A few years ago I was sitting with my feet dangling into the edge of a fast flowing Victoria Falls, only seconds away from plunging to an imminent and very watery death – what a complete and utter ‘chop’, right? But we all know that silly antics and childish bravery seem to appear when one is on holiday, right? I’m still here though, writing this, unless I’m now sitting having tea with Charles Dickens in the clouds and the visit to the bottom of that massive waterfall was a reality.
Obviously not, because I can hear my aged washing machine grinding away in the background, but I’ve been told on numerous occasions that I’m ‘away in the clouds’ anyway. Sorry about all this irrelevant reminiscence but there is a reason. You see, I’d ridden many thousands of kilometers to get to Victoria Falls on the first Aprilia Caponord ETV 1000 and by the time I returned to Gauteng I’d covered 5,000km in nine days with no problems whatsoever from the big and super comfortable V-twin and fell in love with the concept. Therefore I was so looking forward to tying out the latest and greatest 2015 Caponord 1200 Rally version – there I’ve finally got to the point, phew!
Let me tell you right now that after a week of tearing around on this rugged beast I can certainly say I’d do that trip again and then carry on around the rest of the world with confidence – that’s how the new Caponord Rally version makes you feel. Every journey isn’t long enough, you just want to stay aboard and ride for longer and nothing I’ve ridden in this highly competitive market segment is more comfortable, and we all know who its competitors are!
So what’s the difference between the all-new Caponord released in 2013 and this 2015 chunky Rally version you ask, or so you should because I’m going to tell you? Well, the 2013 version is designed for long distance road touring, where the 2015 Rally option is a pure adventure bike in every sense of the word with more off-road ability. Primarily the cast wheels have gone and these hefty spoke wheels are used instead and chassis geometry has been altered to suit. The Rally has a 19-inch front (17-inch on the 2013) wheel, which will be much better down the dirt road, crash bars, hand guards, spot lights, engine sump guard, larger adjustable windscreen and those bomb-proof 33-litre panniers are all new on the Rally and standard equipment, and there’s no denying that it looks ready to conquer our planet.
All the fancy electronics, which buyers demand nowadays, are still there. Heated grips and cruise control remain, as does Aprilia Traction Control (ATC), revised ABS for off-road use, three power modes (sport, touring rain), and of course the brilliant ADD (Aprilia Dynamic Damping) suspension.
The Sachs suspension is very, very clever and a pleasure to experience. You can either preset or do what I did and just leave it in auto (lazy bast’) mode where it will change the suspension depending on how you ride without having to adjust anything, ever. In this mode the Caponord Rally will go from fully soft to fully hard (sounds a bit fruity, I know, and nothing to do with a blue pill) in an unbelievable 10-milliseconds! So ride fast, or slow, and the Rally will instantly adapt accordingly, and that includes when you load up a passenger and/or extra luggage.
To pull the World Eater around is their tried and tested thumping 90-degree V-twin with a few tweaks over the road model for more low down power and torque. The 1,197cc engine develops a claimed 125hp and 115Nm of torque, which is the basically the same as the latest liquid-cooled GS, coincidence, mmmmm? Whatever Aprilia has done to this revised motor has made it a peach of a power plant, and dare I say it doesn’t feel typically Italian anymore. The engine is smooth and relentless and the gearbox feels Japanese, as in sweeeet.
Wafting along at illegal speeds whilst looking at the simple but highly effective instrument pod is intoxicating and once again I’ll enforce that every journey is too short on the Rally, this is a PROPER adventure bike folks in every sense of the word. At R189,000 I think the Caponord Rally is worth every Rand especially when you consider the equipment levels on offer and more importantly the way the whole package gels together.
As you’ve gathered I really like this new Aprilia Caponord Rally and would dearly love to clear off into the African Continent and dangle my feet into another violent cascade and hopefully not become the world’s first poltergeist journalist, but if that did happen I’d like the Rally to come with me and take dear ol’ Charles Dickens for a tour around the clouds, he’d like that also I’m sure.
To book a highly recommended test ride before you try anything else go to www.cayenne.co.za today.
