Aprilia Riders

[Sub Zero]

Lawrence,

 

No longer in NUS. Not my thing! We gotta meet sometime soon anyway.. It's been ages.

 

Respect,

 

Thanks for doing your part for the A.R.C!

[RainbowKia]

I want to ask o, my aprilia mirror 1 side drop off, the mirror all still intact and ok, just drop off cause stationary fall, anyone know where to repair.. and how much roughly? also, anyone know of a cheap windshield that fits aprilia ma Thanks so much ya

 

Oh...Wondering about the T-Shirt, been searching the forum...but found no links, is it still available, picx or something...just got my apirilia, a week back so a little new. Trying to mingle around haha... Any RP student aprilia rider?! Wanna hang out or something!

[RESPECT]

hmm..guys.

I wanna make sure you guys will be actively involved with the aprilla forum.

if not there is totally no point reviving it.

if not another possibility is to focus on other bike makers as well.

but it would sure be difficult to get patrons.

so those interested in helping it revive please be serious with it.

i just spoke with chris and he was telling me about the hardships he faced trying to run the forum. its not like SBF where everyone is active.

so guys its up to you all now.

[Biker82]

Hey guys, any RS250 rider out there can answer my question on fuel consumption.. how many KM u guys normally hit before entering reserve tank?

[lacrimosae]

I want to ask o, my aprilia mirror 1 side drop off, the mirror all still intact and ok, just drop off cause stationary fall, anyone know where to repair.. and how much roughly? also, anyone know of a cheap windshield that fits aprilia ma Thanks so much ya

 

Oh...Wondering about the T-Shirt, been searching the forum...but found no links, is it still available, picx or something...just got my apirilia, a week back so a little new. Trying to mingle around haha... Any RP student aprilia rider?! Wanna hang out or something!

 

You'd pay to get a mirror fixed when it can be done by anyone, yet you don't want to replace the windshield with an original? Fact can be stranger than fiction.

 

5 Fool-proof Steps to fix your mirror in 5 minutes:

 

1) Remove front cowling

2) Undo nuts securing the swivel base

3) Replace mirror ball joint into the plastic base socket, remember the spring goes in below the plastic spacer

4) Tighten fastening nuts at the swivel base

5) Replace front cowling

 

It's really simple. Nothing technical involved. If you can unscrew a tube of toothpaste, you can DIY this.

 

Maybe someone can post a Pictorial DIY on the ARC Forum like we used to?

 

A cheap windshield replacement would be Glade wrap. Just buy a roll and wrap around the head cowling as many times as the roll would go. $2.50 for a roll. Leftovers can be used to wrap your food for storing in the refrigerator.

[spiderman]

12 to 14km to a litre. do your maths.

[spiderman]

Hey guys, any RS250 rider out there can answer my question on fuel consumption.. how many KM u guys normally hit before entering reserve tank?

 

12 to 14km a litre

[Biker82]

12 to 14km to a litre. do your maths.

 

my maths fail.. lolx

anyway, i dun ride an aprilia.. so i duno how much the tank can hold...

 

anyway, if tats ur fuel consumption.. how abt others? all the same?

[kwyjibo]

12 to 14km to a litre. do your maths.

 

I told you mine when full stock used to hit 17-19l/km. Alanhim did tell me before his is also around that range.

 

my maths fail.. lolx

anyway, i dun ride an aprilia.. so i duno how much the tank can hold...

 

anyway, if tats ur fuel consumption.. how abt others? all the same?

 

The newer GP1 has a 19.5l tank. The older model has a 16.5l tank.

 

I think you should consider other bikes.

[servoprax]

Hey Law,

 

How about I pay for the hosting for the website? I don't mind paying the cost as it's only ~$50 a year.

 

 

 

I believe Fuchs Silkolene should be able to help in this issue. Will discuss this in due course.

[lacrimosae]

For the newbies, or prospective buyers....

 

If your bike feels shitty and you suspect its not running at its best, you are probably right.

 

Despite running 2 jet sizes too lean on the low RPM and 1 jet size leaner for WOT (Wide Open Throttle), I've been pushing 170-180kph and I still have not had any seizures.

 

Let's do a little math here.

 

My petrol consumption is 24-28km/litre. I premix my 2T : petrol ratio at 1:60, which means for every 10 litres of petrol, I use 166ml of 2T.

I travel about 120km per week. That's 480km per month. Assuming my consumption stays at 24km/L (I'll have to ride at WOT all the time), that would be 20 litres of petrol per month, and 333ml of 2T per month.

My petrol tank holds 13.5 litres, so that means I can travel 240km (on 10 litres), before I hit reserve, and can travel another 84km on my reserve.

 

Hence:

1) I pump petrol twice a month, 10 litres each time.

2) 1 litre of 2T can last me more than 3 months.

3) I can travel 240km to the reserve, and 84km on reserve, totalling 324km on a full tank.

 

The best part of it?

 

My bike retains its full power. When I first got my bike, it was running 16km to the litre, and it was weak. After I took it to a mech to get it tuned, it put out more power, but at a price - 12km/litre.

After 1 year of DIY, it's managed to squeeze the same power out at 24-28km/litre. I've never had to change the tuning settings ever since, except for minor tweaking when I've got some idea on trying new settings.

 

If your mech can't fix a problem, its not because the problem is "inherent to all Aprilia", or "impossible to fix". It's just time to change a mech, or time to start DIY-ing.

 

To be honest, DIY tuning ain't easy. It took me a year of reading tuning manuals, speaking to mechs and trying to discern the bullshit from real data (in Asia, 99% is bullshit), and fiddling with my jets to get it to where it is today.

 

But I think there's nothing better than a perfectly tuned bike, with minimal problems (as long as you change parts annually instead of following the owner's manual of recommended part replacement periods), and good fuel economy.

 

After all, it's your baby.

 

By the way, my bike is 9 yrs old. COE is due for renewal next year. I've been riding it for 4 yrs now. And I don't feel like I need a bigger bike. I used to do my own overhauls every 10,000km (I'm too busy now, so I hand the job over to the only mech i trust), and change the battery annually, chain and sprockets annually, gear oil monthly, brake fluid annually, and tyres every 18 months.

 

The shelf life of good rubbers is about 9 months from manufacture. Which means that tires made in the 1st week of 2008 and fitted onto your bike in February 2008 should be discarded by September 2008. Of course, rubbers are expensive, and so, understandably, we always try to push our luck. But don't push too far.

Ignore at your own risk.

 

Those who have just gotten a 125cc Aprilia, I hope your bike runs good. Those intending to buy, please be mentally prepared to spend, spend, spend.

[spiderman]

I told you mine when full stock used to hit 17-19l/km. Alanhim did tell me before his is also around that range.

 

 

 

The newer GP1 has a 19.5l tank. The older model has a 16.5l tank.

 

I think you should consider other bikes.

 

your one can go till 370km then dry?

i totally doubt it. i tried mine till dry when its full stock. 14 is the best.

[Maldini03]

Hmm...

 

Would like to share a experience when I went to a shop to re wrap my seat last friday along serangoon. The uncle while detaching the tail from the bike kept grumbling that this is a lousy bike. Very big reaction from the uncle indeed. I rebut the uncle nicely, saying that "not truth, if you take care, it is in fact slightly higher than general bikes and until now the bikes has not disappointed me yet" Then the uncle raise his voice and in a exaggerateed manner stopped his work and reply that it is only that u have not encounter and soon will encounter, I offer you $200 now for yr bike you should be very happy liao"

 

I was thinking, did the uncle used to be a mechanic or did the uncle used to have one.... how come people so biased against aprilia. I have rode two rs125 and they are both alright.

[Biker82]

Hmm...

 

Would like to share a experience when I went to a shop to re wrap my seat last friday along serangoon. The uncle while detaching the tail from the bike kept grumbling that this is a lousy bike. Very big reaction from the uncle indeed. I rebut the uncle nicely, saying that "not truth, if you take care, it is in fact slightly higher than general bikes and until now the bikes has not disappointed me yet" Then the uncle raise his voice and in a exaggerateed manner stopped his work and reply that it is only that u have not encounter and soon will encounter, I offer you $200 now for yr bike you should be very happy liao"

 

I was thinking, did the uncle used to be a mechanic or did the uncle used to have one.... how come people so biased against aprilia. I have rode two rs125 and they are both alright.

 

 

personally, i tink uncle is quite right.. maybe de problems have not struck u yet.. but once it comes.. it nv ends.. and it kip coming back.. same problem over and over again.. but best of luk to ppl who wanna buy out there.. (no offence)

[Biker82]

I told you mine when full stock used to hit 17-19l/km. Alanhim did tell me before his is also around that range.

 

 

 

The newer GP1 has a 19.5l tank. The older model has a 16.5l tank.

 

I think you should consider other bikes.

 

 

Thank you for the info.. and i wun consider buying at all.. only wanna verify wif u guys coz my fren is riding, he told me his FC and i early fainted..

[tknge]

Thank you for the info.. and i wun consider buying at all.. only wanna verify wif u guys coz my fren is riding, he told me his FC and i early fainted..

 

hello.... just to share my ride....I had own my RS125 from 1996 till now for 11 yrs plus. Original condition FC is very good at 250~280 km before hit reserve at conservative riding habit. Until I dismantled air-box filter, increased my 2T flow rate and added with arrow pipe ( legal & non-legal ), FC drop to 180~200 km in legal riding habit. Aprilia fork seal, rear-shock, gear shift-fork, wheel bearing, steering bearing are not lasting long. After change to better grade bearings and replaced with after-market parts. Everything work normal as Jap bike. One very important thing is need to de-carbonize exhaust valve every 1000km, warm-up bike temp to at least 50 degree before ride, use full syn 2T, pull 98 petrol, clean spark-plug and ride leniently. Actually, this bike not a daily ride bike as its engine is very sensitive. if you let some mechanic with no knowledge or limitated skill to work on yr bike to auther, claimed to increase you bike power, you will start facing problem. Either you seized or FC increase tremedously. This bike had already make to 90% of its potential at its original condition. The most you auther with the engine, you gain only 2~3 HP at success rate of 20%, 80% you will fail due to Sin lack of true 2-stroke tuner. I had dyno my bike before with 28.9 rear wheel-power. I think its good enough for normal riding and non-hard-core track riding. Hope its help...

[plasticprison]

im riding a 06 rs125.

 

all i can say that im really happy with the ride due to its stability. on the point of tuning. is there anywhere that i can learn about this.

 

cos i brought my bike for carb and powervalve washing at a workshop on monday. sadly. i went back to the same shop every single day wasting lots of my precious time.

 

what happen was this. i felt that my bike did not feel like its running at its potential at midrange rpm. and my rpm seems to stay at 3 for a while when i pull to a stop. i went to the mech. told me just clean the powervalve will do. he cleaned. the valve opens now. but the rpm still remained at 3. he recommended to "open the exhaust" (im not sure if u guys know what im talking about) so i did. and told him why not clean the carb as well. so i left my bike there for a night.

 

the next day. i went back to collect my bike and rode home as per normal.

 

On wed. i went back to the shop again. as my rpm doesnt seem to drop again. and i needed to adjust the clutch. cos i wasnt used to it. the mech told me that the rpm thing was normal for aprilia

 

On thurs. i called the mech up as i felt that my bike was dying when im moving off. so he said he needed to tune the carb. so i left camp for the bikeshop. however. i cant start my bike!! gosh.. this never happened to me before. and my engine dies off when i pull the choke cable.. i managed to get my bike to warm up by reving the engine when i can start for a while. and off i went to the bike shop again. what the mech did was just to take out the tube leading to the Catalyser. and did not touch the carb. the bike felt fine then. but i guess its already because the bike is already warmed up.

 

on Fri morning, as per thurs, i cant start my bike again. so i undertook the same measures to warm up the bike. rode to camp. called the mech up. told me to put my bike there for the night so that he can start on sat to see whats wrong. which i was hesitant about. i tried starting again in the afternoon. seems alright then. i still thought its cos the engine was cold. so i didnt go to the bike shop.

 

on sat. i kept thinking about the problem. so i decided to go get a 2nd opinion. as usual, i couldnt start my bike again. i thought maybe its a good idea to spend a day doing up the bike. i went over to another workshop, (KNT) as recommended by azman, who got the PA2 from me. So i approached clifford. he was busy at the moment, so i came back 2 hrs later. thinking that it better be a good day. so i went back. clifford examined my bike carefully, checking my plug and settings using a machine(i donno whats that called) and told me he was surprised that the Previous mech did not touch the airflow intake, which was left at only half a round. so clifford tuned it according to the machine reading. ALL THESE FOR A SMALL PRICE.

 

now my bike feels a lot better now. the rpm drops as per normal. Damn. i spent on my bike every time i went to the bikeshop. and all the things i tried to fix during the weekday Cost so much but nth helped. What i spend on sat was simply worth it.

 

anyway. speaking about 2t, what does the premix 2t do? i was shopping for a good 2t yesterday and came across the premix. how do i use it anyway?

 

sorry for the long post

[tknge]

hm....I think you need to find a good knowlegde Mech liao... For road riding, I think you do not need to use premix 2T. The original 2t injector is good enough. Premix usually use during tracking only. For premix, u need to mix correctly with you petrol. If not, too much smoke n lost in riding power too....

[Maldini03]

personally, i tink uncle is quite right.. maybe de problems have not struck u yet.. but once it comes.. it nv ends.. and it kip coming back.. same problem over and over again.. but best of luk to ppl who wanna buy out there.. (no offence)

 

Yup... I do have friends previously who suffer from the same problem repeatedly. Maybe my crux of the problem, is not the bike, rather getting the wrong mechanics??

[ragnaphobia]

subzero! i saw ur bike in rp, i think its on a friday. u park near the arts house right?

[lacrimosae]

hello.... just to share my ride....I had own my RS125 from 1996 till now for 11 yrs plus. Original condition FC is very good at 250~280 km before hit reserve at conservative riding habit. Until I dismantled air-box filter, increased my 2T flow rate and added with arrow pipe ( legal & non-legal ), FC drop to 180~200 km in legal riding habit. Aprilia fork seal, rear-shock, gear shift-fork, wheel bearing, steering bearing are not lasting long. After change to better grade bearings and replaced with after-market parts. Everything work normal as Jap bike. One very important thing is need to de-carbonize exhaust valve every 1000km, warm-up bike temp to at least 50 degree before ride, use full syn 2T, pull 98 petrol, clean spark-plug and ride leniently. Actually, this bike not a daily ride bike as its engine is very sensitive. if you let some mechanic with no knowledge or limitated skill to work on yr bike to auther, claimed to increase you bike power, you will start facing problem. Either you seized or FC increase tremedously. This bike had already make to 90% of its potential at its original condition. The most you auther with the engine, you gain only 2~3 HP at success rate of 20%, 80% you will fail due to Sin lack of true 2-stroke tuner. I had dyno my bike before with 28.9 rear wheel-power. I think its good enough for normal riding and non-hard-core track riding. Hope its help...

 

You might wanna read my post on fuel consumption. Like you, I enjoy a good 24-28km per litre.

 

My spark plugs are completely clean, I change them every 6 months, and even then, it comes out looking good as new.

 

I am running filterless, just an "open air-box". I have a homologated Arrow fitted. And I keep my bike running in track conditions every week.

 

I've never had a piston seizure due to air/fuel mixture in the 4 years that I've been riding.

 

Of course, I don't entrust my bike to any mech. That's probably why my bike enjoys longevity.

 

My complaint with the bike would be, like you, the rear shock, front fork seals, wheel bearings, gear bearings, steering bearings. I have blown 3 brand-new shocks. I've switched to WP abt 2 yrs ago and havent had any problems since.

 

Also, I agree with warming up the bike to 50 deg C. That would be abt the optimum operating temperature of our bikes. For smokers, that's about the duration of a cigarette.

[lacrimosae]

hm....I think you need to find a good knowlegde Mech liao... For road riding, I think you do not need to use premix 2T. The original 2t injector is good enough. Premix usually use during tracking only. For premix, u need to mix correctly with you petrol. If not, too much smoke n lost in riding power too....

 

Sorry, but nothing can be further from the truth.

 

Premixing 2T with petrol in the tank ensures a consistent 2T/petrol mixture at all times. The 2T pump is mechanically driven, and introduces 2T into the circuit after the petrol is metered into the mixture. Hence, the pump is unreliable for a constant flow rate of 2T under different vacuum pressures at the 2T inlet into the carb.

 

Introduce more levels of complexity into any machinery, and you increase the chances of equipment failure on many more levels.

 

Contrary to common misconception, it is not inconvenient to use premix.

 

Removing the pump from the equation, and premixing, whether you are a track-goer or not, will ensure you never suffer a seizure from lubrication deficiency.

[lacrimosae]

cos i brought my bike for carb and powervalve washing at a workshop on monday. sadly. i went back to the same shop every single day wasting lots of my precious time.

 

what happen was this. i felt that my bike did not feel like its running at its potential at midrange rpm. and my rpm seems to stay at 3 for a while when i pull to a stop. i went to the mech. told me just clean the powervalve will do. he cleaned. the valve opens now. but the rpm still remained at 3. he recommended to "open the exhaust" (im not sure if u guys know what im talking about) so i did. and told him why not clean the carb as well. so i left my bike there for a night.

 

the next day. i went back to collect my bike and rode home as per normal.

 

On wed. i went back to the shop again. as my rpm doesnt seem to drop again. and i needed to adjust the clutch. cos i wasnt used to it. the mech told me that the rpm thing was normal for aprilia

 

 

on sat. i kept thinking about the problem. so i decided to go get a 2nd opinion. as usual, i couldnt start my bike again. i thought maybe its a good idea to spend a day doing up the bike. i went over to another workshop, (KNT) as recommended by azman, who got the PA2 from me. So i approached clifford. he was busy at the moment, so i came back 2 hrs later. thinking that it better be a good day. so i went back. clifford examined my bike carefully, checking my plug and settings using a machine(i donno whats that called) and told me he was surprised that the Previous mech did not touch the airflow intake, which was left at only half a round. so clifford tuned it according to the machine reading. ALL THESE FOR A SMALL PRICE.

 

 

 

 

Good mechanics are hard to find. In fact, they're impossible to find.

 

Most don't know what they are talking about, even though they look and sound convincing that they do.

 

Tuning the A/F (Air/Fuel) Mixture takes time, lots of it, and requires the changing of jets. If no jets were changed, all the mech did was to adjust the air or fuel screw, which merely controls the mixture at idle or when in a Closed- to 1/4 throttle position.

 

Sounds like you're running rich. Rich does NOT mean too much 2T. It means you have more petrol than required in your A/F Mixture. More petrol is wasted, there's not enough air for the combustion (and expansion), the petrol snuffs the flame out instead of optimizing the combustion, and carbon builds up in your chamber, and on your spark plug.

 

You guys are free to examine my spark plug and powervalve during the next DIY Session. My plugs are always clean without carbon buildup, even for up to 6 months of usage. My valve has never jammed, nor required cleaning for the past, 1-2 years. I do it anyway as a precaution but its always easily removed and cleaned.

 

Seriously, guys.... There will never be anyone who will care for your bike as much as yourself. Lots of things that are easy to DIY can save you lots of money. Valve cleaning, carb washing and tuning, overhauls, clutch changes, etc... They're not that hard to pick up. Sometimes I really wish you guys can stop b!tching so much about the cost of maintenance. I spend NIL on labour and servicing, only on replacing of parts, while you guys spend tons on the basic maintenance which you can DIY, for free. Don't be a poster child for being "Penny wise, pound foolish"

[lacrimosae]

DIY Session 2 Dec, next Sunday.

 

11am Blk 21 Joo Seng Road void deck. Be there or be square.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/lacrimosae/Misc/DIYaddress.jpg

 

Found this little nugget of info to share.

Take the number of teeth on your rear sprocket, divide it by the number of teeth on your front sprocket. That's your sprocket ratio.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/lacrimosae/Misc/sprocketratio.jpg

[Sub Zero]

subzero! i saw ur bike in rp, i think its on a friday. u park near the arts house right?

 

Yup.. Was there for work related purposes. Working for transport company. There to load up instruments after concert.