Aprilia Dorsoduro 900 2019 — Specifications

When Aprilia decides to move the Dorsoduro to the 900cc configuration, it’s not just slapping a “new edition” sticker on a dusty fairing. The V2 twin that powered the 750 had character, certainly, but it demanded more punch to keep pace with a Ducati Hypermotard that relentlessly increases its performance. Noale’s response is surgical: the bore remains at 92 mm, the stroke is lengthened from 56.4 to 67.4 mm, and physics is left to do its work. The result is 896 cc, 90 Nm available from 6500 rpm, and a torque curve raised across the entire range compared to the previous version. The 95 hp peaks at 8750 rpm, a modest gain in figures, but the feeling in the saddle doesn’t lie.

What immediately strikes you about the Aprilia Dorsoduro 900 is the coherence of the project. The motorcycle doesn’t seek to seduce with a radically reworked design. The taut lines, the well-defined supermotard proportions on its 17-inch wheels, the high riding position at 870 mm of seat height, all of that already existed. What Noale touched up was the detail that counts: a more incisive color palette, visual references borrowed from the RSV4, a few parts finished in black to emphasize the musculature of the frame. The Aprilia Dorsoduro 900 graphics kit doesn’t transform the beast; it sharpens it. For those seeking to personalize it further, the Aprilia Dorsoduro 900 accessories market is well-stocked, with exhaust systems at the forefront, since the original line respects Euro4 without choking the twin, but without letting it fully express itself either.

The electronics have stepped up their game. The ride-by-wire system has been thoroughly revised, reduced in weight by 550 grams, and the Marelli 7SM ECU now orchestrates three injection maps as well as a three-level traction control system, deactivatable for riders who know what they’re doing. Sport mode unleashes the V2’s sharp character, Touring softens the relationship between the throttle and the rear wheel for everyday use, and Rain tempers the ardor in slippery conditions. A 4.3-inch TFT screen centralizes all of this, with the possibility of connecting a smartphone via the optional Aprilia multimedia platform. It’s useful, but not essential. The announced top speed of 200 km/h isn’t the point on a machine designed for corners, not straight lines.

The mixed chassis, steel tubular trellis frame combined with aluminum side plates, hasn’t changed. What has changed is the quality of the road connections. The adjustable preload and rebound inverted fork gains in lightness, the rear Sachs monoshock ensures rigorous tracking, and the redesigned rims further lighten the whole assembly, bringing it down to 186 kg dry. On the Aprilia Dorsoduro 900 technical specification, the wet weight displays 212 kg, which remains reasonable for the size. Four-piston radial calipers bite on 320 mm front discs, ABS monitors, and the whole forms a balanced package for a rider who knows how to read a winding road.

At €9499, the question of the Aprilia Dorsoduro 900 price is seriously raised against German and Austrian competition. But the Dorsoduro plays a different card: this Italian twin, this character that grumbles between corners, this agility on the handlebars that no figure really summarizes. The motorcycle is A2 compliant, which mechanically expands the target audience, even if in reality, this machine is aimed at experienced riders, comfortable with a reactive and uncompromising machine. For those seeking a used Dorsoduro 900 on the second-hand market, the first versions of this generation offer an interesting contained ratio, the Aprilia Dorsoduro 900 reliability having shown few structural weaknesses in use. A motorcycle honest in its ambitions, sharp in its execution.