Re: Choice sounds easy, get the FJR1300!
Aprilia seems to be working up a very impressive reliability record that some say compares to that of Honda's. While I think its not right to compare a new comapny like Aprilia's reliability to that of an age old and experienced company like Honda, it does speak worlds about Aprilia. If you look at any Aprilia up close, you will see extremely fine build quality and finish- tiedy and precise welding, fairing meets frame level, quality parts and part construction, excellant paint finish, and everything is seemless.
More importantly, before you consider the reliability of Aprilia and take into consideration the fact they are, in fact, an Italian company, first consider the Ducati cliche and the bias that may create for you. Ducati makes most of there own parts themselves (not easy) and more importantly the bikes are built in low class area's of Italy, this in itself contributes to bad build quality. Also, since Ducati's are exotic bikes, function is not as important mystique, so when designing most of the bikes , they consider things like looks, feel, sound, and performance of the bike rather than things like part and engine logevity.
On the otherhand, Aprilia gets most of its parts from differant companies, and being a small company that is trying to make a name for itself, build quality is easily and carefully monitored. Aprilia also gets a lot of parts from many differant companies, parts that most bike companies fabricate themselves- this also improves build quality as it allows them to focus on other aspects of the bike and each part is made by a company that probably specializes in the production of that part, so build quality is standardized and insured. In short, there is no reason why Aprilia's aren't VERY reliable motorcycles, italians are capable of fantastic design and build quality- not just flashy looks and a touch of performance. Also , for a bit of real-world proof, I have a friend with an RSV that he has ridden up to 36k without a single problem- he doesnt baby the bike , he actually maintains it quite poorly. He lubes the chain maybe once a month, sometimes puts off oil changes as long as 3,000 miles, and never brings the bike in for its scheduled maintanance on time, all of which he openly and proudly admits. The only thing he always makes sure he does is keep the bike clean-aesthatically, and I must say that it doesnt look any differant from the day he bought it (I was there when it arrived at his driveway). Yep, Aprilia sure is an amazing company, I cant wait to see what they come up with next.