Aprilia Pegaso 650 Strada 2005 — Specifications

When Aprilia decides to dress the Pegaso Trail in supermotard attire, one might fear a botched facelift, a suit too large and hastily assembled. But the Aprilia Pegaso 650 Strada plays this movement with disconcerting ease. The five-spoke rims, directly inherited from the RSV-R 1000 Factory, immediately set the tone: this is not a trial bike in disguise, but a genuine style proposition, consistent from the forks to the footpegs. In 2005, the supermotard trend was at its peak, and Noale surfed the wave with a conviction that cannot be feigned.

Under the fuel tank, the break is even deeper. The Rotax single-cylinder engine, faithful companion of previous generations, gives way to the 659 cm3 twin-cylinder engine signed Yamaha. This fuel-injected block develops 50 horsepower at 6,250 rpm and 61.3 Nm of torque available from 5,200 rpm. It’s not a cavalry charge, but it’s an engine that pulls cleanly, without a hiccup or false promise. On a machine that weighs only 168 kg dry, this power-to-weight ratio ensures a real liveliness in tight sequences. The 780 mm high seat and the suspension recalibrated for urban and road use make the machine accessible to a wide public, including A2 license holders after restriction.

The standard equipment of the Strada commands respect for its time. A complete digital dashboard, a coded key immobilizer, a storage compartment under the seat and a second compartment on the fuel tank with electromagnetic opening controlled from the handlebar: Aprilia clearly targeted the driver who rides daily, not just on Sundays between mountain passes. The front brake receives a 320 mm disc bitten by a four-piston caliper, the rear being satisfied with a 240 mm two-piston disc. The 45 mm telescopic fork offers 140 mm of travel, the rear shock offering 130 mm. Nothing to rival a true trail bike with an adventure vocation, but it is consistent with the supermotard philosophy of the machine.

Faced with the competition of 2005, notably the Husqvarna SM 610 or the KTM 625 SMC, the Aprilia Pegaso 650 Strada occupies a more civilized, better-equipped, more everyday niche. It doesn’t seek to settle scores on the track, it offers a compromise between character and practicality at 7,160 euros. The opportunity to discover it today on the Aprilia Pegaso 650 Strada second-hand market, available in all years from 2005 to 2008, is to access an atypical Italian that has known how to reinvent itself without betraying its DNA. A test is enough to understand that the bet was right.