Aprilia Futura vs Sprint ST 1050

[Skidmark]

This is going in here because I am new to touring.  I have approx 30k miles under my belt.  Last year I sold my F4i, and have been looking for a new bike since.  I have a line on an '06 Sprint ST 16k miles, Givis, heated grips, and a Garmin. $5k.  I have spent days reading all the threads, but can't come to a decision.

I stumbled upon an '02 Aprilia Futura RST w/ factory luggage for $4k.

My quandry is this: I'm shorter; 5'7" and 160lbs. 30-31" inseam.  The Sprint has a narrower but higher seat, and the RST is a wider but lower seat.  The Sprint will get slightly better MPG, but the Aprilia is cheaper to insure; at 6-8k miles / year, the gas and insurance is a wash.   There are complaints about the headlights on both, and everyone says suspension could be better on both.  I have a Triumph dealer nearby, but I despise stealerships for anything other than insurance repair work, so i would likely DIY on either bike.  I'll be using it to commute 10 miles to work and fly out to camp on weekends.  Here's what i know so far:

Aprilia Pros:
Cheaper to buy (a surprise to me)
Italian status symbol
Drop dead gorgeous.
Good reliable vtwin
Slightly more relaxed ergos
Torque.
Everyone says the best long distance seat from the factory
Good factory luggage (looks better than the sprints GIVIs)
Less $ to insure per year by $200 (WHHAAAA?)

Cons:
no dealer nearby (i would go independant anyway. it's just a rotax motor)
Lower mpg
somewhat buzzy above 80mph

Sprint Pros:
Smooth Triple Power
heated grips
powerlet
BIG bags. But ugly.
GPS (meh..)
Better MPG
More aftermarket
Lower mileage and newer year (higher resale)

Cons:
Higher seat height
Pillion needs to be 8' tall to get on with luggage
Higher insurance


ST-net, please help me choose.
Thanks.
-2nd time around noob

[Sport-Touring]

[Capirex]

How many miles on the Aprilia?  

I rode both bikes (and an ST3) and bought a Sprint.  It was a toss up but I picked the Sprint based on the motor.  

Im not unhappy with my choice but I'd say go with the Aprilia, especially if it's that candy red color.  I dont think you can go wrong with either bike.  Ride both and pick the one that speaks to you.  

[AzItLies]

I've looked at some of the awesome Aprilias for sale too, they are just beautiful. And for me, I'd much prefer the sound of that V-Twin.

But here's something to think about. Parts? Yes there's a well known place (I forget the name) that you can still get parts from. Want to know what a new Tank would cost? Yeah I checked, 1500 bucks.

That's right, about 3 times what one would cost normally (well, other bikes I've looked at for a tank). All I'm saying is, you drop that thing, and can't find used stuff on ebay or something, you might well pay the same price for parts to fix it as you paid for the bike.

They are absolutely beautiful though...

[caddydaddy]

 Want to know what a new Tank would cost? Yeah I checked, 1500 bucks.

That's right, about 3 times what one would cost normally (well, other bikes I've looked at for a tank).

Is that just for the tank?  The warranty bill for my Sprint ST tank to be replaced a few months ago was just over $1,000!

[Skidmark]

The Futuras I have found vary from $6000 and 7k miles to $4000 and 15k (but needing front brake work and some scuffs touched up), others are $4500, but 30k miles.  

I find that resale value plummets and buyer pool dries up when you go past 25k, so I try to not keep my bikes much past that.   Then again, if I find that I love it that much, I may keep the next bike until it croaks.

If you have a line on a good value Futura around $4k, link me. I'm happy to look.  I have a sticking point of about $4k unless it's a screaming deal, as my first bike was $2k. I upgraded to one that was $3k. $4k is now the approx limit.

so far I have found
'01 Futura, 35k miles $4500
'02 Futura, 32k miles $4250
'02 Futura, 15k. scratches and scuffs, front brakes pulse (needs new rotors or resurfacing) asking $4150
'03 Futura, 6k miles $6000 (over budget, and too far away, in Seattle, I'm in WI.)

[Skidmark]

Yikes. Just got an email back from the guy with the lower mileage Futura. He didn't include anything in the ad about the brake pulsation, and was asking $4150. After disclosing a bunch of additional scratches on luggage and the headlight, he said the lowest he was willing to go was $4k.  I was going to offer $3850($300 below asking) before i found out about the brakes. I sourced some rotors, ($400) and deducted them from the price [no labor or pads].  He's not willing to budge.  Am I being unreasonable here? There aren't many of these things for sale, and from what i've seen, they go for about 4000-4500 in good shape with 20k miles.

[Royal Tiger]

I'd pick the Futura.  I was looking for one to go with my RSV-R, but I wanted something different and got a ST3.  I rode a Sprint and it was OK, but the Rotax motor is DEAD reliable and easy to work on.  Plus it just sounds great at speed like the Ducati.

[Oddball]

Loved my Futura.  It is truly missed.  30K miles of pure bliss.

AF1 in Texas is the dealer with the most parts anywhere but Italy.  These are expensive.  Prices fluctuate with the currency exchange.  Easy to work on if you do your own maintenance.  See the forums on AF1 to learn anything Aprilia.  I'd like to have one again, but not as a daily ride.

[ride200mi]

If Aprilia still made the Futura, I would have bought one, no questions asked. However they don't so I bought the next best thing; A GT! Love it and it is about as close as I can get to the ergos of the Futura.

[rdbandkab]

Yea but,

[AzItLies]

Is that just for the tank?  The warranty bill for my Sprint ST tank to be replaced a few months ago was just over $1,000!

Sorry, meant to get back to this. Yes, that's just the tank.

And I'd say your "warranty" bill is very high, but for a reason. Yer not paying for it, so there's dealer padding etc etc going on there. Most tanks for the majority of todays bikes are gonna be 500, on the high side. Those Futura's are just beautiful, exceptional motorcycles. But affording one now, out of production...

questionable...

[ride200mi]

Yea but,

Great pic rdbandkad!!!

[rdbandkab]

Right back at ya Ride!   Nice shots of the Triumph.

I'm starting to see some "leaked" pics of the Tiger Sport lately.  

Interesting!  

[Dan K]

There's an '06 Sprint for sale on STN with upgraded suspension goodies for cheap - you should jump on that.

I ride a Sprint, had a Tuono (same engine as the Futura) and there is an extremely different engine character between the 1050 triple and that angry twin.  

If you are evenly split on the way they look and cost and dealership factors, etc., then you simply need to ride them.  The engine character is likely to be the biggest determining factor from a functional standpoint.

- Dan

[Croak]

Futura is chalk and cheese to the Tuono in regards to engine character, thanks to a totally different ECU/EFI setup.  The Futura/Caponord team went to a lot of trouble to take the "angry" out of the Rotax, smooth out throttle response and low RPM behavior, and improve mileage.  

And the secret ingredient in the Futura?  The much more advanced Sagem ECU, the same one that Triumph used in the triples until 2005, and better injectors.

TL;DR: The Futura engine response is more "Sprint-like" and refined than you may think.

[falconati]

Futura.

[SummerLove]

Futura..  I liked it a lot more than the Sprint after riding them both. Sadly do to time constraints and my monster getting trashed I can't wait around for another one to pop up for sale on the West Coast so I'm going the tall and ugly italian side of things.

[falconati]

I should have elaborated because I have a Futura

The decision for me was easy (I also considered both bikes) because the ergonomics were just weird for me on the Sprint.  I don't understand how my body was fine with an ST3 and F4 but doesn't feel at home on a Sprint (or Tiger 1050, for that matter).  At any rate, that sealed the deal for me; however that was the only deal-killer.  Triumphs are great motorcycles and I love the triple motors.  I will likely own another one soon; just not a Sprint.

[TTaM]

I was recently shopping and looking at these 2 exact bikes. I pulled the trigger on a 2002 Futura with 28K and dealer records since new.

I've owned it for a month now, and its been in the shop for 3 weeks of that month. It had the dreaded king bearing failure. Price of the bearing: $400. When the bearing failed, it damaged the hub. Price for a new hub: $999.99. That, plus the valve check, misc other stuff, I am looking at a $1500-2000 repair bill. Plus, parts are somewhat difficult to come by

I'm coming off of a Triumph Trophy 900. Right now, at least my wallet feels like I should have stayed British.

[falconati]

That sucks  

I bought my Futura with 2k miles, no records and haven't had any issues.