Aprilia has launched their all-new Pegaso Strada in South Africa, using the latest Minarelli-built Yamaha 660cc engine instead of the Rotax unit used in the dual-purpose Pegaso. Aprilia altered the cylinder head, intake and exhaust systems and fuel injection mapping to milk an extra three bhp from the four-valve engine, and slotted it into a single-spar steel frame, with a Sachs shock and Brembo brakes bolted to road wheels. The bike weighs in at 168 kg, and this combined with its low seat-height makes it a doddle to handle around town.
At the launch I rode the Strada for 200 km on some of the finest motorcycling roads in South Africa. Leaving from Mossel Bay, we worked our way over Robinson Pass up to the Cango Caves near Oudtshoorn, and then down to George via the superb Outeniqua Pass. The Aprilia, like most of its single-cylinder rivals, thrives on getting around bends and sees the straights that link them as rather an unnecessary nuisance. That’s not to say the bike is slow – it’s just that in the right hands in the twisties it can stay with a superbike, but can’t rocket up to insane speeds between bends as the sports bikes can. This restriction makes for very enjoyable riding, though, because you can ride the bikes hard all day without getting into too much trouble.
The Aprilia is blessed with a useful onboard computer, with a “mode” button that allows you to scroll through the various screens. One useful piece of information it provides you with is the maximum speed reached since the computer was last zeroed. I managed to tuck in behind another rider’s, and recorded a top-end of 182 km/h on a downhill. On the flat, my bike would pull to around 170 km/hr, and cruise happily at 150 or so. The bike’s rev counter is not burdened with a red line, but at about 6 000 rpm the engine management system chips in, and at 7000 the rev limiter stops the fun. There’s loads of torque available from low down, so the slick five speed transmission has more than enough ratios to get the job done.
Handling is excellent. My bike was set up a little soft in the beginning, but jacking up the rear spring’s preload got everything shipshape, and I could fling the bike around without any wobbles, weaves or grounding of the footpegs. Approaching the Outeniqua Pass from the Oudtshoorn side I was zapped by a BMW K1200 and a Kawasaki ZZR-1100 at high speed, but once we got to the twisties it was easy to reel them in, and in very short order get past them and away. Nobody was trying too hard, but I suspect that if we had been, the bigger bikes would have proved a handful while the Aprilia did what it was built to do without effort.
Our lunch stop was on a guest farm, and getting there required that we cover a kilometre or so on gravel. The Aprilia’s wheels and tyres don’t lend themselves to enthusiastic dirt riding, but I was surprised to find that the bike could commute quite comfortably on the loose stuff. If I intended doing much exploration of dirt roads I’d wait for the dual purpose version of the Pegaso, but for occasional use on good dirt roads I’d settle for the Strada.
There are a number of handy features included in the package. There’s a handy little cubby in the tank top, that can be opened without taking the key from the ignition. It’s big enough for a cell phone, wallet, cigarettes, hand-held GPS and toll fees, and there’s a bigger compartment under the seat that will accept a rainsuit.
The Aprilia Pegaso Strada is a sexy machine that’s useful in most real world situations. It’s a fine commuter, and can be very rewarding when ridden hard, without becoming intimidating. I’d happily ride it from Durban to Cape Town with a pillion, and the odd dirt road would still be a welcome sight. I don’t think it’s better or worse to ride that the Yamaha XT660X it shares an engine with, and the on-board computer and handy stowage compartments give it a slight edge. It’s also slightly cheaper at R65 000, and a little more exclusive. On the downside, we don’t know much yet about spares availability and pricing. It’s really a matter of paying your money and making a choice.