Here you can see the 43mm...
Here you can see the 43mm inverted fork, which houses the radially mounted four-piston calipers. Steel-braided lines come standard.
What Does The Future Hold?
Overall the Shiver has the makings for a great bike. It displays the craftsmanship that is typical to all Aprilias, but it still needs some further refinement to reach its full potential. This is a bike that can nearly do it all, but despite its attractive appearance and comfortable riding position, at this price one expects more from a motorcycle. Little things like the lack of a spring-loaded detent with the turn-indicator switch often left us paranoid as to whether or not the blinkers were on. The gauge cluster also left us annoyed with how complex a normally simple device was to operate. We could sense that the engine and chassis wanted to give us more in the canyons but were being held back. After pondering over the Shiver we started to wonder why Aprilia didn't just add on a worthy suspension and create a little brother to the Tuono. Our best guess is that this engine and chassis combo could be the basis to many other platforms that Aprilia will release in the future-a more sport oriented model with proper suspension being one of them. If that's the case then we can't wait to ride it. Until then the Shiver will be a great idea that just fell short.
The unassuming gauge cluster...
The unassuming gauge cluster is actually deceiving. The LCD panel can show a number of different menus depending on which hand you use to toggle.
The 750cc engine is Aprilia's...
The 750cc engine is Aprilia's first attempt at a proprietary engine, though there are remnants of Rotax in certain areas. Note also the laterally mounted rear shock.
'08 Aprilia SL750 Shiver
Test Notes
+ Comfortable seating position
+ Strong middleweight engine
- Gauge cluster is anything but intuitive
- Suspension gets overwhelmed quickly
x Engine and chassis have much more potential.
| SUGGESTED SUSPENSION SETTINGS |
| FRONT | Ride Height: 2 lines showing above triple clamp. |
| REAR | Spring preload: 12mm thread showing; Rebound damping: 15 clicks out from full stiff |
'08 Aprilia SL750 Shiver
MSRP: $8999
Engine
Type: Liquid-cooled, 90-deg., 4-stroke V-twin, DOHC, 4 valves/cyl.
Displacement: 749cc
Bore x stroke: 92.0 x 56.4mm
Compression ratio: 11.0:1
Induction: EFI with single injector/cyl., 52mm throttle bodies with electronic actuation.Transmission: 6-speed
Chassis
Front suspension: 43 mm inverted cartridge fork, 4.73 in. travel, non-adjustable
Rear suspension: Single shock absorber, 5.12 in. travel; adjustments for spring preload and rebound damping
Front wheel: 3.50 x 17 in.; cast-alloy
Rear wheel: 6.0 x 17 in.; cast-alloy
Front tire: 120/70-ZR17 Dunlop Sportmax Qualifier
Rear tire: 180/55-ZR17 Dunlop Sportmax Qualifier
Rake/trail: 25.7 deg./4.3 in. (109mm)
Wheelbase: 56.7 in. (1440mm)
Seat height: 31.9 in. (810mm)
Fuel capacity: 4.2 gal. (16L)
Weight: 488 lb (221 kg) wet; 463 lb (210 kg) dry
Instruments: Analog tachometer, digital speedometer, odometer/tripmeter, temperature gauge, clock, ambient temperature, fuel reserve, average and instantaneous fuel consumption, neutral, high beam, turn signals, low oil pressure, high engine temp.
Performance
Quarter mile: 11.88 sec. @ 111.8 mph (corrected)
Top speed: NA
Roll-ons:60-80mph/4.59 sec.; 80-100mph/5.14 sec.
Fuel consumption: 35 to 43 mpg, 40 mpg average