Pretty Amazing Deals at Moto International

[MisterSmooth]

Moto International has new early '07 Tuonos for $9,000 and new, late '07 Tuonos for $10,000.

Holy Cow, that's stupid money.  It's filet mignon for the price of pig's feet.  

I'm tired of having the only damn Tuono on the road in Seattle.  Step up, people!





Note:  I have no interest in MI other than as a customer.  Personally I think that it's a great shop, but have no financial interest in the shop whatsoever.

[greench440]

What is the difference between the early and late 07?  Do the early ones have the gas ejection port on the tail?  

[highside]

ARRRGGGGG Oh for God's sake, I just bought a new bike six months ago.  

I like my new bike, but the Tuono is one of my dream bikes that I've have always lusted after, especially the '07, and thats a price I could have swung.  

[veefer800canuck]

What is the difference between the early and late 07?  Do the early ones have the gas ejection port on the tail?  

No, but they do have an improved Flux Capacitor.  

[garry]

What is the difference between the early and late 07?

Actually, Aprilia tries their damnedest to confuse the US market. The European 2007 spec bike is called a 2007.5 in the states. The US 2007 model is the same spec as the Euro 2006. The 7.5 gets a slightly higher spec motor (139 HP vs 133?) but people say they feel the same. Different color choices too. I particularly liked the 7.5 Dream Blue option because it was less of Crayola train wreck since it kinda matched the blue wheels.

[RexRider]

Hmm...  A new RSV1k Factory...    And my ZRX is 4 years old now...  Of course, the wife would have my danglies in a vice for even thinking about buying a new bike yet.  >sigh<  

[bizarro]

ARRRGGGGG Oh for God's sake, I just bought a new bike six months ago.  

I like my new bike, but the Tuono is one of my dream bikes that I've have always lusted after, especially the '07, and thats a price I could have swung.  

What do you ride anyway?  

[Mookie]

I'm looking for a previous generation Tuono Factory (I guess that's 04-06?).  If anyone knows where I can find one for the same price as a new '07 let me know.

Otherwise I'm getting the new version.  I guess I've decided on my next bike  

[bizarro]

You'd better get your landlord to put another anchor point in the concrete in your garage and lock it up every night.  

[Mookie]

Yeah well, it's not like I can just live without a decent bike    I figure whatever my next bike is, it's going to have one of those alarms with the pager thing on it.  And I'll actually try and use my lock every day  

I have always detested car alarms, but I really don't have any more options

[highside]

What do you ride anyway?  

SV650, infinitely practical, wonderful value, and really does everything I need quite well. It is severely lacking in the style and visceral pleasure departments though. I'm pleased with the bike overall, but not quite so much that it has cured my lustful eye for other machines.

Yeah well, it's not like I can just live without a decent bike    I figure whatever my next bike is, it's going to have one of those alarms with the pager thing on it.  And I'll actually try and use my lock every day  

I have always detested car alarms, but I really don't have any more options

It occurs to me that I could probably afford a salvage recovery Tuono right now, so I encourage you to buy one, and reconsider the immense expense of a high end alarm.  

[bizarro]

SV650, infinitely practical, wonderful value, and really does everything I need quite well. It is severely lacking in the style and visceral pleasure departments though. I'm pleased with the bike overall, but not quite so much that it has cured my lustful eye for other machines.

I actually thought about looking for a used SV before I found the Goose. It's a great bike.  

It occurs to me that I could probably afford a salvage recovery Tuono right now, so I encourage you to buy one, and reconsider the immense expense of a high end alarm.  

That ain't right!

[Mookie]

It occurs to me that I could probably afford a salvage recovery Tuono right now, so I encourage you to buy one, and reconsider the immense expense of a high end alarm.  

LOL.  You would probably steal it, total it, then buy it back off me as a favor  

[highside]

I actually thought about looking for a used SV before I found the Goose. It's a great bike.  

I'm actually understating it's qualities quite a bit, simply because the Tuono is such an awesome machine. Really, the SV has a suprising amount of character despite it's "budget" status and commonality. It's also universally supported by almost every aftermarket manufacture in the world, so one can make it "yours" very easily and have a bike that is perfectly tailored to your exact needs, and it then stops being "just another SV". I guess its kinda like marrying a very kind and sturdy type of woman. You will be happy but those tall dark Italian girls are always going to be quite distracting.  

I've had bikes with "character" before, and while it is nice to have a really distinctly unique machine, one does get tired of having to improvise just about everything from luggage to maintenance.

LOL.  You would probably steal it, total it, then buy it back off me as a favor  

I am sympathetic to your plight, it sucks to get things stolen, and I've lived in some crap neighborhoods too. Really, don't let it keep you from owning cool shit, but yeah lock it up every night.

[MisterSmooth]

What is the difference between the early and late 07?  Do the early ones have the gas ejection port on the tail?  

Now that's an inside joke.  I got it, though, and if I was clever I'd have some snappy comeback.  

[MisterSmooth]

I'm looking for a previous generation Tuono Factory (I guess that's 04-06?).  If anyone knows where I can find one for the same price as a new '07 let me know.

Otherwise I'm getting the new version.  I guess I've decided on my next bike  

Weeeeeeeeellllllllll, now, Jake, you're in luck I suppose because Moto International has one of these.

2005 Tuono Factory demo bike with full factory warranty for $10,999.  Ohlins, OZ, blah blah freakin' blah.

Gotta say, though, if it was me I'd get the matte black '07 for nine grand and get some nice Akropovic cans for it, activate Map II on the FI and you'd be money ahead.  

[greench440]

Now that's an inside joke.  I got it, though, and if I was clever I'd have some snappy comeback.  

[Mr Sunshine]

I just found out tonight why those bikes are great deals.  Nothing wrong with the bike...just something interesting.

[Mookie]

and it is....

[bizarro]

?????

[RexRider]

What does he know, and when did he know it?  

[keystonejenks]

I just found out tonight why those bikes are great deals.  Nothing wrong with the bike...just something interesting.

 

[bizarro]

 

[RexRider]

What's with Mr. Sunnyshiny being all coy and stuff?    Is it supposed to be cute?  Aprilia's arent' cute, dammit!  They're supposed to be badass, so spit it out, already!  

[keystonejenks]

Still waiting.

[Dano]

I just found out tonight why those bikes are great deals.  Nothing wrong with the bike...just something interesting.

Yeah,  what's with the nee-ner, nee-ner  response.     Well at least you didn't end with:

 "how do you keep a @#$%# in suspense..


So what gives???  I'm in suspense..

[Mookie]

I think they just picked them up from some other dealer somewhere.  Maybe they are haunted.  As it is, no one is allowed to buy a motorcycle until after I pick out mine  

[CoolWhip]

Any "amazing deals" on this...

[Mookie]

Yep.  12 grand gets you one.  

[MisterSmooth]

I know someone on this board who built himself a killer deal on some Italian exotica at Moto I.


Let's just call him "ejh", shall we?


But will he post us up some pics???  Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

[Mookie]

Did he just steal the blue one I wanted?    

[greench440]

Cash talks, air walks....

[MisterSmooth]

Did he just steal the blue one I wanted?    

No, and he didn't steal the black one with all the carbon fiber that you wanted, either.  Although I'm surprised that bike is still in the shop.

[greench440]

I thought I saw a "SOLD" tag on it

Did ejh get another aprillia?  Spill the beans man.

[MisterSmooth]

Well, the beans are really his to spill.

But I know his new bike is gray-silver, has high-end suspenders, goes really fast, and might be the only absolutely new one left in the world.  Certainly the only new one left in the US.  

And a silly price.  He's going to be smiling for a while.  

[kevrider]

I'm tired of having the only damn Tuono on the road in Seattle.

  wow, that's probably the oddest sentiment i've read here.  i wish i had the only VFR in atlanta.    though i seldom see another.......

[garry]

I just found a similar deal on a 7.5 Tuono. Even though my Tuono demo ride left me un-impressed, I'm very tempted.

I wonder if 2008 (or 8.5s argh) are going to come with Ohlins forks like the standard RSV does now and Aprilia is offering dealer incentives to move old stock?

[fxrbill]

My local dealer Big Twin has an 07 RSV1000R Factory with 1500 miles for$12,000.I am 54 with no tickets or accidents 37 years with MC license and my insurance quotes ranged from $5700 to $3100 per year.Too rich for me even though I can afford the bike.

[bizarro]

That's fucking outrageous.

[MisterSmooth]

So, at lunchtime last Wednesday it was 45 degrees and cloudy in Seattle.  I didn't realize it but this was the one break in the weather that day appropriate for riding motorcycles.

And what a bike was going to be mine to ride.  It was perfect weather for investigating the top end and for hoisting a few righteous monos on someone else's new Tuono Factory.

One of the guys on the Aprilia forum asked me to take a test ride (oh twist my arm, OK, OK) on this bike and make sure it was for real.





I'd forgotten just how many pieces of these bikes are carbon fiber.  CF front fender, all the little gubbin covers (and there are a lot of various gubbins hanging off of a Tuono), rear hugger, the entire tail section, heel guards, dashboard eyebrow, pistons, tires, you name it.

OK, maybe not the tires, and probably not the pistons although you can't see 'em, so who knows?



Moto International, the mecca for all things Aprilia in Seattle.

I wandered up to Dave Richardson, the owner of MI.  "I'm representing a guy named Jackson,"  I said suavely.  "It's about the 2005 Tuono Factory."

"Too bad,"  he says.  "It's already spoken for.  Just today a guy in LA called me, we talked it over and the check's in the mail.  Seemed like a good fit for the bike, too."  Translation:  Another fucking hooligan, I figured.

It took some fast talking on my part but I convinced him that his guy Bill and my guy Jackson were the same guy.  So I hope it's true.

Here's a picture of Dave.



He's actually a hell of a guy; he's like the Yoda of Moto Guzzi.  He always acts like he has all day.

He's also your local Aprilia pusher.  "The first ride's free,"  he told me.  "All the other kids are doing it."

Next thing you know I've got a garage full of moto-bling and a credit card full of things that are hard to explain to my wife.  "Honey, what's a rear-set?  Whatever it is, it sure is expensive!"  But that's another story.

Anyhow, all my fantasies of giving BRB's bike a complete wet sweaty thrash were abridged as I pulled out of the MI lot, made a right turn onto Aurora and felt the brand new tires squirm sideways over the damp pavement.  Oh, yeah, actually dropping Bill's bike would be a major party foul.  Did I mention that the tires were new?  Check this out.




The bike had one mile on it.  I've bought six new bikes but none of them has had an odometer reading that low.  I think my R1 had 7 miles on it at point of sale (where do you suppose it went?).  Anyhow this bike was--and is--truly new.




And there's nothing like the small of a new bike gently offgassing that initial coating of protective waxes and oils.  That's aromatherapy that gives me wood every time.



What is there to say about riding the bike?  Well, I rode it like my grandmother would, if she was into motorcycles, so I really can't say.  I did give the brakes a pretty good tug on some dry pavement.  They're more than adequate.  I did wind it on with authority (again, on dry pavement) and it thunders forward like a bull.   A really, really, fast bull.

I know that many on the Aprilia board dis the huge Aprilia racing can that came stock on the R and Factory versions, but I gotta say that this bike sounds great.  My 2007 Tuono has sort of a hard metallic impact to its exhaust like there's a team of devils jackhammering on a stainless steel wall.  This 2005 sounds like you're on the second floor and there's one big devil in the basement beating the inside of an oil drum with a wooden mallet.

So this bike went off to my man Bill in L.A. and fortunately I didn't drop it.

[keystonejenks]

They still had a NEW 2005??? WOW, I bet he got a hell of a deal!  

[MisterSmooth]

They still had a NEW 2005??? WOW, I bet he got a hell of a deal!  

Yeah, it was sitting in a warehouse in Idaho for two years.  I don't think the price is a secret; the bike was $18,000 new and he paid a little less than $11,000.

Figure that's less than a new Japanese literbike--for a bike with the stonkin' presence of the Tuono.  Not to mention Ohlins suspension and steering damper, OZ wheels, and so much carbon fiber that if it wasn't for the weight of the motor the bike would just float away.  

[keystonejenks]

Yeah, it was sitting in a warehouse in Idaho for two years.  I don't think the price is a secret; the bike was $18,000 new and he paid a little less than $11,000.

Figure that's less than a new Japanese literbike--for a bike with the stonkin' presence of the Tuono.  Not to mention Ohlins suspension and steering damper, OZ wheels, and so much carbon fiber that if it wasn't for the weight of the motor the bike would just float away.  

*starts to search Cycle Trader*  

[Mookie]

I really wanted that one bad.  Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your perspective) a mint condition low mileage used one of those goes for about $8.500 and they do pop up on cycle trader quite often.  So buying that one new means instantly losing 3 grand.  It's still probably worth it though  

[Rincewind]

Sweet pics, Mr Smooth.  You're a sneaky guy getting a ride on that bike.    

[FredE]

my Tuono demo ride left me un-impressed

You DID start it up, didn't you?    

[MisterSmooth]

You DID start it up, didn't you?    

   Good point, Fred.  

How's things in Portland?  Getting any miles on the Tuono this winter?

Or is one of those rides in the stable the winter hack?

[FredE]

How's things in Portland?  Getting any miles on the Tuono this winter?

Or is one of those rides in the stable the winter hack?

There's been precious little riding lately............sub-freezing just isn't my cup of tea.  I've had to suspend 2-wheeled commuting, as I live on the West Side and have to go up over Skyline Ridge.........ice/snow/freezing fog/ black ice patches are no fun on a bike.   I have been taking some short afternoon rips with the little SuMo if it gets to around 45 degrees - after a few weeks you just start to get crazy.  Somebody here had a sig line (I'm paraphrasing) "If I don't swing a leg over a motorcycle soon, I'm gonna STAB somebody".  Pretty much it.

Course, I don't reckon it's much better in your part of the world.  

C'mon Spring!