All Tests – Dorsoduro 1200 2012 model test: even more explosive! – A toy for adults!

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Dorsoduro 1200 2012 model test: even more explosive !

All Tests - Dorsoduro 1200 2012 model test: even more explosive! - A toy for adults!

It was at the foot of the Etna volcano, in Sicily, that Aprilia brought together the European press to (re) discover one of its most sulphurous models: the Dorsoduro 1200. What are the few modifications made in 2012 to this? maxi supermoto ? Test.

A toy for adults !

As you could imagine, Site knew it: the Dorsoduro 1200 is not a toy for a wise child … Its saddle, which rises to 870 mm, by itself keeps the little ones away but the adults (1m80) can rest both heels on the ground.

The settings of the two levers lead to the same observation: even when set to the minimum, they require fairly long hands. Finally, the left lever requires significant strength and endurance to dare to venture into the city center.

Fortunately, the Aprilia opener responsible for driving us over the 160 km route does not linger in Viagrande, the starting town. The handful of minutes spent getting out of traffic just allows us to check that the engine accepts to resume without jolting at 50 km / h in 4th gear, but that the first is a bit long to keep pace..

Likewise, a few rotations of the right handle – with a fairly short pull – are enough to rediscover the ardor of the Aprilia V-Twin! From 3500 rev / min, the handlebars almost escape the hands of the biker too busy to contemplate blissfully the Mediterranean on his right and Etna on his left…

So for the first turns of the wheel, it is better to engage the T mode ("Touring", which gives access to 130 horses), much less brutal than the S mode ("Sport", which offers 130 "real nags") preselected by Aprilia . "The choice of mapping mode is retained when restarting the motorcycle", specifies us on this subject Umberto Basso,"and the same goes for setting the Traction Control (1, 2, 3 or off)".

On the other hand, the engineers at Noale preferred to ensure that, by default at each start, the ABS – "disconnectable", like the ATC – is always engaged. "We made this choice for obvious security reasons", specifies our interlocutor.

Perched on his saddle – damn hard, but the name of the Dorsoduro does not come from that – the rider has the pleasant feeling of dominating the traffic. Better still, the racy look of its frame and the snoring sound of its two pots allow it to be the center of attention: a real gain for its safety … and a good point for the ego !

In general, the look of the Dorsoduro is gratifying: high, wide – especially from the rear – and highlighted by new two-tone decorations, it impresses passers-by, seduces passers-by and will charm its owner with each opening. from the box.

A motorcycle "have you seen and heard me"

Too bad, however, that the finish is uneven. On the one hand, the Dorsoduro is wrapped in pretty parts: aluminum plates and arms topped by the trellis frame, 43 mm fork and radial calipers – gold please -, high mudguard, tapered windshield, etc. The cables and tubes are carefully arranged and we note the presence of a cute eccentric to adjust the lug of the selector.

But on the other hand, we cannot ignore certain rough welds, certain adjustments of plastic parts which are too often approximate, even the ugly electrical box just above the upper mounting of the side shock absorber….

By stepping back appropriately towards the rear of the motorcycle, the buttocks are left with a semblance of comfort. But sooner or later, the slight inclination of the saddle brings them back to the thinnest and most wearing part of the seat. And the shape of the saddle is not the only responsible…

Indeed, the attack of the Brembo front brakes – the same as those of 2010 – is so effective and surprising at moderate speed that the pilot slides irremediably towards the reservoir during his first real grip of the right lever..

The brutality is erased after a few braking, but not completely. The feel of the lever – its resistance, more precisely – is not as good as on other Italian yet equipped with the same calipers. Maybe we should lean towards the master cylinder ?

Conversely, the rear brake is perfectly controllable and powerful enough to be used alone in built-up areas. The possible co-pilot – we dare not speak of a "passenger" on this type of motorcycle! – will probably prefer this type of braking.

You have to be really brave and motivated to land on the back seat of the Dorsoduro. In addition to the lack of grip – the strap for the homologation does not fool anyone – the proximity of the two pots leads to overheating of the already sensitive posterior – under the Swiss also – in the driver.

In solo, the front axle shows remarkable progressiveness when setting the angle. Our test models are well helped, it should be noted, by the Pirelli Diablo Rosso II. "France requested that it be this original shoe in not necessarily this type of tires, the Dunlop Qualifier is also offered", specify the Italians.

Likewise, the gain in agility due to the arrival of lighter rims is indeed palpable: in town, swinging the bike from one street to another does not require any particular effort and allows you to retain all of your strength for the ascent of Etna looming…

"We won’t be able to climb very high on the volcano", almost apologizes our opener, because"we went ten days ago and there was 2.2 meters of snow !Fortunately, Sicily is full of small winding roads … Avanti !

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