Rounding off
So there we have it, two absolute corkers that you could buy with the change you’ll find down the back of the sofa. Okay, that last bit might be a bit of an exaggeration, unless you treat yours like a piggybank, but the bargain status of these two tools is undeniable and takes some topping. Better still, they’re both increasing with value day-by-day which is all the more reason you should check the living daylights out of your sofas right now! Hell, check the neighbours’ while you’re at it, because there’s no time like the present to snap up one of these bargain beauties.
As to which one you should go for, that’s up to you. By now you’ll have read the good, the bad and ugly points of the Aprilia and Kwacker. Neither proved perfect, neither proved a scratch on the kind of machinery rolling off contemporary production lines. But what they lack in 0-60mph, fancy dashes and hi-tech functions, they make up for in charm by the bucket load. Personally, I was smitten with the Aprilia because of its racy disposition. Gangly, firm and packing a kick-ass V-twin motor, it really got my juices going. It looked great too, epitomising that iconic early Noughties period when the World Superbike scene was riding a wave. The sound, the looks, that smothering of Italian exotica, there was nothing not to like. Unless you’re a little vertically challenged, that is. It wasn’t the stumpiest of bikes, which can’t be said about the ZX-7R. It’s hard to remember the last time I sat on a sportsbike so low, or one so keen to awaken the neighbourhood with its high-revving, loud-screaming inline-four motor. I’m sure that bike would earn you an ASBO before too long, but it’d be the best kind of way to get your hands on one. It felt that bit more dated than the Aprilia, its motor a tad more lethargic too, and you don’t need me to bang on about its shoddy brakes any more than I already have done.
But as to whether I’d still want one cluttering up my garage, of course I would. Looks-wise, I can’t think of many bikes to rival its iconic appearance, which still seems to warm the cockles 20 years after making its debut. Yep, these two are both special motorcycles and plentiful in supply. The most important piece of advice is to choose whichever one you go for carefully, not just the first example you come across, because used bikes can often be abused bikes. And no one wants to own a nail that breaks down every four miles. Happy hunting!