Manufacturer Aprilia Class Supermotard | Parent company Piaggio Transmission 6-speed | |
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Production 2008-2015 (750)
2011-present (1200)
2017-present (900) Engine 750, 1200 or 900 cc Aprilia V-Twin | ||
The Dorsoduro is a line of V-Twin, supermotard-class motorcycles built by Aprilia, a subsidiary of Piaggio & C. SpA. The Dorsoduro line comprises two models: the 750 cc original and the later 1200 cc variant which have similar appearances, but have few common parts. The model was named for the Dorsoduro region of Venice, whose name translates to "hard ridge".
Contents
Dorsoduro 750
Aprilia revealed the Dorsoduro in 2007 at the EICMA show in Milan as the SMV 750 Dorsoduro. The model was based on the successful Shiver 750, with which it shared the engine and frame, but differed in suspension and tuning.
First available for the 2008 model year, the Dorsoduro 750 was Aprilia's first foray into the "maxi-moto" class. Unlike Aprilia's supermoto designs, the Dorsoduro included some features more common to standard and touring bikes, like optional ABS and adjustable throttle mapping. The 2008 model produced a claimed 92 brake horsepower at 8750 rpm, and weighed 186 kg (409 lbs) dry.
Dorsoduro 1200
The 1200 cc model was introduced in 2010 and despite the common name the 750 and 1200 actually share few parts. The Dorsoduro 1200 actually has more in common with the Aprilia Caponord 1200 (2013–present). The 1200 cc model became the only Dorsoduro in the 2016 model year.
1200 Motor
The engine was designed by Federico Martini, head of Powertrain at Piaggio, and was modelled after the Ducati 1198. Both motors have the same bore, and stroke (106mm, 67.8mm). The position of the front and rear cylinders were revered on the crankshaft, compared to the 750, this allowed the final motor to be 2mm narrower than the 750. The engine is fed by two 57mm throttle bodies controlled by a Marelli IAW 7SM ride-by-wire system. The engine breathes through a pair of 43.5mm intake valves and a pair of 37mm exhaust valves. The valves are actuated using the same chains and gear driven combination as the 750. To find more low and mid-range over the Ducati 1198, the Aprilia 1200 motor has two independently timed spark plugs, one centrally located, one off the side. The engine produced a claimed 130 hp (97 kW) @ 8,700 rpm.
The exhaust flows through a 2-1-2 exhaust with the catalytic converts in the silencers, whereas the 750 has the catalytic converter in the mid pipe.
1200 Chassis
The 1200 chassis with a 223.8 kg (493.5 lbs) curb weight contains a larger fuel tank(15L) to feed the larger motor. Up front the 1200 has adjustable 34mm front fork with the rebound on the left leg, compression on the right, and both pre-load adjustable. In the rear the 1200 has a three way adjustable Sachs rear shock; preload, rebound, and damping.
In terms of braking the 1200 received Brembo four piston, radial mount calipers and dual Brembo 320mm discs up front and a 240mm disc with a Brembo single-piston caliper in the rear.
The 1200 also differs asthetically in that it features extra head shields below the seat covering the rear subframe.
The 1200 also like the 750 did not receive traction control or ABS in the North American Markets.
Dorsoduro 900
The new seral stage of the Dorsoduro starting from 2017 has a stroked out version of the 2007 Shiver 749cc engine (from 56.4mm to 67.4mm) to meet Euro 4 emission standards. A new ride by wire system and new three-spoke wheels save over 2.4 kg (5.4 lbs) of weight. The 900 will also be fueled by the Marelli IAW 7SM ECU.