Introduction Approved.

Hi Picky, welcome to xBhp. An Aprilia owner - whoa! Now, that's a first at xBhp. Lovely machine.

Hi Picky, Welcome on board mate.

You own a fantastic and exclusive piece of machinery.

Keep Rolling.

welcome

welcome to xbhp......sare more about ur machine!!!!!!!!!

Man... that's a dream!!! Kewl is the word... Welcome to xBhp dude!!!

Hey Arvind, nice ride! And welcome to xBhp!

Welcome to xBhp, dude!!

Nice ride, there!!

welcome aboard Aravind. enjoy ur stay...
post in some travelogues too.
btw... why the name picky?!

Hey, thanks for the warm welcome guys...

Yeah, it is an awsome bike...

It's a v-twin, 998cc, 116bhp machine.

it has the same engine as the Aprilia RSV Mille, only slightly detuned for sport-touring. It was made between 2001 - 2004. It was hailed as the best sport-tourer when it came out.. easily beating the leaders at that time.. Ducati ST4 and Honda FJR.

Right now the bike is in hibernation as it has become too cold here to ride. (0 to -15)which is what I hate about East Coast. It will be like that till March.

I'll post a couple of ride reports as soon as I can dig up the pics.

@Shadez: Picky is my nickname (like pintu, chintu, pappu..)... everyone has been calling me that ever since I was little.

Here are some more pics:



Sorry about the crappy pics... they are all taken on my cell phone.

wow man. thats a wonderfull machinery. Welcome to the group. And share few of you experiences on motorcycles...

Welcome to xBhp(Sorry for the late welcome).

I was going through your album which redirected me to this page.Nice piece of machine but it looks a bit awkward with the rear end protruding out. Does it makes any difference in the handling?

Will eagerly wait for a new touring threads from your side after March 09.

Welcome to XBHP Picky.....Enjoy your stay

Welcome to xBhp , our New Yorker !!!!!!!!!

Welcome to the xBhp family!

Good to have some first hand feedback on the European steeds

How has your experience been with maintenance and reliablility? Maybe this calls for a new thread

Thanks again, guys....

@MG: In person the rear end does not seem to be protruding out the way it is looking in the pics.... funny, I had not noticed it until you mentioned it.... probably it has to do with the camera angle.... or because of the undertail exhast....
Just like this BMW R1100S:


It does not affect the handling at all.... it corners perfectly...

@Spat: So far, I have not had any problems with the bike, except that the charging system does not charge the battery enough, so the battery get discharged quite frequently... the culprit is the stock voltage regulator/rectifier, which I am planning to change before the riding season begins....otherwise the bike is sweeeeet.....

meanwhile, I just got back from a 2000 mile (3200Km) trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway & the Great Smokey Mountains Park in Virginia/North Carolina/Tennessee.
BRP is 469 miles long and is one of the most scenic road in the US and is a must visit for bikers with its curves & twisties all the way.

Unfortunately, the trip was by car because of the weather plus BRP was closed in some sections due to snow & ice.
I would say it was a recon trip for my next visit (on my bike, of course).

here are a couple of pics:
Blue Ridge Parkway:

Great Smokey Mountains from my hotel room: