[sammyboy]

Hey Vignesh, what an amazing thread.
I still remember the awesome honda of yours and manjunath's rsv4, we had gone to the CSS together back in 2015 (me on the ninja 250) and had a fun conversation while coming back from Chennai together. Great times.
Wonderful to see you are still continuing the track days, would love to attend some session with you.
Ride safe and keep updating the thread, look forward to it.

[greyanaroth]

Wow what an absolutely amazing ownership thread, with perhaps the tastiest and most sensible mods I've ever seen on any bike. Would love to head down to MMRTA and get some valuable instruction from you.

If you don't mind, I had a few burning questions:

1. How has your ownership experience been from a maintenance point of view? Any gremlins? Charging issues?
2. What made you gravitate towards the top triple clamp? Was to make the spider clip on installation easier?
3. Did you try dave moss's recommended ride height changes at any point? (I believe it was 1mm up on the rear and 2 lines up on the forks to bring the bike up and not turn in so insanely quick)
4. Does the heat ever become a problem during the afternoon sessions at MMRTA on a hot day?
5. Which compound sbs pads are you running?
6. Are you inclined to run some of the more specialised maps/tunes like the gabro or open flash stuff? More for engine longetivity than performance, tbh, because let's face it, that's a LOT of performance haha.
7. Thoughts on the domino quick throttle?

Thanks so much and apologies for the question barrage! I absolutely loved reading this thread. Such an amazingly passionate, well researched journey with a lovely nerdy eye for detail. Love it! Keep em coming. No such thing as too many RSV4 photos!

And, for what it's worth, I think this iteration up to the 2020 factory models, are the best looking versions of this lovely bike. The new 2021 model seems to look a wee bit plastic and lacks the classy vibe that your bike has.

Ride safe. Ride hard.

[vignesh.cv]

Originally Posted by abhi_tjet

What a desirable bike @vignesh! Aprilia/Ducati definitely evoke emotions. RSV4 is further top of the lot.

Happy track miles since it’s a track only

Thank you abhi_tjet ! Yes, they do evoke a certain emotion which is hard to describe.

Originally Posted by Odeen12

Thank you man!! I will see you at MMRTA in November. Not sure if i will get the GSX-R, but me will be there.

Cool, would love to meet and ride with you.

Originally Posted by sammyboy

Hey Vignesh, what an amazing thread.
I still remember the awesome honda of yours and manjunath's rsv4, we had gone to the CSS together back in 2015 (me on the ninja 250) and had a fun conversation while coming back from Chennai together. Great times.
Wonderful to see you are still continuing the track days, would love to attend some session with you.
Ride safe and keep updating the thread, look forward to it.

Thanks sammy ! Yes, I do remember those times and your Ninja 250. We had a good time both on the track and the journey. How quickly time flies. Hope you are managing to keep in touch with motorcycle riding.

Originally Posted by greyanaroth

Wow what an absolutely amazing ownership thread, with perhaps the tastiest and most sensible mods I've ever seen on any bike. Would love to head down to MMRTA and get some valuable instruction from you.

And, for what it's worth, I think this iteration up to the 2020 factory models, are the best looking versions of this lovely bike. The new 2021 model seems to look a wee bit plastic and lacks the classy vibe that your bike has.

Ride safe. Ride hard.

Thank you greyanaroth ! I agree, the pre 2021 models do look classy, but I feel the 2021 looks will grow on you over a period of time. Thank you for putting up a set of questions on the sensibilities of ownership.

1. How has your ownership experience been from a maintenance point of view? Any gremlins? Charging issues?
To be honest, other than changing fluids and consumables like engine oil, fuel, tyres, brake pads, and the investment I've done like rearsets, clip-ons, exhaust etc., I've not spent money on anything else.

The only gremlin if I may call was with hot start - this was before I had done any of the modifications. After I rode the bike for a good amount of time and when I attempt to restart her (when the engine was still quite hot), I had to deliberately open the throttle a little bit for her to start. Otherwise, she would crank and fire and die. Post all the modifications, the problem has vanished away completely. My suspect is the removal of the petrol vapour recovery system helped with it. I did cross check with a few other owners in the AF1 forum and they corraborated to this.

Aprilia has a separate maintainence schedule for street vs. racing. The most important thing in that is valve clearance check. If not done in a preventive maintanence fashion, there is a chance of damage. Of course, when Aprilia says racing, they mean someone would be riding at the top quarter of the rpm range i.e 10000-13000 range all the time. Good part is, the diagnostics will give you an indication when it is due and you can then do the needful.

2. What made you gravitate towards the top triple clamp? Was to make the spider clip on installation easier?
This was suggested by folks at HSBK racing - one of the torch bearers for the Aprilia brand in the US. The idea is that because the Melotti triple clamp is slotted, it allows for a bit more flex while cornering and therefore you get that feel as to what the front wheel is doing. Otherwise, it isn't necessary.

3. Did you try dave moss's recommended ride height changes at any point? (I believe it was 1mm up on the rear and 2 lines up on the forks to bring the bike up and not turn in so insanely quick)
No, I've not gone through his recommendations yet. The 2017- onwards models have the engine sat in the lowest position on the frame to provide that stability. However, for race use, the Aprilia racing manual recommends raising the bike on both the ends - on the front, stock would be 12mm from fork top to triple clamp and recommended would be 4mm i.e raising the front ride height. Similary, for the rear, the stock shock length is 314mm, recommendation would be to keep at 318mm i.e raising the rear ride height. Both of these serve to raise the overall CoG of the bike and therefore make directional changes with less effort. You can further improve this by raising the engine to either middle or top most slot to make the bike just tip into the corners. I'm running the Aprilia recommended ride height, haven't changed the engine mounting position though.

4. Does the heat ever become a problem during the afternoon sessions at MMRTA on a hot day?
No, I've not noticed the heat to be a problem on the track ever. On the track the bike doesn't cross 88-90deg C when riding at pace. Only when I slow down for coaching do I see the temps climb upto 95+. The fans kick in at 99C. I'd say after the Aprilia RACE map flash, things have improved further on the heat front.

5. Which compound sbs pads are you running?
At the moment, I'm still running the stock Brembo pads. I have a set of Z04 to try after this. As an alternative, I'd probably go with Vesrah RJL as I've had very good experience with them on the Honda. The problem with brake pads is that if you go the more aggressive/bite route, they'll chew up your stock rotors fairly quick and then you have two problems. Since I'm not into racing, this middle path is good for me.

6. Are you inclined to run some of the more specialised maps/tunes like the gabro or open flash stuff? More for engine longetivity than performance, tbh, because let's face it, that's a LOT of performance haha.
Yes, the stock motor packs quite a bit for sure. At some point I do want to try Gabro's map as I've read quite a bit about his work on the AF1 forums. A good friend of mine runs with OpenFlash tune on his 2017 RSV4 and that felt a bit more crisper part throttle than mine. End of the day, most aftermarket tunes base their work on top of the Aprilia RACE map and then fine tune the fuelling / ignition to get a bit more torque in the midrange / top end. The official RACE map is built on the safe side and is quite rich to begin with - because Aprilia intended to offer this to everyone irrespective of fuel quality / riding conditions. Aprilia will honour warranty if you run the official map while running track days.

7. Thoughts on the domino quick throttle?
Honest answer is, I'm not brave enough to try a quick throttle on a 200hp SBK yet Maybe once I become a bit more proficient with the power, I might try something on these lines.

[niranjanrvce]

Originally Posted by vignesh.cv

You could also try adding more foam to your race seat to help with the high stock footpegs. Fabricating a different aluminium plate makes sense than spending on a new set. More money saved for trackdays

I really like the race seat for the massive amount of feedback you get Happy with the rider triangle now after I raised the front. I also tried with rear raised to max height and the tip in was way too aggressive for my liking and I lowered it back to stock.

You seem to be running pretty good temps - are you using engine ice? I see 98C usually on road and stopping at lights makes it shoot to ~105C. Never noticed the temp on track but definitely runs cooler than on road.

[vignesh.cv]

Originally Posted by niranjanrvce

Happy with the rider triangle now after I raised the front. I also tried with rear raised to max height and the tip in was way too aggressive for my liking and I lowered it back to stock.

Cool 👍

Originally Posted by niranjanrvce

You seem to be running pretty good temps - are you using engine ice? I see 98C usually on road and stopping at lights makes it shoot to ~105C. Never noticed the temp on track but definitely runs cooler than on road.

Just running the regular coolant Niranjan. Yes, the air flow through the radiator isn’t sufficient when on road, unless riding highways. Most of the time, your fans won’t even kick in when on the track.

[greyanaroth]

Originally Posted by vignesh.cv

Thank you greyanaroth ! I agree, the pre 2021 models do look classy, but I feel the 2021 looks will grow on you over a period of time. Thank you for putting up a set of questions on the sensibilities of ownership.

I'm sure, like with everything. But 2017-2020 RSV4/tuono is, for me, perfect from an aesthetic standpoint. Reviews seem to suggest the 2021 bikes are absolute bangers, however, cheap plasticky build quality and slightly funny face notwithstanding.

Thanks so much for your lovely detailed answers. Niranjan has been helping ease my mind towards the Aprilia V4 platform and has been very patient with my endless queries for something I'm upgrading to probably a couple of years down the line (read: not just now no chance) , but it never hurts to gather some Intel and helps keep the motivation alive. I am always full of questions, this was the short version haha. Would love to pick your brain over coffee some day, perhaps. Always fun to geek out with these phenomenal machines.

Aprilia honoring the warranty if you stick with the Akra+Race Map setup is insane. Would love to hear your experience with the gabro vs aprilia race map on track, whenever you do decide to upgrade.

Have you tried different/shorter gearing for MMRT? Would it become too much to handle at that point perhaps?

Thanks once again! Have a lovely day.

[vignesh.cv]

Originally Posted by greyanaroth

I'm sure, like with everything. But 2017-2020 RSV4/tuono is, for me, perfect from an aesthetic standpoint. Reviews seem to suggest the 2021 bikes are absolute bangers, however, cheap plasticky build quality and slightly funny face notwithstanding.

Haha

Originally Posted by greyanaroth

Thanks so much for your lovely detailed answers. Niranjan has been helping ease my mind towards the Aprilia V4 platform and has been very patient with my endless queries for something I'm upgrading to probably a couple of years down the line (read: not just now no chance) , but it never hurts to gather some Intel and helps keep the motivation alive. I am always full of questions, this was the short version haha. Would love to pick your brain over coffee some day, perhaps. Always fun to geek out with these phenomenal machines.

Anytime, you are most welcome. The general consensus is the Aprilia V4 platform is easier to ride at limit (relatively speaking) out of the box vs. needing to do setup on the other platforms.

Originally Posted by greyanaroth

Aprilia honoring the warranty if you stick with the Akra+Race Map setup is insane. Would love to hear your experience with the gabro vs aprilia race map on track, whenever you do decide to upgrade.

The issue with Aprilia in general is that good dealers are scarce - not just in India, but in many other countries and that's what deters most people from jumping onto the platform. With regards to the Gabro map, sure, I'll let you know. From what I've read, most people say the part throttle fuelling (the feel of throttle) is a lot more smoother through the rev range with the added icing of bit more torque. Things have gotten a bit more convenient now. Gabro has tied up with UpMap, which allows one to purchase and flash the maps via their dongle and a smart phone - earlier, you had to purchase a pre-flashed ECU from them (or) send yours to be flashed and sent back.

Originally Posted by greyanaroth

Have you tried different/shorter gearing for MMRT? Would it become too much to handle at that point perhaps?

Gearing is something I've not touched yet. On the 600, the first thing I changed was the gearing as the gears were way too tall (coming from a Yamaha RXZ). I've gotten used to the RSV4's taller gearing, but yes, the Chennai and Coimbatore tracks need shorter gearing to make full use of the motor's potential.

Originally Posted by greyanaroth

Thanks once again! Have a lovely day.

You too

[no_fear]

Awesome thread and happy riding. Glad to see another Italian exotica lover. Very droolworthy pics and delighted to see that you went all the way in putting nice goodies on the bike.

Love the melotti racing triple clamp. Did you order it overseas or the Aprilia dealer helped you out.

[vignesh.cv]

Originally Posted by no_fear

Awesome thread and happy riding. Glad to see another Italian exotica lover. Very droolworthy pics and delighted to see that you went all the way in putting nice goodies on the bike.

Love the melotti racing triple clamp. Did you order it overseas or the Aprilia dealer helped you out.

Thank you no_fear ! You have an amazing collection of Italian bikes yourself and loved going through the MV thread of yours.

Someone was traveling to the US back then, so placed the order through hsbkracing and got it through them. Aprilia also offers their own slotted upper triple clamp which can be bought through the dealer. Also, I found out that for OE Aprilia parts, sourcing it through the dealer locally is a lot cheaper than sourcing it overseas.

[neil.jericho]

vignesh.cv, what an amazing thread with mind boggling attention to detail. I greatly enjoyed learning so much about the bike and the thought that has gone into your modifications.

I am pretty sure that I have some photos of your CBR from the Indi trackdays that I attended. The way that you handled that bike at Kari was sublime and an absolute treat to budding track riders like me. Hopefully I will be able to get back to the track this year or next, and feast my eyes on your Aprilia.

The footage of you and Shumi riding on track was fun as well. Do keep sharing footage from upcoming track days.

Finally, the name that you have chosen seems perfect. Every time I see the name of the thread, I think of the opening of the AC/DC classic Thunderstruck.

Thunderstruck

[vignesh.cv]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

vignesh.cv, what an amazing thread with mind boggling attention to detail. I greatly enjoyed learning so much about the bike and the thought that has gone into your modifications.

Thank you for the compliments Neil, glad to share my experiences.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I am pretty sure that I have some photos of your CBR from the Indi trackdays that I attended. The way that you handled that bike at Kari was sublime and an absolute treat to budding track riders like me. Hopefully I will be able to get back to the track this year or next, and feast my eyes on your Aprilia.

Thank you for the kind words, hope you are able to visit the track soon. There is most likely a L1 & Open coming up in November at Kari this year.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

The footage of you and Shumi riding on track was fun as well. Do keep sharing footage from upcoming track days.

Sure, will do.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Finally, the name that you have chosen seems perfect. Every time I see the name of the thread, I think of the opening of the AC/DC classic Thunderstruck.

Haha, thanks so much.

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by vignesh.cv

.

Thanks for sharing this wonderful thread. Gives us so much insight into what the RSV is all about. One question I wanted to ask is that if you always intended to only ride it on track then why get it registered? (Sorry if you’ve answered this elsewhere)

[vignesh.cv]

Originally Posted by quickdraw

Thanks for sharing this wonderful thread. Gives us so much insight into what the RSV is all about. One question I wanted to ask is that if you always intended to only ride it on track then why get it registered? (Sorry if you’ve answered this elsewhere)

Thank you quickdraw, your comment in the RSV4 launch thread is what reminded me to write this post 🙂

Why register - in the event that I’ll have to sell the bike, I cannot sell it without registration papers as there is no way to transfer ownership otherwise.

[doga]

Originally Posted by vignesh.cv

Thank you doga, and I envy you for having the opportunity to own and ride a Mille.

Originally Posted by krishnaprasadgg

Touche!
Doga, you owned one of the Mille models?! That's epic!
Would love to hear more about your ownership experience for sure!

Sorry for the criminally late reply. Life has not been allowing me any spare time over the past few months and pretty sure it's going to stay that way into the next year as well-too many things happening and I am not able to cope at all!
I did own an RSV Mille when I was in the UK and it really was an enjoyable experience owning/riding it. It was a Gen 1 Mille, 1999 metal tank single RHS can model. I bought it blind off an ebay auction as I just loved the black silver livery and I think the purchase turned out rather well given I hadn't seen it in person at all!
It did start on a somewhat bad note as it broke down the very first time I took it out for a ride. The overflow hoses were dumping petrol but I was riding it around town blissfully unaware of the mess the bike was leaving behind. I finally stopped after I was alerted by a car trailing me. That was the first time I had to call the AA there! I fixed it pretty easily as it was just due to Aprilia rubber hoses deteriorating with the ethanol mixed petrol over the years, was a pretty common problem and a quick swap with new petrol resistant hoses resolved it and thereafter I didn't have any issues with the bike barring the odd cold start issues, but can't blame a big Vtwin not starting on first attempt in the UK winter eh?
The mille 'only' had about 130 hp but it had gobbles of low down torque as with most Vtwins. The front wheel would lift easily in first 2 gears making you grin ear to year inside your helmet! It was pretty high tech back in the day when it was launched- imagine switchable maps in stock form via a simple eprom switch. The instrument cluster also showed much more than Jap bikes did in those days and-much like other Italian bikes-had superior components like Brembo discs and brake calipers. It also had a dry sump design which I think was to ensure adequate engine lubrication during wheelies
I do not really have to tell you much about the Vtwin roar at all do I? Suffice to say I enjoyed that sound a lot as a welcome change from the usual IL4 whine of my CBR and ZX10! It'd win no beauty contest, the Mille became pretty only when the gen2 RSVR came along, but as I said before, the bike really did have character, lots of it. I know this is very difficult to explain or quantify but I'd not say that about the CBR at all. May be it was the rattling clutch when stopped at stoplights or may be the racket it'd make on pinning the throttle or may be it was that amazing exhaust note.

Sadly my ownership did not end on a great note, but that's a story for another day. For now I'd leave you with some pictures and a video of my actual bike being advertised on youtube by the dealer I sold it to! Sorry Vignesh for spamming your thread with pictures but have tried not to go overboard!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUPrDvh_0qE&t=311s

Please note there are some alterations to the bike in the video from how it was in my ownership. The dealer swapped the can to a stock unit as my(aftermarket) can had some bruises and people are a sucker for stock may be! Also the top yoke is off a gen2 twin can RSVR. I am not sure why it was done, perhaps for aesthetic reasons.

[vignesh.cv]

Originally Posted by doga

Sorry for the criminally late reply. Life has not been allowing me any spare time over the past few months and pretty sure it's going to stay that way into the next year as well-too many things happening and I am not able to cope at all!

Sadly my ownership did not end on a great note, but that's a story for another day. For now I'd leave you with some pictures and a video of my actual bike being advertised on Youtube by the dealer I sold it to! Sorry Vignesh for spamming your thread with pictures but have tried not to go overboard!

That was a treat to the eyes Doga ! The bike looks mint for its vintage. Love the clean and original looks on the bike. I can only imagine the torque wave on this monster. Hope your situation settles down soon and you get back to enjoying life in general. And please don't be sorry, it was a wonderful addition