Aprilia Shiver 900 2018 — Specifications

Reprendre une feuille blanche après un premier jet raté, c'est l'exercice le plus difficile qui soit. Aprilia le sait mieux que quiconque: the Shiver 750 had not convinced many, caught between correct power and a character too tame to assert itself in a category where the Yamaha MT-09 and the Kawasaki Z 900 dictated the law. Rather than abandoning the segment, Noale chose to rework the design. The result is called Aprilia Shiver 900, and this time, the brand with the winged A seems to have better understood what the market expected of it.

The most structuring change lies in the engine dimensions. Without changing the 92 mm bore, engineers lengthened the stroke by 11 mm to reach 64.1 mm, bringing the displacement to 896 cc. The number of horsepower has not changed at all: 95 hp at 8750 rpm, exactly what the 750 offered. What changes is where the V2 twin now delivers its power, namely the torque, 90 Nm available from 6500 rpm. The pull is more frank, more visceral, and the entire usable range gains consistency. The ride-by-wire system, revised and 500 grams lighter, now pilots a new management unit associated with a standard traction control system. For those who want the Aprilia Shiver 900 A2, a homologated restriction kit remains available, which expands the audience of the machine to young A2 license holders.

The design has also matured. The silhouette is less edgy, more muscular in the flanks, with an engine guard that gives the whole a visual presence. The red valve covers stand out against a predominantly black paint scheme, and remind anyone who forgets that this machine comes from the same design offices as the RSV4. The color TFT dashboard, directly inherited from the higher models in the range, is a real success: readable, complete, it gives the rider a sense of belonging to the sporty Aprilia family that the 750 could not convey. It's a detail that counts, especially when considering the Aprilia Shiver 900 used as a gateway to the brand.

The mixed chassis, steel tubular trellis and aluminum side plates, has been retained in its general lines. This is a good decision: it was already one of the strengths of the previous generation. The 41 mm inverted fork, adjustable in rebound and preload, advantageously replaces the old equipment, with a gain of 500 grams at the front. The new rims further lighten the machine: 900 grams gained on the front wheel, 1300 at the rear, which is more than two kilos of unsprung mass less. On the road, this kind of gain is felt directly in the responsiveness to changes in direction. Braking entrusts the work to two 320 mm wave discs with radial four-piston calipers at the front, backed by a single 240 mm disc at the rear, all supervised by a two-channel ABS. Solid, without excessive frippery.

At 8449 euros, the Aprilia Shiver 900 price positions itself in the lower range of the segment, below most of its direct rivals. This is a real commercial argument, even if the question of Aprilia Shiver 900 reliability will inevitably come up in discussions, the 750's track record having left some doubts in people's minds. This 900 version seems better calibrated, more consistent in its intentions. It will not dethrone the MT-09 in volume, but it clearly deserves to be considered by the urban motorcyclist who wants character without paying the high price, or by the occasional touring rider who is looking for a healthy base to personalize, with Aprilia Shiver 900 luggage and bubble helping, without turning their budget into a source of regret.