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Ive returned to a falco after a 3 years on 2 other bikes (fz6-good bike but oh so boring), (and an SV1000-again a nice bike but lacking any character) and i just cant believe i ever sold the bloody thing 3 years ago. i must have been mad.
The falco is so well built in my opinion, handles like a dream with the right mix of fun and madness when you want, sounds great and looks unique.
May have something to do with me buying a 54 plate with 1800 mile on it but i cant fault it except that stupid old sidestand which will soon be replaced.
Welcome back to fun for me, biking was losing its appeal through my bad choice of alternatives, now im happy again and motivated.

:)

You've come to the right place for recognition...

We tend to regard the Falco as one of life's bafflingly well-kept secrets. In biking terms, we're a mixture of the cognoscenti and the illuminati.

Or something Italian, anyway...

In answer to your question - there are a lot of diferent bikes out there. I agree that the Falco has to be one of the best.

I think the Falco does get recognition - most reviews are positive. It's main problem is it looks like a boring sports tourer. I got a big shock when I bought mine and rode it home

ReggieGasket wrote: a boring sports tourer.

Ahem!!?

MartDude wrote:

ReggieGasket wrote: a boring sports tourer.

Ahem!!?

No, that was the Futura...

The problem is that it fell between two stools (words chosen with care ) Aprilia's Road going version of their WSBK bike - the Millie and the full dress tourer (OK sports tourer) - the Futura.

Few really grasped that it was a better road-based sports bike (and you could tour on it if you wanted). So many other bikes that were perceived to share similar ground were just compromises and I guess the SL (Sports Light) Falco was tarred with the same brush.

I should qualify my remark a bit.

I remember seeing a Falco in a showroom when it first came out. I thought it looked fantastic. Sporty, but with more style and originality than Fireblades and Gixers (of that time). I wanted one, but at that time I wasn't riding bikes anymore. I'd given up bikes in the early 90s.

But when I bought my Falco a few years ago (I started riding again in 2004), I was looking at pictures in Autotrader and ebay and reading reviews online. By this time (2009) it was a 10 year old design and it looked just like VFRs and RFs to me. But when I turned up to pick mine up (I bought it without viewing it as a long distance commuting tool), I got a shock. It had race pipes on and was LOUD. It looked much better in the flesh - more like my original memory. I rode it home and it was FAST and tight. I thought I'd bought a sensible sports tourer, but actually had bought a true sporting road bike. I was very pleased and it even returned 50mpg and was reliable. Great bike.

I saw the Falco more than 10 years ago and loved it.
Bought my Falco 8 years ago and still love it, helped by being the most reliable bike I have ever owned.

As for Andy's two stools, a lot of people say that, but I cannot agree.
The simple answer is that through all the time it was on sale Brit buyers bought nothing but sports bikes, they had to have what was in WSB etc., even if they were as uncomfortable as hell.
(By that time even Honda were struggling to sell Blackbirds and VFRs).
Let's face it, if the Falco was between two stools the Futura was a very small one, as they sold in similar or probably lower numbers than the Falco.
If the Falco had been sold now, it may have done much better as Brits have fallen out with buying new sporsbikes.

Many many years ago I went to a bike show and walked straight past the Falco to ogle over the stealth-fighter-looking Futura...

When I bought the Falco, I never intended to buy a new(er) bike - I was just kicking tyres and seeing what was around. One ride convinced me it was an amazing bike. Then I took the GF (now Mrs. Viking) for a test ride to see how comfortable it was for her and she was sold on it, too.

To me, the Falco is the perfect all-rounder. I can tour on it, commute to work on it and go for a good blast through the hills on it. You can't ask for more, really.

ssshhhh it's our little secret, don't tell the masses they'll all want one

Here's my off the top of my head evaluation of the Falco and my CB500 on the things I use bikes for:

marks are out of 10, where 10 is the perfect bike:

1. Commute to work (short) - F 7, CB 8

2. Commute to work (long) - F 8, CB 8

3. Track Day - F 7, CB 8

4. Fast road work - F 9, CB 6

5. Ownership Pride - F 8, CB 5

6. Ride out with mates - F 8, CB 4

8. Nip into town for something - F 6, CB 9

9. Trip to motorsport event - F 9, CB 6