Picture Purr-fect

There has been quite a few e-mails on a daily basis with regards to the news that Silver may be on the market; and instead of answering you with just words and words alone, lets have the pictures do the talking.

1) Can I bring a pillion rider along if I get your Aprilia RS125 Tuono?

Sexy back.

Pillion seat nicely-designed into the rear fairing.

Almost hidden, but it's there alright.

Not just a pillion seat, but an aerodynamic hump as well.

2) I understand that the Tuono uses real superbike tires, which contribute to its razor-like handling, instead of the skinny moped-like tires used by the Japanese, Korean and Chinese bikes. Are the tires on your bike due for change already?

Pretty new with rubber hairs still evident.

Pretty new with rubber hairs still evident.

 3) Italian rides were well-known to have issues with electrical wirings, essentially needing massive and expensive works to be set right once and for all. The Aprilia Tuono has lots of electical toys and settings- do they work as should be?

Rear light on.

Low beam on.

High beam on.

 

Speedometer and RPM meters, Temperature gauge, Clock, Lap timer, Signals, Neutral gear indicator, everything works.

4) How is the paintwork on your Tuono- still good?

Picture purr-fect!

All in all, a great bike waiting to be ridden hard!

Aprilia RS125 Tuono Original Colour Scheme

 

I was asked by a forummer if Silver was having its original factory colour scheme, and to that, I could confirm with a resounding "Yes". From the Net, we could see that the factory colour schemes were as per the following :

1) Silver;

 2) Red;

3) Black;

There are of course, custom colours like white, orange, etc or with different headlights; but these were from the creativity and likings of the owners themselves. The last two pictures were from Tuono 1000 Version R.

4/7/2013 : 2 Units of Aprilia RS125 for Sale

I received an e-mail from a fellow reader that the Aprilia RS125 seems to be trading pretty well in the secondary market these days. He highlighted that there were 2 Aprilia that were advertised today- and one of them was a "Tuono".

Naturally, I was surprised that there was another Aprilia RS125 Tuono as the PO had informed me that there was only one to the best of his knowledge, and that when it was brought in, they had to register and declare the bike as RS125 as there was no RS125 Tuono in the customs database then.

I went to Mudah and saw the 2 adverts that the fellow reader meant, as per the following :

Both bikes were from 1996 and were actual RS125 machines, although the "Tuono" one had been converted by its owner. It didn't looked like my actual Tuono though, IMHO.

But yeah, getting and running these 2-stroke Rotax engines could be quite addictive.

There was another advert that was running for a week or so, for a project RS125 minus its engine and part of its fairings, for RM4,500.  I thought that it would be on the market for quite a while given its condition; but apparently, it had since been purchased for. Wow.

E-mail : Offer to Purchase My Aprilia Tuono + Trade-in Aprilia RS125

I have received a few offers with regards to my Tuono from last night to this afternoon, with offers ranging from RM8k - RM11k. Some offered instalment payments, some offered swapping bikes, etc but this e-mail especially got my attention.

I have omitted the chap's surname and specific particulars to protect his privacy; but essentially his offer for my Tuono was RM10k and his RS125 that needed to be restored. He had spent RM2k on repairs but it was still not in road-worthy condition, and a subsequent telecon with him revealed that his mechanic has been ordering and swapping parts, and modifying Jap parts too for the RS125. I believe the problem with his bike was mostly due to an inexperienced mechanic rather than the bike itself.

It was a tempting offer and he has informed me over the phone that he liked to view the Tuono over the weekend, Hmmm... should I or should I not?

28/6/2013 : What a hoot to ride!

 
During a stint overseas for more than a week, I sent Silver to my resident Aprilia specialist to tweak the bike further and to pursue more preventive maintenance works. During that week, Silver had its wiring works re-examined and the LED indicators fully-integrated with the main wiring harness (looked better that way), carburetor cleaned, tank dismantled and cleaned too (to check for rust), etc.

When I went to pick her up, there was another bill amounting to RM1,920 waiting for me. But it was monies worth spending as Silver was as performing as good as new; and I believed could be the best Rotax 125 cc engine in the market right now.

I have been wanting to take her out for a ride but the haze was not conducive for one's health, so I have been keeping a look-out for a clear day. And voila, the day came a-reckoning this morning and I quickly donned on my leather riding jacket, and rode to work today.

And... Silver performed beautifully around the corners and on the highway. I'll leave the top speed out from black and while, less that PDRM comes for a chit-chat; but for a nice, lil' 2-stroker, it was giving maximum bang-for-buck and the smile-o-meter was on a high.

If I have to complained, it'll be that I felt riding my Ninja 650R to be more stable during higher triple-digit speeds compared to the RS125 Tuono; but then again, the former was so much heavier with a 650 cc engine capacity. The Tuono was an excellent hoot to ride around town- being so nimble and fast, and on the highway, the top speed was excellent for its rev-happy engine.

I'm now anticipating the long ride home- it should be fun!

Wallpaper : Aprilia RS Tuono, one & only in Malaysia

Enjoy some latest pictures fresh from the oven, dear readers...