Let It Slide...

Aprilia’s latest offering is a welcome addition to the supermoto genre

 

- Varad More

Over the last few years, a new breed of biking called supermoto has surfaced here. Basically, take a dirt bike, swap the knobbies to road-racing tyres, get better suspension and brakes suited for the road, plonk wider bars and what you get is an all-round machine that is fun to ride across varying terrain without burning a hole in your pocket. The supermoto culture is fast gaining a following and witnessing its popularity, many manufacturers are bringing in new supermoto models directly onto the showroom floor. Aprilia was one of the first ones to do so with the SXV 450 and 550 models almost a decade ago. Soon afterwards the Noale-based firm launched the Dorsoduro 750 followed by the biggest Dorso of them all, the 1200. While the 750 failed to excite many a rider due to its modest power output and too much bulk, the 1200 scared the wits out of many with its 129 horses packaged inside a supermoto skeleton that was too much to handle for supermoto riding. The snatchy throttle response on the 1200 didn’t help the cause either. Fast forward into 2017 and Aprilia has replaced both, the 750 and the 1200 models with the new Dorsoduro 900. On paper it sounds wise to do away with two different models serving the same purpose and approaching relatively the same target audience with one product that encompasses the best of the two outgoing models. And with the Dorsoduro 900, Aprilia has done just that.