{"id":586158,"date":"2018-03-06T17:52:34","date_gmt":"2018-03-06T07:52:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bikeme.tv\/?p=586158"},"modified":"2018-03-06T17:52:34","modified_gmt":"2018-03-06T07:52:34","slug":"2018-aprilia-shiver-dorsoduro-italian-affairs-of-the-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/2018-aprilia-shiver-dorsoduro-italian-affairs-of-the-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"2018 APRILIA SHIVER & DORSODURO \u2013 ITALIAN AFFAIRS OF THE HEART"},"content":{"rendered":"

IMAGES BY NICK EDARDS\/ HALF LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY<\/strong><\/p>\n

A lot of attention is given to Aprilia\u2019s staggeringly brilliant V4 monsters (the Tuono and the Mille), and quite often it\u2019s smaller offerings are overlooked in the feverish rush to venerate the big boys.<\/p>\n

But there has always been other gold to mine in Aprilia\u2019s rich vein.<\/p>\n

I admire very much what Aprilia has constantly done with its delightful (and now mid-sized) twins. The Shiver and the Dorsoduro have always been immensely rideable and joyous to fang. Light, quick-steering and responsive, they are simply perfect for carving European alps.<\/p>\n

\"\"

A fully accessorised Dorsoduro, with tank bags and covers.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"

The milder and fluffier-looking Shiver.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

We don\u2019t have alps here. Not really. And droning along our mostly straight, boring and heavily policed roads on either of the Shiver or Dorsoduro (or anything actually), is pretty tedious. But when you find those corners and you start hooking in\u2026that Aprilia handling integrity\u2026that engine note\u2026the sheer Italianess of the bike\u2026<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a hugely heady combo.<\/p>\n

The new same-engine paradigm has not changed this at all, and in fact, I think both bikes are better off for the capacity change.<\/p>\n

Aprilia has now\u2026um, rationalised them, I guess, and given them both the same 900cc fuel-injected twin OHC V-twin engine and steel trellis frame. But very cleverly, it has managed to create two vastly different-feeling bikes by changing everything else.<\/p>\n

\"\"

See? It’s almost handsome.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"

Bail refused. Guaranteed.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The Shiver is up from 750 to 900 and the Dorsoduro is down to 900 from 1200.<\/p>\n

So while the frame and engine are the same, and both bikes have the same engine maps (Rain, Touring and Sport), viewed side by side and ridden back to back, the two could not be more different.<\/p>\n

The differences lie in several crucial places.<\/p>\n

Firstly, the swingarms and the rear shock mounting points are different, as is the suspension travel. The motard-like Dorsoduro:<\/p>\n