Aprilia Futura - buying used
Used prices for the Aprilia RST1000 Futura seem to have stablised
- in the UK at least - in 2010.
Currently a good Futura can be had for £2,500 - £3,000 on average,
with the later RS Touring two tone bikes going for a little more. Crash
damaged Cat D write-offs can be had for upwards of £1,500.
As with all bikes with short production runs that remained largely unchanged, you should buy purely on condition, rather than age. In any case, year of first registration can bear no relationship to build date.
With the first bikes coming up to their tenth birthdays, condition is more important than ever. Good ones are getting harder to find and conversely there are a fair few bad uns out there now. There are also many crash damaged bikes that have been patched up with parts from other bikes - buy with extreme caution.
The bikes age vastly differently according to how they have been looked after. In the UK electrics in particular seem to suffer worst if exposed to road salt, but recently there have been one or two cases of used bikes with parts missing from the rear wheel, so look at the owner as closely as you do the bike.
For an idea of what you should be paying, have a look at the Parker's Price Guide (for the UK)
What to check:
Check to see whether it's a parallel import. Lift the seat and you'll see the spare parts ID sticker next to the battery. This will tell you year of build and the country it was originally intended for.
It
shows build year (between 01 and 03, despite what anyone says) and the
country the bike was intended for (this one's a German import). If the
punch is anywhere other than the UK mark, it's a parallel. Later models have only EU, UK or US (+ California) model designations.
If it is a parallel, make sure the headlight dips to the left. Replacement lights are bloody expensive and come up on ebay once in a while. A right dipping headlight can mean an MOT fail, though some testers will let you block it with a deflector sticker while others ignore it completely.
However, just about every Futura will have been through at least one MoT by now so this shouldn't be the problem it once was.
Another warning sign for a parallel is temp and fuel readouts on the clocks in metric rather than imperial measurements. That said, the headlight is the only issue with parallels and if it dips to the left, you're fine.
If the bike is low miles, check the age of the tyres. If they are more
than 5 years old they should be binned - it's a bargaining point.
Likewise, ask the owner (or check for yourself) if the two most important mods have been done: The Wiring Mod and the fuel quick disconnect. They are easily done if they haven't been dealt with, but it's another bargaining point. A chat with the owner about these issues will give you a good idea.
Other than that it's mainly the stuff you'd check for any other bike. The motors are bullet proof and will withstand all but the most appalling abuse so there's nothing special to look out for here. In any case, breakers are full of unsold Futura motors.
But while the engines stand up to a degree of neglect, the electrics do not and neither do some cycle parts, expecially the rear wheel assembly and shock bearings.
In Ireland and other countries where the Futura came with Marzocchi forks instead of Showa, the forks have been known to corrode in a most alarming manner, even if the bike has been looked after.
And if you're new to the bike, you'll do well to take a look at the page about setting the dash.
See also the Futuras for sale section.
Page last modified: June 23, 2010
