New model introductions take many forms, and assume various scales of size and complexity, ranging anywhere from “We changed the paint and, uh, the seat cover texture. When can you come pick it up?” to “This baby is new from the ground up, nothing from last year was used. We have a platoon of technicians to brief you on the molecular density of the windscreen screws while we change the tires and feed you food and drink before you go back out onto the Daytona banking.” This Aprilia intro was closer to the latter, but not too close.
While the introduction of the 2004 Mille 1000cc V-Twin sportbikes, the ‘R’ and ‘Factory’, did not involve smoke, mirrors and umbrella girls, it did include a night at the Luxor Hotel in Vegas, with a chauffeured ride to Pahrump Raceway (Spring Mountain Motorsports Park) where we would thrash… uh, ride the new Aprilia flagships. The driver of the Pahrump Express and overall event coordinator was none other than Robert Pandya, Aprilia USA’s public relations guy.
After about an hour ride on Highway 160, the Pahrump track doesn’t exactly spring into view. Kind of like Area 51, you have to know it’s there, or you’ll likely drive right by. Unlike Area 51, you won’t be ‘cuffed and stuffed’ by large, humorless MPs when you venture onto the property. 2.2 miles in length and ten turns, it is a technical course that will keep you on your toes. All manner of corners are found here. Decreasing radius, constant-radius, off-camber, double-apex, elevation changes with blind rises, fast esses that you can’t quite run straight through, it’s all here.
Straight-aways between turns seven and eight, and ten and one, won’t have any Brainerd regulars looking twice, but they’re long enough to feel how well a bike can get through the gears. It is a good track to test the many virtues (and vices) of both rider and machine. Throw in August heat that pushes the mercury into the triple digits by noon, and you have a class-A torture test. Aprilia’s air-conditioned trailer would be a chilled sanctuary in-between track sessions.
Technical specifications of this model were covered in detail here at the end of July, so I’ll only touch on the specifics when appropriate.
Clearly, the bike is significantly changed, and on hand to explain the technical differences was Richard Cliatt, Aprilia USA’s technical and warrantee manager and Aaron Clark, the 2000 Aprilia Cup Challenge Champion, who was there to help with suspension setup, and to make us feel slow.
The model designations have changed. The ‘R’ model is now the ‘standard’ version, while the ‘Factory’ model gets dressed up with the suspension goodies from Ohlins, Ohlins steering damper, OZ forged aluminum wheels and radial mount Brembo brakes.
The most obvious clue that this is not a warmed-over ’03 Mille, is the bodywork. The large rounded lines of the ’03 have shrunk and become more angular, giving the ’04 model a smaller profile from any angle, creating a very sleek look. The front turn signals have been incorporated into the rear view mirrors, giving the engine one less thing to push through the air. Although the windscreen is lower, there is more room between the seat and gas tank, allowing the rider to more easily tuck in. Aerodynamics showed a marginal improvement, according to Aprilia.
The smaller, more compact appearance of the motorcycle had me thinking that the ergonomics had become more compact as well. Not so. Switching between the ’03 and ’04 models revealed a very similar feel, but the ’04 makes the rider feel they are sitting ‘in’ the bike, rather than ‘on’ it, and you no longer feel a long way from the ground. Indeed, the new Mille sits a full inch lower, and touching the ground for me is no longer a choice of planting the left or right foot. Looking down at the instruments, you see that Aprilia has given them an overdue update in their style and layout. Much better looking while all the info is easily referenced and the handy lap timer function remains.
A warm-up on Aprilia Tuonos for the first session got everyone pointed in the right direction and settled in to the course’s rhythm prior to piloting the only collection of ’04 Milles present in the country. The overpowering message in all of this was, “Don’t crash”. My sessions alternated between the ‘R’ and the Factory model, with a couple sessions on the ’03 version for comparison.
What became immediately apparent was the 04’s tight, compact feel. I didn’t feel like I was aboard such a large motorcycle. Frontal area is much smaller and lower and while you’re concentrating on the track ahead, the bike nearly disappears from view. Steering feel from the front end was very good, feeling light, but stable and planted while tolerating my many mid-corner corrections as I continued to search for the correct line around the track. Of particular note for me is the bike’s front-end behavior on the brakes. Hanging onto the brake lever all the way to the apex, the bikes didn’t try to run wide and as I eased off the binders, the bike didn’t want to fall in.
I had noticed the bike had a tendency to run wide under acceleration out of the corners, and to address this, Aaron Clark raised the forks in the clamps one index line, or about 4mm. This change cured the tendency completely.
Aprilia says the frame is 5% stiffer in torsional (twisting) resistance compared to last year’s frame, while being 600 grams lighter. Another of Aprilia’s goals was to achieve better mass centralization. This added stiffness and better weight placement manifests itself while transitioning from knee slider to knee slider, as there is no extra movement from the bike, and less time waiting for it to achieve the desired lean angle and settle. These qualities are as accessible and useful on the street as they are on the track. What is not so useful, is the side stand touching down early, even on the street compound tires. Lean far enough, and the dreaded front end tuck will have rider and bike separated in a most unpleasant way. This situation could be solved either by raising the rear ride height (Factory model only) and lowering the fork tubes in the clamps, or by removing a bit of metal where the side stand and side stand mount meet, allowing the stand to tuck up farther out of the way. The latter is the more practical solution, allowing the bike to retain its lower seat height, and RSV – R model owners won’t have to go out to buy a ride height adjustable shock. Try as I might, I didn’t touch the side stand of the ’03 model on hand.
The heart of the bike, the 997.62cc engine, has received many updates. From top to bottom, very little was left untouched. All told, Aprilia have worked hard to create an engine that is both stronger and more reliable. A new ECU takes in data from no less than 15 sensors . . . ranging from air-intake pressure, to side-stand position, and engine data is updated every 10 degrees of crankshaft rotation, vs. the ’03’s 60 degrees. This helps the engine to not only make more power, but also to meet the EC Euro2 emissions standards as well. Aprilia have also adopted a CAN line (Control area Network), like Ducati, which drastically reduces the bulk of the wiring harness, and uses the instrument panel as a diagnostic terminal. Larger throttle bodies, coupled to an RC51-like ram air system, feed the engine. The exhaust system is all new as well, using experience from Aprilia’s days in WSB competition, and differences can be seen in the pictures.
Differences in feel between the old and new engines were noticeable, with the new engine seemingly freer revving and stronger on top, with the ’03 engine feeling a little stronger in the midrange. Throttle response was very good, lacking the snatchiness of some F.I. systems I’ve sampled in the past. The only glitch I could pick out was a hesitation at the 5000-6000 rpm range. At this point, there seemed a lag, or hesitation, which could be the point at which the flapper door in the ram air system opens. Above or below this rpm range, however, response was very smooth and direct. At the end of Pahrump’s back straight I was seeing an indicated 136 mph on the ’04 bike, while the ’03 model reached an indicated 127 mph. Part of this can be attributed to the stronger engine, but the improved chassis must also be included in the credits.
Aprilia’s pneumatically controlled clutch contributed to smooth corner entries, allowing just enough slip on deceleration to keep the rear wheel from hopping after quick downshifts just before corner entry. It’s a simple, yet effective system. The transmission shifted positively, if a little stiff, but to be fair, the bikes had less than 100 miles on them when we started.
The suspension of the ‘R’ model worked very well, and if it weren’t for the Ohlins suspenders of the Factory model, you wouldn’t be left wanting more. The Ohlins hardware simply erases the bumps, but manages to keep the rider well informed of what’s going on at the tire and pavement meeting. The Sachs/Showa combination of the R is excellent, but it lacks that quality of function that has made Ohlins so desirable. The same goes for the brakes. The standard mount, Brembo four-pad binders of the R model are very strong and provide lots of feel, and they’re all you’d want – as long as you don’t sample the exemplary feel and power of the radial mount Brembo calipers of the Factory model.
Having the forged aluminum wheels from OZ on the Factory model doesn’t hurt suspension action, either. There is less unsprung weight, to the tune of 25% per wheel. This means that any action to speed up, slow down, or change direction of the bike happens easier and more quickly and that the suspension does not have to work as hard to keep the tires (Michelin Pilot Sport on the ‘R’ and Pirelli Diablo Corsa on the Factory) in good standing with the pavement.
The performance of these premium bits in suspension, wheels and brakes come at a price, however, and if affordability is an issue, don’t feel as though you’re missing out (much) if Ohlins, OZ and top shelf Brembos don’t adorn your Aprilia.
At the end of the day, I came away very impressed with the new Mille’s performance. Faster, more composed, and most importantly, easier for the rider to use. I wasn’t sore anywhere despite completing in the neighborhood of 250 track miles, and was only tired because of the triple digit heat. The new bike is an improvement in every facet of performance. How it looks is up to the individual, but I really like the new look. If I owned an earlier model Mille and got a chance to ride one of these, I’d be calling the bank before the instrument lights on the new bike went dim. But that’s just me. A rider or two at the intro, who happen to own Milles currently, weren’t completely sold on the new bike, preferring the more significant presence, and feel of the older bike. To each their own.
