Sorry to use an age old Yorkshire phase Tom, but he's talking a load of bollocks.
To cover the spares bit first -
It is very difficult to comment on spares as I have needed almost nothing in 4 1/2 years and 20K miles.
Other than an odd bulb it has needed just a rear brake switch and a side stand switch. The latter was one of the early plastic pin type and I finally sheared it. I have managed to get these from an online dealer within 2 or 3 days.
The only other item bought from an Aprilia dealer was a new a rear brake pedal, but I could hardly blame that on unreliability as it was bent when I dropped the bike when a car pulled out on me almost exactly two years ago.
Not in stock and had to order, but again had it within two or three days. I ride all year round and although we don't get anything like as much snow as you do, we put a helluva lot of rock salt on our roads.
It has been the most reliable bike I have ever owned and most of my other recent bikes have been Hondas, still have a CBR1000, (prior to that had a CB750 F2N and a VFR750).
The fairing fasteners are much better quality than the stuff that Suzuki and a few others use, and are certainly at least a match for Honda.
Mine has picked up some rust on the odd caliper bolts and a few other places, but no rotting downpipes and collector boxes like your average Honda and most other Jap bikes.
I know people on this site have had some problems obtaining certain spares, but my experiences are all good.
There is only one major problem for me, that is the price of spares.
They even make Ducati prices look cheap.
But not such a problem if you don't need to buy them very often.
