Trail – Caponord 1200 test: sports trail according to Aprilia – Aprilia and MNC are heading south

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Caponord 1200 test: sports trail according to Aprilia

Trail - Caponord 1200 test: sports trail according to Aprilia - Aprilia and MNC are heading south

In 2013, Aprilia launched a new road trail: a Caponord 1200, from the explosive Dorsoduro! It features ABS and traction control, as well as electronic suspensions in its Travel Pack version, being tested on site !

Aprilia and MNC head south

It is in the extreme south of Sardinia that Aprilia organized the launch of its great novelty for 2013: the "Cap au Nord" 1200 … It just goes to show that the Noale brand is not just a paradox! And you only have to look at its range to be convinced more …

Caponord 1200: available, colors and prices

  • Availability: end of March 2013

  • Colors: Red, White or Gray

  • Price: € 12,999 (ABS and ATC as standard)

  • Travel Pack: € 15,399

When the Italians gave up in 2009, all the bikers were won over by the sleek line of the machine, and especially by this singular, compact face, adorned with three optics and two sharp air inlets..

Two years later, it is without surprise or discontent that we discover a new 125 4-stroke taking up the allure of the Superbike feature for feature: like the RS125 which copied the "vintage" RSV, takes the appearance of her big sister, then SBK world champion with Biaggi !

In 2012, on the other hand, the decision to transpose the front of the RSV4 on the to generate surprises as much as it annoys. Indeed, if the owners of RSV4 can accept that the kids also have the right to their triple optics, they endure much less the fact that the front of their machine is copied and pasted on a big scooter ‘…

However, the observation is almost the same on the latest version: the Caponord 1200, the first photo of which appeared on the net a year ago already (read).

If the 2013 Caponord has nothing to do with the Caponord 1000 released in 2001 – you know, the one that looked like a Varadero! -, it is content to resume, for the third time therefore, the front part of the RSV4.

"Sportiness clearly shows through the styling", expose the Italians,"Aprilia’s distinctive "look" is also part of the personality of the Caponord 1200". Thanks to him it is a fact, the Capo ‘has a beautiful face. But to extend over the entire range, the Aprilia front end is not likely to tire ?

There is another drawback: by installing this fork crown on its new trail – "sporty", you will understand – Aprilia takes the risk of disappointing … It is indeed a safe bet that the first question to which The dealers will have to answer will be: "Ah, but it’s not the sports car’s V4 that’s in it?"

However, it is easy to understand that to create the new Caponord, the Dorsoduro 1200 represented for transalpine engineers a much better working base than the hypersportive! "There is no need for 180 horsepower on this type of motorcycleAprilia’s Product Marketing Manager, Marco Zuliani, also replied to Site..

Two airs of dejà vu

After the front face therefore, the large V-twin built into its hybrid chassis combining steel trellis and aluminum plates (see the "Engine" and "Cycle part" parts of our technical point on the penultimate page) gives a second air from "dejà vu" to this 2013 novelty from Noale.

Despite these aesthetic and conceptual lacks of originality, the Caponord 1200 fills a serious hole in the Italian range: "it is the most versatile motorcycle ever created by Aprilia", says Fabio Gilardenghi, press manager,"a perfect motorcycle to do everything: travel, have fun and ride every day".

In addition, the engineers insist on the fact that the engine and the frame of the big "supermotard" (second generation, read our) have been revised and corrected in order to correspond to the more complete specifications of their new "super-versatile" model ( see our in-con-tour-na-ble technical point on the penultimate page!).

We note that the Caponord comes standard with ABS and traction control (ATC) available as an option on the Dorso ‘. Even stronger: in its "Travel Pack" version, the sporty trail receives a central stand, a kit of side cases, a cruise control (ACC) and – above all – new electronically controlled suspensions (ADD).

But it is this version, displayed from the end of the month at € 15,399 in Aprilia dealerships, that the Italians have chosen to make us try. As a reminder, the "standard" Caponord fitted with traditional suspensions will land simultaneously in France, at a price of € 12,999..

Given their equipment and services, the two versions of this new Aprilia Caponord 1200 are therefore placed in the low range of the road trails market..

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