The Aprilia Adventure Ride (demo)

[neebelung]

So as you all know, Daytona Bike Week just wrapped up yesterday. For us, the highlight of Bike Week is the manufacturer demo rides. It's just fun to get to ride a variety of different bikes, and really gives you a feel for things you like or don't like. But most of the rides are between 20 and 30 minutes long -- fun, but maybe not long enough to base a buying decision on (still, they're free).

Well Chris noticed something in one of his magazines about Aprilia doing a 90 minute 'adventure' demo ride. Unlike the others, this wasn't free - it was $20 per person, and spots were very limited. He'd tried to get in on one Thursday, but by 8:15 that morning, they were booked (there were only 48 spots for the whole day).

So Saturday morning we made it down there EEEEARLY - we were in line by 7:15, and there were already 15 or so people in front of us. And we JUST made the cut off - there were only 24 spots for their rides on Saturday (6 per group, plus 2 ride leaders).

They took us wayyyyyy out away from the traffic, into Deland, a mix of nice sweepers and some tight (15 and 20 mph) curves through farmlands and horse country. It was just spectacular. Halfway through the ride, we stopped at a park on the water, where they had someone waiting for us with water, gatorade and snacks. We stopped and chatted about the bikes for a while, got the opportunity to trade bikes with someone else in the group if we wanted to, then mounted up and headed back out. While there aren't many "twisties" in Florida, they did manage to find some of the better backroads, so we had a good mix of 'spirited' riding, and some nice curves.

I rode the Shiver and Chris tried out the Dorsoduro. The bike itself wasn't half bad -- took me till about halfway into the ride to truly get comfortable on it, but it was fun. Good growly twin sound, and it's got three modes (touring for good gas mileage, sport for full power, and rain for reduced power). But if you're at all considering an Aprilia, and you see this demo event advertised anywhere near you, GO FOR IT. It was a great experience and something I'd happily do again next year.