The Aprilia SL1000 Falco (also known as "Aprilia SL Mille"), is a sports motorcycle powered by a liquid-cooled

Rotax Rotax is the brand name for a range of internal combustion engines developed and manufactured by the Austrian company BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG (until 2016 BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co. KG), in turn owned by the Canadian Bombardier Recreational Produc ...

998 cc 60°

V-twin engine A V-twin engine, also called a V2 engine, is a two-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. Although widely associated with motorcycles (installed either transversely or longi ...

, manufactured from 1999 to 2005 by Aprilia in

Noale Noale is a town in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Veneto, Italy. It is part of the Miranese district, together with the neighboring municipalities of Mirano, Santa Maria di Sala, Salzano, Scorzè, Spinea and Martellago. The town is home to ...

, Italy. The Falco's engine was a detuned version of the RSV Mille engine. The Falco's dual exhausts and remapped fuel injection reduced peak power slightly but bolstered bottom and mid-range. The Falco has a half-fairing, a twin-beam alloy frame, 53 mm USD forks from Showa (& later

Marzocchi Marzocchi is an Italian manufacturer founded in 1949 by brothers Stefano and Guglielmo Marzocchi. The company profile doesn't include hydraulic industrial pumps anymore but only suspension components for motorcycles and bicycles. The Marzocchi Pom ...

) and twin Brembo 320 mm semi-floating front brake discs. The clutch simulated a

slipper clutch A slipper clutch ''(also known as a back-torque limiter)'' is a specialized clutch with an integrated freewheel mechanism, developed for performance-oriented motorcycles to mitigate the effects of engine braking when riders decelerate. The main ...

using a device activated by inlet manifold vacuum. The Falco was not as radical as the "race-replica' Mille nor really a sports-tourer (such as their own

Aprilia Futura The Aprilia RST1000 Futura is a sport touring motorcycle that was produced by Aprilia from 2001 to 2004. It is equipped with a 113 horsepower (85 kW) four-stroke 60° V-twin engine with electric-start, liquid cooling and electronic fuel-inject ...

) but, rather like the

Yamaha TRX850 The Yamaha TRX850 is a sports motorcycle with a 10-valve DOHC 849 cc 270° parallel-twin engine. First released in Japan in 1995, a version for the European market was available from 1996 to 2000. Design and development The TRX has a half ...

, was instead a sporty half-faired roadster which competed in the market against the

Honda VTR1000 The Honda VTR1000F (frame designation "SC36") was a 90° V-twin sport bike produced by Honda from 1997 to 2005. Known worldwide as the ''Firestorm'', in the USA it was marketed as the ''SuperHawk''. In 2005, the VTR1000F was discontinued. Innov ...

and the

Suzuki TL1000S The Suzuki TL1000S was a Suzuki V-twin roadster sport bike made from 1997–2001. General background The Suzuki TL1000S was introduced by Suzuki in 1997 and was produced until 2001 and is frequently referred to as the TLS or Suzuki TLS. I ...

."Superbike" magazine December 2000 Although the Falco proved to be reliable and powerful, sales were disappointing and production ceased in 2003, with sales continuing into 2004. A ''

Motor Cycle News ''MCN'' or ''Motor Cycle News'' is a UK weekly motorcycling newspaper published by Bauer Consumer Media, based in Peterborough, United Kingdom. It claims to be "the world’s biggest weekly motorcycle newspaper". The title was founded in lat ...

'' review of the Falco declared: "Less is sometimes more. By making its roadster less extreme than the RSV Mille sportster it's based on, Aprilia broadened its appeal and produced a motorcycle that's both easier and more fun to ride."

Specifications

References

SL1000 Falco Sport bikes Motorcycles introduced in 1999 {{Motorcycle-stub