NI Biker - Aprilia SLV 1000 Falco Review

Reviewed 2000 \| By: Gary English \| Dealer: East End \| Demonstrator
SLV 1000 Falco
On 12th February 2000 I took a loan of East End Motorcycles' SLV1000 Falco demonstrator for the day. The morning started real cold with wet roads from the previous night but thankfully no more rain was falling at the time. I parked my bike outside and went in for the keys. I was real keen to see what a twin was like compared to a big four cylinder. The last twin I had was an ex cop BMW R80RT and I know that was far from the sports bike I was about to experience. The name Falco was familiar in my mind but I couldn. t remember where from. It finally dawned on me that a mid 80s record "Rock Me Amadeus" was performed by a German group called Falco. I just hoped this Falco didn't prove as boring as the record it's namesake produced. Every picture I had seen of the bike made it look a really attractive machine. In the flesh, so to speak, it looked even more stylish. Only the Italians could design such a great looking bike. The black one in the showroom was brand new and sparkled in all its glory. The demonstrator was a bright red machine and it had a light coating of road grime on it. It was going to be caked in the stuff when I returned it, but that's a different story... The mechanic wheeled the bike from the shop and gave me a short run down on all the features. He emphasised how much respect this machine needed on the wet roads. He said that in any of the first three gears the bike wanted to throw the back wheel in line with the front. I threw my leg over the bike and was surprised to find the riding position very similar to my pop's 97 blade. The instruments were LCD, apart from the rev counter which did a full sweep round when you turned the ignition on. Looking down over the bike it was so narrow compared to my Honda Blackbird. As I pulled away with the mechanic watching I stalled the bugger. The last twin I rode was a Honda Varadero and it pulled away from tick-over, but the Falco took a few revs on it to get it off the mark. I took it down the Newtownards Road towards the M3 Bridge. When I took off from the lights just before the bridge the front wheel rose under acceleration and I had to shut the throttle as the left-hand turn is just upon you as you cross the junction.
	This was to be more a sports bike rather than the sports tourer it is usually classed as. The roads were still wet at this time but the Falco seemed to remain sure footed and appeared to be more trustworthy in the wet than my Blackbird. The bike was equally sure-footed on dry roads, but I was not it riding to the limits. It would take some explaining if you dropped the bike on a test ride!
The performance was ample for the roads in Northern Ireland with a reported 155mph plus on tap. I took in all sorts of roads on my test and as the roads dried I was able to throw the bike about a little. I found it to be quite high geared and found myself changing up and down the box more than my Honda. This wasn. t a bad thing for a bike that I would class as a sportster. The real power in the bike comes on after about 6000 rpm right up to the light starts flashing around 9500 / 10000 rpm and then onto the rev limiter. The fairing on the bike did a sterling job of keeping windblast of me. The top speed I had the Falco at was 125mph and even then a slight dip of the head took most of the neck straining away with no buffeting. That is no mean feat as I weigh in around 18stone. The riding position, being similar to the '97 blade, was surprisingly comfortable and after my several hours in the saddle I was as relaxed as I started. The note of the bike was stifled by the exhausts. The gases can be heard reverberating in the cans as you power the bike on. If it was not for legislation I am sure the sound would be awesome, but then again, for most bikers a new set of pipes would be on the shopping list. The more "playful" rider would have great fun, as in first and second gears the Falco was so easy to put the front wheel in the air. The brakes we good too and were progressive in their feel. I know having linked brakes on the Blackbird can be a criticism but I only think it matters in extreme riding circumstances. I am not the rider to put the bird or the Falco through that sort of abuse, but suffice to say the brakes on the Falco were up to the reasonably swift riding I would do. To sum up I find the Falco a great bike, offering great performance and Italian style. The price isn't too extreme either, at Ł7750 on the road it has to be good value for someone looking to get away from cloned Jap bikes. I personally prefer the four cylinder set up rather than the V twin, but after riding a Falco for few weeks my mind could possibly change. If I had to find a fault in the Falco it would be minor. The lever for kicking down the side stand is right underneath the gear lever linkage. I knocked the bike into first gear several times on the day when I had stopped and tried to kick down the stand, but as I say, a minor complaint. I returned the bike to Liz at East End Motorcycles. I had thoroughly enjoyed my outing despite how cold it was. I have to be thankful for a dry day and even dry roads near the end of the test. There was no high-pressure sales pitch on handing back the keys, just a little enquiry of how I enjoyed my run. I hopped back onto my Blackbird and it really showed the Falco to be a more focused bike as the bird felt like an armchair in comparison, but a fast armchair at that. The demonstrator can be booked for test rides from either John of Liz at East End Motorcycles, I can recommend it. Thanks to East End Motorcycles and Aprilia UK. Gary English gary.english@ntlworld.com
Check out Aprilias website - see the Falco for yourself.
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