In reality, it’s a completely new bike. The test ride, on roads soaked by a strong storm, underscored the efficiency of the Caponord, which has the most advanced electronic suite ever installed on a bike, aiding rider safety, comfort and pleasure. The following is a list of the electronic systems on the bike, which reveals the company’s leadership in this domain:
RBW: The ride-by-wire electronic throttle control has three selectable responses—Touring, Sport, Rain.
ATC: Aprilia Traction Control, likely the most advanced and effective today, has three settings: Level 1, for a pure sport-riding experience; Level 2, for everyday use in the city and in touring; and Level 3, for enhanced safety on low-grip surfaces. ATC can be switched off, and is capable of self-calibrating when fundamental components of the rolling gear, such as tires, are changed.
ACC: Aprilia Cruise Control is part of the Travel Pack, the grand touring Caponord.
ADD: Aprilia Dynamic Damping goes well beyond the ESA-type adjustable suspensions operated via a handlebar-mounted switch. The Sachs suspension units, front fork and cantilevered rear shock, have damping managed by a dedicated ECU with proprietary Aprilia software and related actuators. They essentially “read” the riding conditions and riding style via specific sensors. Skyhook, from the automotive world, handles the low-frequency loads, whereas an acceleration-driven system handles the high-frequency loads. Together, the two systems ensure higher comfort and superior dynamic performance. Since neither can modify the spring load, they are considered semi-active, not fully active. The rear shock absorber, however, can modify its spring preload based on signals coming from a sensor monitoring the angle of the swingarm in relation to a fixed point on the frame. This active system resets the correct angle by preloading the shock absorber spring, via a step motor, on the basis of four pre-set mappings (rider only, rider with passenger, rider with panniers, rider and passenger with panniers).
Stepping away from the electronics and into the world of internal combustion, the Aprilia 1200 90-degree V-Twin has been retuned to 125 hp at 8250 rpm RPM, which is down a bit from the Dorsoduro’s 130 hp at 8700 rpm, but has a broader torque curve. Peak torque now is 84.4 ft.-lb. at 6800 rpm, instead of the Dorsoduro’s 84.9 at 7200 rpm. The engine has undergone extensive modifications, beginning with 52mm throttle bodies in place of the 57mm units of the Dorsoduro engine. To improve flexibility and smoothness of response, two injectors are fitted to each throttle body, and an oxygen sensor is included downstream in each exhaust port for a perfect calibration of the injection as well as reduced fuel consumption and lower exhaust emissions. A 690-watt alternator supports all the complex electronics and the rest of the electrical components, including the new and more powerful lighting system and the optional heated grips.
