How did you like the Shiver?
How do I like the Shiver? A short question, here’s my long answer:
The Shiver was not a good fit for me as one of its most significant features, corner carving, is of little to no importance to me. (Hey, I grew up on Harley Davidson Panheads, so I know how to corner: you SLOW DOWN.) I had just come off a brief ownership of a Kawasaki Versys and the Shiver seemed much better, lots more power and lots less vibration.
Only after buying the Shiver did I learn on the forums that reasonable proximity to a good dealer is critically important on a Shiver and the nearest one to me was 400 miles distant. Amongst the 49 motorcycles I have owned, the Shiver was the only one whose rider’s manual offered no instruction on removing a wheel or adjusting the chain; in every case, they just said “take it to your Aprilia dealer.” And their dealer network in the U.S. is very sparse with perhaps 50% of them being not much good.
Furthermore, the Shiver is a very electronic bike and only the dealers have the device for troubleshooting and failure analysis of its numerous sensors and systems. Many owners have had problems with electric component failures. That said, I had no problems in the 2300 miles or so I had the bike but even so, it was kind of a drag knowing that if I had even little problems they could be a major nuisance.
Many owners bragged about the quality of construction of the Shiver and had a sort of elitist or snobbish view of them over “the Japanese bikes.” In my view, this position is completely unfounded, the exotic Italian bike did not have a thing in terms of quality over the typical Japanese motorcycle. Sorry, but I think for quality that counts, that is quality that translates into reliability and dependability, the Japanese bikes have it all over the Aprilia. (And that Aprilia quality seems to come at a price; they appear to cost about 25% more than a comparable Japanese bike, though their resale value is quite low. Routine maintenance is a bit more expensive, a genuine Aprilia oil filter was $20.00.)
The Shiver was way more powerful than the Wee. It’s a funny thing about power though. Going from one bike to a much more powerful one is really great... for a while, then the super power just feels “normal” and isn’t that big a deal. Fortunately, the reverse is also true. Lack of power in the Wee compared to the Shiver was really noticeable when I first got the Wee. Each day the Wee’s power seems more normal and after a while you realize the power difference just isn’t that big a deal.
Bottom line: if you really really want a Shiver, and if you’re convenient to a good dealer, especially AF1 Racing in southern Texas, (probably the best Aprilia dealer in the world) then you’re golden, go for it. But if you continue on a Wee, then you have every reason to hold your head as high or higher than any exotic Italian bike owner.
