Aprilia Futura - Crash damage
With a fuelled-up weight of 235 kilos (513lb), the RST1000 Futura is a lot of bike to drop.
As
standard and without panniers, it's also vulnerable to the sort of damage
that can incapacitate the bike, even in a static tipover or an off at
walking pace.
Vulnerable parts include:
- Mirrors;
- Handlebar levers (which can break at the master cylinders);
- Bar ends;
- Back brake and gear levers.
Even a static tipover can scratch lower and middle panels badly.
Radiators are also vulnerable to a low speed drop, which breaks a tab glued in at the factory.
If this happens to you, the bike won't leak coolant if the engine isn't running. But when you start it, coolant will gush out at an alarming rate. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RIDE THE BIKE IN THIS CONDITION!
Thankfully,
the radiators can be fixed using the likes of JB Weld.
Heavier crashes tend to damage all of the above, as well as the top fairings, which is bad news indeed, and even the brake calipers. It can take as little as a static tipover to write off the bike.
However, good quality engine/frame-mounted crash bungs, especially when coupled with factory hard luggage, can prevent a lot of damage and some owners have also added front wheel spindle-mounted crash bungs to protect brake calipers.
I'm not saying they will prevent damage in all accidents as no two are exactly the same, but the collective experience of many owners has shown that crash bungs can increase your chances of being able to continue your journey after a low speed spill.
Some members of the Apriliaforum have reported the Futura as surprisingly crash-resistant with crash bungs and panniers - even at speeds of up to 50 mph. But if you and/or the bike hit something, then all bets are off.
Page last updated: June 6, 2010
