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Aprilia VS. Triumph VS. Suzuki reliability

10K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  bammerburn 
#1 ·
Alright guys (and gals), we all know how reliable the SV is when maintained properly. The purpose of this thread is to hopefully generate some comparison for those looking to step up to a larger/newer/more technically advanced bike. When I hear these two brand names I immediately think Speed Triple and Tuono.

So... if the situation is such that you were to do things on a bare bones budget, what would you go with? I realize that there are more Triumph dealers than Aprilia, and that may affect parts availability. Any other factors?
 
#2 ·
Are you looking to buy used? Leftover '09 Tuonos can be found for under $8K, but maybe not in your area. I know some Aprilia owners who say their bikes are very reliable. I've also heard that getting parts can take some time. Actual owners would have to chime in. Depends how long you intend to keep the bike. If nothing goes wrong with either than it's a moot point which is better. Bare bones budget doesn't really go with either brand, but my 14yr old Daytona shows no signs of causing me any problems. However, my bike only has 10K miles. I really like the Tuono, but I would personally swing to the Triumph. Many more used examples to choose from. If there were any problems with the Speed, previous owners would have dealt with the issues. Triumph owners like BMW owners are a bit ocd when it comes to maintenance. It really boils down to whether you want to stay with a Vtwin or change to a triple. I know the change in suspension in '11 for the Speed seems to be significant for those who have owned earlier models. There's also the differences in ergos to consider between the two bikes as well. Two hooligans for sure.
 
#3 ·
Almost 15,000 miles on my Street Triple, it's been rock-solid reliable. Via forum polls, there was about a 25% failure rate (forum polls, take it for what they are worth) of the old-style SCR R/R's Triumph was using on the 675 engine. They've switched over to Mosfet R/R's sometime in 2010, and that problem went away. Triumph typically replaces the R/R when out of warranty, but as preventive maintenance I replaced mine on my own to avoid being stranded out in BFE on a Sunday afternoon.
I think dealerships have a tremendous amount to do with a bike's reliability/ownership satisfaction. Some are excellent and enjoy taking care of their customers and others don't care once they got their money. You'll find that with any brand out there.
 
#4 ·
I had on '07 Daytona 675. It never let me down mechanically. I had no R/R issues. The bike is one of few that is truly track ready from the showroom, with braided brake lines, a decent stock suspension and steering damper, and great drive out of corners with little or no engine mods. I performed my own maintenance, but the local dealer would not have gouged me. When i put it down on the track, used parts(stator cover, brake res mount, front subframe) were not readily available, even on eBay. OEM parts took a little while to get from Bikebandit, 2-3 weeks last July. Aftermarket parts were much quicker, but all in all an expensive bike to lay down compared to the SV. I let it go last fall, and I miss it, but I don't have the $$$$ to risk on a bike like that this season. If i bought another, I would invest in the best crash protection possible.
 
#5 ·
So... if the situation is such that you were to do things on a bare bones budget, what would you go with? I realize that there are more Triumph dealers than Aprilia, and that may affect parts availability. Any other factors?
On a bare-bones budget:
--for a used bike, the condition of the individual bike overrides all other considerations,
--for a new bike, it's the reputation and location of the nearest dealership,
--for any bike, it's how much you enjoy it and how you treat it!
 
#7 ·
No input on the triumph, but having grenaded and lemon-lawed an aprilia dorsoduro, I'll stick to bikes that have a dealer network and a rep for reliability.
The aprilia dealer network in the US is shoddy at best. Parts take months to arrive, dealers usually only carry aprilia as a side-line, and the bikes just aren't that reliable.
If going aprilia, make sure you have a VERY good dealer available (like AF1). The ones by me sucksucksucksuck


Get an aprilia if you want to pay full price to look awesome for a few months and then not have a working bike.
 
#9 ·
Yes, according to many owners, if you keep up with the maintenance, it will last a very long time. Plus, it is fairly simple to work on, parts almost fall from the sky, we have a pay it forward section here for parts, I doubt there is one for Aprilia in any other forum, and they're pretty cheap too.

The SV is one awesome bike. So sad they don't produce it anymore.
 
#14 ·
Yeah, this was one of the factors that led me to sticking with Suzuki's rather than jumping for a Tuono. There aren't many Aprilia's around, and the paucity of dealerships for Aprilia's is not good. I'm thinking that if you want an Aprilia, you gotta have good money and a proper dealership in town.

SVs are everywhere.
 
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