APRILIA CAPONORD 1200 TRAVEL PACK
The road that joins Pula and Teulada features a fabulous series of curves that just beg to be enjoyed to the full. The tarmac ribbon stretches well beyond what your eye can see and splits the horizon in two: to the right, red rocks and to the left, the rough sea. The contrast seems to make the raindrops that quickly slide off your visor seem that much lighter. You realise that you're in the right place with the right bike. When a ray of sun bursts out from behind the black clouds, it almost seems to be pointing the road to your destination.
Then and only then do you realise how lucky you are. There's nowhere else you'd rather be, and you long for the tarmac ribbon to rewind so that you can feel it all again just one more time. A bike like the Caponord 1200 can create such feelings time after time, over any type of road. It is docile when you want to admire the scenery, comfortable when you want to tour, and, like all Aprilias, very fast and efficient when you want to set the blood racing. How many souls does the Aprilia Caponord 1200 have? Lots, and all as different as the roads you meet from day to day. One bike for any type of road, whether you're alone or have a passenger; one bike for travelling light or fully laden: one bike that can automatically adjust the suspension set-up to match the road, the riding style or the load being carried, thanks to the sophisticated ADD semi-active suspension pack fitted as standard on the Travel Pack version.
You don't have to make allowances for the type of road or your riding style. The system does it for you, making real time adjustments to differing requirements. All the rider has to do is ride.
Get on the saddle, turn on the ignition, ride a hundred yards and you'll instantly know you've got everything under control. The Caponord 1200 is by far one of the most confidence inspiring motorbikes in its category. The tapered saddle isn't so high as to make it difficult to manhandle the bike with the engine off, as can happen when you have to "paddle" to get out of a tight parking space. This sort of thing is important, because practicality in everyday use is all too often overlooked. Just notice also how easy it is to raise the bike onto the main stand.
The Caponord 1200 is also easy on the road. From the very first bend, you'll have complete control of the front end, giving you the right feeling with the bike so as to push it to the limits. Accurate cornering, speed through bends, great stability at high speed, good handling characteristics when changing direction, and good ground clearance for fun and solid braking. The Caponord 1200 boasts a sports-based frame - as you would rightly expect from an Aprilia. In other words, the high performance DNA that makes all Aprilias stand out from the rest, courses through the blood of this bike too.
Yet here we are talking about the only bike in the Aprilia range dedicated to touring. This means that the suspension isn't too stiff but actually filters out all those bumps and ruts on the road, ensuring the comfort that tourers demand. The bike also offers excellent rider protection while not being overly huge, and the upright relaxed riding position is always just right, whatever the occasion.
There is always more than enough power, but only if you want it. This means that if you want to ride in a high gear at low revs, the changes made to the 90° V twin engine let you go smoothly at a snail's pace; but if you want to open her up, the 1200 can unleash immense torque at medium revs to provide excellent acceleration. You can also change the power output from three mapping settings, but in all honesty, the Touring setting is so fluid, with no hint of jerking when you open or close the throttle, and the engine is so quick to respond, that this setting alone seems exactly right for anything you could ever need.
You'll often open her up even when you don't need to, just to hear the growl from the exhaust. The bike responds immediately on straight and twisty roads, and will carry you from one bend to the next with just the slightest twist of the throttle thanks to the traction control system, which you won't even feel cut in when you get a bit carried away. This is a perfect example of an electronic system that will please even those purists who love riding "by the seat of their pants".
The ATC, ABS, ride by wire and ADD systems fitted to the Caponord 1200 take away none of the pleasure of riding fast, and in reality make it safer and actually more efficient. Even the "coolest" rider will be grinning behind his visor as the exhausts growl. It is the perfect soundtrack for a bit of fun.