Trail – Caponord 1200 test: sporty trail according to Aprilia – Test of the Caponord 1200 in the dry!

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Caponord 1200 test: sports trail according to Aprilia

Trail - Caponord 1200 test: sports trail according to Aprilia - Caponord 1200 test in the dry!

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 !

Dry test of the Caponord 1200 !

Swept by a strong sea wind and flooded with sun (!), The roads of Sardinia dry at high speed … The pace of the test therefore climbs sharply and we finally pull on the twin cylinder of the Caponord 1200, its cycle part and its electronics !

Engine side, it’s not a surprise, the Caponord 1200 is completely seductive. The mill of the Dorsoduro may have lost 5 horses during the transfer, it still has this playful character in T mode, which turns to a strong character, because more responsive, in S mode (Sport).

The Caponord isn’t a power monster like the RSV4, but the twin-cylinder horses ride extremely well and tumble down forcefully after 4000 and then 6500 rpm. The herd reaches at 8,250 rpm the 125 heads, that is to say 500 legs which hammer hard on the Sardinian asphalt !

In addition, the sound of the pot (in the low position with the suitcases, even our "Technical point") is quite exhilarating. Note in passing that Aprilia uses the same feint as on the RSV4: an exhaust valve mutes when the machine is in neutral, but releases the decibels when the first is engaged. !

In the winding, we mainly revel in the 115 Nm stalled from 6,500 rpm. The gearbox selection is not strictly speaking smooth, but its synchro is good enough not to resort to the hard clutch lever. Even in town, we gladly do without the left control !

In these safer and more pleasant driving conditions, the accelerations out of the bends are triggered much earlier … Remaining in mode 3 following the morning rain, the Aprilia Traction Control holds the bike a little too much: it is imperative to straighten it so that the power plant deigns to release the horses.

125 wild horses

A short stop – the stop will be long if you have not followed the demonstration of your Aprilia dealer concerning handling the electronics … – is therefore necessary to re-engage ATC mode 1. This done, the Caponord 1200 accepts like any good bike to take its turns whatever the angle of inclination. !

Like any good bike too, the new Aprilia accepts that we take the brakes a little on the angle, without straightening up suddenly or tracing straight ahead. MNC was able to verify this on several occasions by trying to put pressure on the opener to press – always a little harder! – the step, or in some playful turns…

To complicate the whole thing, incessant gusts of wind strike the pilot, the motorcycle, its suitcases, its bubble and its hand guards. Despite this, the Aprilia’s stance does not disappoint us. Better still, the wide handlebars facilitate small course corrections.

Sheltered from the gusts this time, the bike shows remarkable stability, whether in a straight line or stalled on the angle. The confidence is such that the plant ends up scraping! In fast sequences, the maneuverability is appreciable: again, the large handlebars are handy for swinging the Caponord 1200 from one angle to the other … But this is not its only asset in this area. !

According to Aprilia engineers, the fact that the bike jumps from one turn to another without bouncing, deviating from its trajectory or tiring its rider is mainly due to its semi-active suspension system mounted on the "Travel Pack" version. de la Capo ‘(see the "Travel Pack" part of our Technical Point).

This operation – as well as all others, whether dictated by the rider or by the road – is supervised by the ADD (Aprilia Dynamic Damping) system. However, we have to admit that Sachs suspensions work extremely well !

The Caponord 1200’s attack skills are up to expectations: the bike holds the road, it does not tip too much during heavy braking and perfectly accepts the muscular revivals of the twin. The amateurs of small arsouilles will have for their account.

A sporty and comfortable trail

Large riders are also well served since the comfort of the saddle is confirmed over the kilometers, while the suspensions absorb the deformations of the road wonderfully well. On the lookout for the slightest hole, MNC did not spare the Caponorod which, in return, spared our lower back perfectly: not resentful this Italian !

Even on long series of small bumps, the suspensions and their electronic control unit do not lose direction and provide the pilot with appreciable comfort and serenity. The automatic mode for managing the preload of the shock absorber spring – in addition to rebound and compression – is very convincing: no need to test the other settings (solo, duo, with or without luggage), the Aprilia is managed like a big !

If the hands and knees are properly protected from the wind, or even from bad weather, the same cannot be said of the bust and the head … As we suspected: the bubble does not deflect the wind from the shoulders or the head. head, even raised to the maximum !

The height of the screen is adjusted using two knobs: it is therefore more prudent to stop to vary the position of the bubble. A mechanical device adjustable while driving as on the new BMW R1200GS would have been much more practical … We still appreciate the possibility of modifying it to the millimeter and not by steps, which can be good in the event of untimely whistling of the vehicle. helmet.

Included in the famous "Travel Pack", Aprilia Cruise Control allows you to maintain a given speed whether you are uphill or downhill, the wind in the nose or downwind. However, it is not easy to reach the button with your thumb without moving your palm back. . We therefore involuntarily change speed. The exercise requires skill..

On 6th gear at 4000 rpm, the Caponord gallops at 105 km / h, and transmits no jerk to its rider. The speed is perfectly readable on the all digital screen of the Aprilia: in terms of information, moreover, all that is missing is the consumption (see the instrumentation part of the technical sheet).

"This data and many others can be entered by your smartphone (iPhone or Android) via an application that we have specially developed for this machine which has a Bluetooth connection.", point out the Italians !

According to the data collected by their in-house pilot, the Caponord 1200 would consume an average of 6.8 l / 100km … But the average test journalist during this presentation was more around 8.5 to 9 l / 100km !

Site for its part, traveled 196 km with 14.95 liters of gasoline, or a consumption on this test of about 7.5 l / 100km. To watch, therefore, during a next comparison against, or? Stay connected !

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