I'll
have to admit when Kit decided she wanted the Aprilia I was
skeptical. After all, we were shopping for motorcycles and this
thing is a scooter. Images of Vespa-riding art teachers at Laguna
Beach come to mind, not cruising the backroads of Greater America.
Still, if this is what she feels comfortable riding then who
am I to sneer. Of course the problem is we have to get it from
the dealership to our home, a distance of approximately 20 miles,
and Kit insists that I ride it there. Me, ride a scooter! Good
hubby that I am, I finally agree to do it, but don't expect
me to actually enjoy the experience. Um, guys? I... er... was
wrong.
First
of all, the Aprilia is a scooter in that it has the 'girl bike'
look we associate with scooters, and an automatic transmission.
The brakes levers are handlebar mounted - no foot brake. It
also has a 500cc motor, and no, I didn't mistakenly add a zero
in the displacement number. 500 (five hundred) cubic centimeters
displacement. This ain't no Vespa! On the way home from the
dealership I left Kit behind in her Pontiac Vibe several times,
and it handled curves on winding country lanes with ease. I'm
not a very experienced rider yet and was taking it fairly easy,
obeying speed limits and such, but even so the Aprilia is as
responsive and maneuverable as I could ask for. It is also...
um... er... ahem... fun! (whew, there, I said it)
The
Atlantic is a large scooter, larger and heavier than my Suzuki
LS650. Aprilia refers to it as a 'maxi-scooter'.
The body work is impressive: Full aerodynamic fairing, wrap-around
windshield, enough storage space (with cargo light) under the
ergonomic seats for two helmets and your lunch. A smaller storage
compartment below the instrument panel has a 12v charging socket.
Speaking of instrumentation, it has speedo, tach, feul gauge,
engine temp gauge, trip odometer and an onboard computer system
that gives you gas consumption, miles to next service, max velocity
achieved, average speed/trip, ambient temperature, clock, engine
diagnostics... did I miss anything?
Safety
features are also impressive. They include integrated braking,
front disk and double rear disk brakes, triple halogen headlamp,
reflectors and lights all over the place, and a feul shut-off
thingy that activates if the bike drops.
It
was nice enough, apparently, that I still got the 'wave' from
passing motorcyclists. I even forgot to shout out in passing,
"It's my wife's!"
Check
one out for yourself, you'll be pleasantly surprised!
John
Rider
Review: 2002 Aprilia Atlantic 500