May 2, 2008 - Bob Gray

The Aprilia SMV 750 Dorsoduro is the latest in a long line of supermoto-inspired bikes for the road. Is it any better than any of those other compromised disappointments? ... Scroll down for the full story

Aprilia's new SMV 750 Dorsoduro claims to set new standards for a road-going supermoto. And with four world supermoto titles Aprilia should know how to build one.

While many manufacturers fall into the trap of claiming their bikes are uncompromising yet utterly versatile and suited to all types of rider, Aprilia has gone the other way. They seem to be saying, we built this bike to be the best at what it's designed to do, and as a consequence don't expect it to do all this other stuff. I sort of believe them.

The SMV 750 Dorsoduro is Aprilia's new, road-going supermoto. In one sense, it looks a bit like their existing Shiver model, and indeed it shares some components. It's powered by a 750cc, 90°, V-twin motor, producing 92hp (as opposed to the Shiver's 95hp), runs a second-generation version of their ride-by-wire throttle system and takes all its design cues from a supermoto rather than a naked street-bike.

Is it any good? In three words—yes, yes, yes. Like all supermoto bikes, it eats up corners with gluttonous enthusiasm. In fact, you find yourself willing the road to twist into tighter and tighter knots with smaller gaps in between. It wouldn't stand up to measurement, but when you're riding, you get the impression you're chucking the bike around quicker than Thierry Van Den Bosch. Perhaps the upright riding position or long, flat seat help, but you seem to be able to chuck the bike around so easily it makes the claimed weight of 186kg seem unfeasibly heavy — it feels more like 168kg.

The most astonishing thing, though, is the feeling you get from the rear tyre. The bike comes with Dunlop Qualifiers fitted as standard and, as you pitch it in, you actually feel like the rear tyre has sort of ruffled up the tarmac underneath itself and made a small berm. I'm being serious, and someone else used exactly the same description (unprompted). It felt like we were running the softest slicks in the world on the grippiest surface and, no matter how inappropriate I was with the throttle, it just dug in a gripped. It was an amazing feeling.

So are there any flaws with its handling? I was tempted to say yes initially, simply because the bike got a bit unsettled carrying a lot of lean over bumps. Then I thought about how it would have felt if I tried the same thing on a sportsbike, which would have been awful. As it was, the SMV 750 moved around a bit, but then just carried on. So, while it felt unnerving to me (and my lack of ability), the bike wasn't actually bothered by it. It seems all the work Aprilia has done to find the optimum flex in the tubular and plate aluminium chassis has paid off.

The bike was equally composed on the brakes - something bikes with long-travel suspension can often struggle with. You don't even have to really squeeze the lever very hard to bury the front, thanks to some generosity in the purchasing department. We often find Brembo calipers dangling from forks these days, but the discs they grab are rarely special. In the Dorsoduro's case, they are from Italian manufacturer Braking, and happen to be the shiniest 320mm brake discs I've ever seen. The bikes we tested were brand new and it looked like the discs had been polished, but even after a hard day's use they were still virtually the same and performed strongly.

But all this extreme handling and braking brings me to one of the gripes I normally have about supermotos, which is they're great as long as you've got an endless supply of corners to fire at them. Take away the corners and you're generally left with something that's too uncomfortable, under-geared and vibey to enjoy riding.

I'm pleased to say, then, that for all Aprilia's claims about how this is an uncompromising bike for experienced riders (which I think it is), it's also good enough to cope with commuting along 'boring' roads for around 60-70 miles without sending your bum to sleep. How they've done this I don't know, but there's a solid feeling about the bike that reassures you and it's so manoeuvrable that it slips through gaps like a jelly down a greased plughole. Of course, there's virtually no wind protection, but who cares – it's a supermoto.

Aprilia expect the bike to retail in the UK for £6,469, from mid-May onwards, and for those thinking about getting one, I'd say good choice. It feels like a well put-together bike that handles superbly and can blow away nearly everything as long as the road isn't straight. More importantly, it'll make you smile.


CONTACT
www.aprilia.com




Price: £6,469
NU Ins Group: n/a
ENGINE
Type: l/c 8-valve 90° V-Twin DOHC
Displacement: 749.9cc
Bore x stroke: 92.0 x 56.4mm
Compression: 11:1
Fuelling: Magneti Marelli electronic fuel injection

Gearbox: six-speed, chain
Power: 92hp @ 8,750rpm
Torque: 60.5lb-ft @ 4,500rpm

CYCLE PARTS
Chassis: Tubular and plate aluminium
Suspension: (F) 43mm USD forks with adjustable preload and rebound (R) monoshock with adjustable preload and rebound damping
Brakes: (F) Twin 320mm Braking wavy discs, 4-pot Brembo calipers (R) 1 x 240mm disc with single piston caliper
Wheels: aluminium alloy (F) 3.50 x 17 (R) 6.00 x 17
Tyres: Dunlop Qualifier (F) 120/70-17 (R) 180/55-17
Rake/Trail: 26°/30mm
Wheelbase: 1505mm
Capacity: 12 litres (2.64 gals)
Dry weight: 186kg

CONTACT
www.aprilia.com/uk