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While out playing at the shropshire meet I got to ride Jay's Oasis green - which is broadly speaking bog standard.

So - it gave me the opportunity to compare and contrast things - and to assess if the things i have done have been worthwhile.

So - the oasis is, as i said, standard bar two things - the side stand has been changed for one and the longer mirrors from a 125 have been fitted.

For those of us who do not have a USA spec falco, the side stand should be the first job ALL falco riders should do - so yes - it is a worth while mod

The mirrors - a relatively straight forward mod - easy to acquire and fit - worth it? Well, if you love to look at your elbows, then no, leave the standard mirrors on - but if you would rather know what is happening behind you - get them sorted

Apart from that, the Oasis is standard so we will start at the front and head backwards

THE IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT THE FALCO - EVEN STANDARD - IS AN AWESOME MOTOR CYCLE

My little scooter has the 4 pad callipers fitted with dual braided HEL lines. The stander falco brakes are good - especially if well maintained and bled - the higher spec callipers are nice and are more responsive - but to be honest the standard brakes are plenty for my skill level - if you do a lot of track days etc, then yes this is a worthwhile mod - but not really necessary

I have dinky little indicators at the front - pure bling and not necessary at all

I have fitted cheap pazzo copy levers - the standard levers are ok, and do have some adjustment on them, but the pazzo copy's are better for my short fingers - I have also noticed that I am adjusting the levers depending on what i am doing - i.e. as i moved from long boring motorway to more "interesting" roads i adjusted them to increase the control.... worth it - at 200 quid for the real pazzo's probably not - at 40 quid for the copies - yes

I have moved my bars over the triple crown. Now comparing that to the standard falco was very interesting - the original bars are more of a sports emphasis - the steering is lithe and accurate. Though not as bad as a mille's riding position, i know my back prefers the more upright position...

I have a skidmarx double bubble screen - and i really noticed that with the standard screen i got a lot more wind noise - i think if you are going to do a trip of more than 75 miles a double bubble really does make sense

I have fitted radiator and oil cooler guards - from beowulf for about £75 - these replaced my original home made chicken wire versions. My initial thought was that they were just bling - BUT - i think there is a justifiable need for them - the welsh roads do have a lot of loose stones and i would hate to have one hit the radiator at speed....

I have the skidmarx belly pan - pure bling.... but i do prefer the look

I have fitted R&G bar ends - the originals are fine - so just pure bling :)

I have heated oxford grips - which i feel should be standard on all bikes in the UK :) the original falco grips do feel better - perhaps a set of wrap round grips would have been better??

I have the MPL clutch slave fitted - and yes - even though the standard falco clutch is pretty good, i rate the MPL - no wrist ache for me.

I have a bagster tank cover - because i always have a tank bag for waterproofs etc with me.... it would be a sin to cover up the oasis colour but i do think that for people who use their bike as i do, should consider it - one of those "Its a nice idea" mods

I have a sergeant saddle - a shed load of money as i imported it from the USA - the oasis had the latter two panel saddle - apparently more comfortable than the original saddle type. The oasis saddle was ok - especially for the kind of bike the falco is. Would i like to ride 200 plus miles in one day on it - nope - and I have a fat, well padded arse! Would i suggest a sergeant saddle instead? no - more likely i would pay 70 quid to have a standard one recovered and upgraded.

I have a remote pre load adjusting ohlins shock - the original blue sucks unit was on the oasis..... it was probably ok - when it was first wheeled off the forecourt as a new bike - but now... awful - admittedly it was not set for me, but it was crap. Would i recommend what I have? nope - a well serviced and set up white spring sachs mille shock would perform well and be a lot cheaper

I have a swanky rear light unit with integrated indicators etc - total and utter bling.... but i do like it so!

The original falco needed the arse end tidying up - so I think a tail tidy is necessary

So thats the cosmetics - what about the performance side of things?

Lets start by saying that even in standard trim - and presumably derestricted, the oasis green had a lot of power and rode well - many many people would like such a good motorcycle

I have a full Renegade airkit fitted - the induction roar still makes me smile - the throttle response is instant, where as i found that it felt the standard air box was choking off the air intake. (I am ignoring the debate about snorkels....)
I am also running iridium plugs - i do not think that they make any performance difference at all - they may help starting though! Would i suggest them - yes, i would
I am running a full mille renegade high mount dual can exhaust system. Now the standard falco cans are quiet - heavy and quiet. just about all the after market cans for the falco add to the sound and character of the bike - I think that changing even the slip ons is something that all owners should consider and do
I have 54mm throttle bodies - and irrespective of what others say, my arse dyno tells me that the bike feels like it has a super charger that kicks in from 4500 to 8000 revs... the oasis picks up and moves well - but .... is it worthwhile doing - to me yes - would i suggest anyone else doing it... no
I run a renegade +10 chip and power commander 3 - that way i get the best out of the performance of the bike - but is it worth it..... in short no - but if you are doing a lot of modding then you probably do need to consider it


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Future work that i do need to consider - having ridden a few bikes over the week end, I do want to get my forks serviced - i will probably end up with Shohlins.
My Oz wheels will be fitted by the time we head off to mallory.....
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there is no conclusion - apart from the realisation that even standard, the Falco is a stunning motor cycle.
The majority of the mods that I have done have added to the enjoyment of my bike, but are not all are necessary for any one to enjoy the Aprilia Falco

nice review

Aladinsaneuk wrote: I am a fat, well padded arse!

Nice reveiw and it is nice for those of us who will only ever do the standard mods (battery, side stand and shock) to know that the basic bike is a damm good machine.

In a perfect world it would be good to have two Falcos, a standard one and a project to do what ever you and your wallet can do.

I have now done just over 800 miles since I got it and it just keeps getting better and better, recently did a 100 mile ride with a bunch of other bikes and I was suprised to see how a ten year old Falco stood up and matched some of the latest bikes.

Nice write up.

I haven't tried a DB screen on mine yet, but the standard Falco screen does seem very noisy to me compared with the lovely Givi DB I had my previous bike.

Sold my Givi Tank Lock tank bag now, lost about £20 on it. Great piece of kit, but the filler cap on the falco is too far back. If I filled the bag it hindered my movement on the bike. Don't fancy a bagster cover though.

I disagree about the tail tidy. I actually like the rear end. There's something odd about basically having the number play directly bolted underneath the light. I like the gap that their on the original.

A bloody good honest useful review by a man who's been there,done that,
More than enough info to save the curios time and money

wayofthedarkhand wrote:Nice write up.

I haven't tried a DB screen on mine yet, but the standard Falco screen does seem very noisy to me compared with the lovely Givi DB I had my previous bike.

Seriously do you wear ear protection.
I have two falco's one with normal screen and one with a double bubble.
I wear good fitting hearing protection and no issues.

blinkey501 wrote:

wayofthedarkhand wrote:Nice write up.

I haven't tried a DB screen on mine yet, but the standard Falco screen does seem very noisy to me compared with the lovely Givi DB I had my previous bike.

Seriously do you wear ear protection.
I have two falco's one with normal screen and one with a double bubble.
I wear good fitting hearing protection and no issues.

Yep, earplugs.

Also i'm only 5'10 but stil the screen is poor.

Re the screen

It's ok - but I do find it noisy

BUT - this was riding around Wales on roads that I do d not know.... So maybe I was sitting up higher than normal? I know I was a tad nervous and cautious :)

Is a DB worth it - yes