and that is punishment enough for now.

It's going to be expensive though, I'm sure Can't deny I feel lucky, almost happy...

Wow! There is hope left in this world.

 

[Smoke&Slide]

Hi Carlos, just want to ask what your RSV feels like to ride mate.The reason I ask is I have just bought a Caponord Rally Raid.I am quite into Aprilia now.I wouldn't mind a Mille SP personally .Here is a pic of my Rally Raid

 

[Carlos]

Hi Carlos, just want to ask what your RSV feels like to ride mate.The reason I ask is I have just bought a Caponord Rally Raid.I am quite into Aprilia now.I wouldn't mind a Mille SP personally .Here is a pic of my Rally Raid

View attachment 548422

Oh damn nice bike! Sorry I reply only now, haven't checked the thread since my bike died.. How is the bike? Feel free to post more photos of her 👍

@wfooshee You said it was electrical, you were right. Though we had found a mechanical problem, a timing chain tensioner. It couldn't hold it's position anymore, you could push it in and out. So if that electronic issue didn't happen, I probably would have ruined the whole engine a few miles later. It turns out to be the ECU it self that is causing one cylinder to fail. After changing a coil it started to run on the other one.. And then from time to time it jumped. By now we turned the bike almost completely inside out and had the chance to check everything. The bike is looking very nice overall, even the valves are near perfect still. The ECU is on its way to a specialist and hope to have it back in two weeks or so. My mechanic goes on holiday the week the ECU comes back so in 4 weeks it should be back on the roads again, finally..

 

[Smoke&Slide]

Hi Carlos, I don't have any more pics unfortunatly, will have to take some.Anyway it's done 10,000 miles from new with all service records.Just had new tyres fitted as they were the original tyres and a UK headlight fitted too as it's an imported bike.Had a ride of it and much quicker than my Cagiva Elefant 750LE.Just needs an oil filter, oil and fuel lines changing to braided hoses plus will upgrade the regulator/rectifier too.As they get hot and fail on these.The one to get is from a Honda CBR600RR, as they push out more than enough voltage, don't get hot and fit perfect too.I have only ridden it once, as on holiday at the moment.Hopefully will get to ride more when i get back home.