The 2018 Aprilia Dorsoduro 900 Has An Identity Crisis

Supermotos are an interesting breed of bike. Race versions are little more than 450cc dirt bikes with 17-inch wheels and beefier suspension and brakes. But the riding position and style is attractive to a wider variety of riders, which is why we've seen more companies come out with more streetable versions.

Read our review of the 2018 Aprilia Shiver 900 here!

Aprilia has a longer history with supermotos than one might expect from a small Italian brand. In 2006, it answered the Suzuki DR-Z400 SM with the SXV 450 and 550, which ditched the traditional single-cylinder engine used by most supermotos for a super compact, 77-degree, V-twin 450cc or 550cc engine. The bikes were basically race bikes with lights and license plates, and they became quickly beloved amongst anyone who could keep the high-strung bikes running.

The Dorsoduro 750 followed in 2008 and continued with the V-twin configuration, though with a much mellower motor, and then a 1,200cc variant came in 2010. The 750 had a hard time bringing the wild supermoto spirit the SXV was known for, with a 467-pound wet weight and putting down about 70 horsepower to the rear wheel. The 1200, on the other hand, brought too much of it with 118 horsepower, 76 pound-feet of torque, and fueling that made the throttle feel more like the launch control button for a rocket. Suspension on both machines wasn't ideal, and neither bike really took off.

For 2018, Aprilia is doing away with both of them, combining the two into the all-new Dorsoduro 900 which, they say, is better than ever.

The Dorsoduro is powered by an all-new 896cc 90-degree V-twin engine that it shares with the new Aprilia Shiver 900. Aprilia stroked out the motor from the 750, retaining the 92mm bore but increasing stroke from 56.4mm to 67.4mm. It produces 83 horsepower at 8,990 rpm and 56.38 pound-feet of torque at 6,000 rpm per our dyno. The biggest difference with its Shiver brother is gear ratio, down a tooth at the front from 16/46 to 15/46.

Most of the architecture from the previous bike remains the same, though Aprilia has reduced friction through redesigning the pistons with a reinforced piston pin, new piston coating, and slightly revised crankshaft geometry and balancing.

The uniquely shaped twin undertail exhaust remains, though the new motor makes for a more gutteral and aggressive bark.

One of the biggest updates to the Dorso comes in the form of the new Marelli 7 SM ECU, which is the same used on the Aprilia RSV4 and Tuono. This system controls the ride-by-wire throttle system, as well as the three fuel maps (Sport, Touring, and Rain), three-level traction control system, and ABS.

The Dorso gets a new upside-down Kayaba 41mm fork which is 450 grams lighter than the Dorso 750, and adjustable for spring preload and rebound damping. Out back, the shock is also adjustable for spring preload.

Weight is also reduced with wheels taken directly from the Aprilia RSV4 RR, shaving another five pounds of unsprung weight.

Despite the lighter wheels and fork, the Dorso 900 still tips our scales at a whopping 485 pounds wet and full of fuel, a number far heavier than I expected. We don’t have our own numbers on the Ducati Hypermotard, but Ducati claim a wet weight of 450 pounds and Aprilia claim 467.

Braking is handled by four-piston, radially mounted calipers biting on dual 320mm discs up front and a single piston caliper and single 240mm disc at the rear.

The 2018 Aprilia Dorsoduro 900 has a suggested retail price of $10,999, comes in just the one Tuono-like paint scheme, and is on dealer floors now.

Ojai is a tiny town just inland of Ventura, California, and home to one of Southern California’s best riding roads: Highway 33. The plan was to take advantage of this road to test both Aprilia’s new Shiver and Dorsoduro. Zack Courts and I drew straws to see which we’d be starting on—though I’m still undecided as to whether “winning” meant being on the supermoto first or second—but either way I was up for the morning stint.

Highway 33 starts off with some beautifully long sweepers before tightening slightly as it heads up into the Los Padres National Forest and—as with many supermotos—the Dorso felt a little unsure at first. Although the bike’s 26 degrees of rake isn’t too aggressive, it does make it eager to comply with even minor inputs when combined with the bike’s high center of gravity.

The initial part of the ride was slow, but the pace picked up after our first photo stop and the Dorso finally started to come into its own, settling down more as I loaded the chassis on the climb.

With more speed came more braking, which highlighted maybe the biggest issue with the Dorso. The brakes are a little lacking in power, but it’s mostly the lack of bite that’s almost shocking as you grab a handful of front brake.

Sadly, our ride ended far earlier than anticipated with us turning around about 15 miles up the hill after our second photo stop. When faced with the option of doing the same thing on the opposite bike, Courts and I decided instead to make our way home: putting the bikes through the 115 miles of urban nightmare known as the 405 Freeway South at 3:00 p.m.

In this more real-world test, a few other things struck me as I ducked, dipped, dove, and dodged my way through freeway traffic. The first is that, while incredibly smooth on upshifts, the transmission in the Dorsoduro does not like to be down shifted. Attempts to shift down needed something between a forceful push and a downright kick, and forget about trying to get the bikes in neutral on the first or second try.

Secondly, the seat got uncomfortable quickly. I noticed some discomfort during the morning’s canyon ride, but my moving around on the seat kept that to a minimum. Now stuck in place, my rear fatigued quickly with the hard and forward-canted seat.

Overall, the motor and fueling are excellent. The previous generation had massive issues with the lightswitch they used for a throttle, and this new generation felt smooth in both Sport and Touring (which get full power), and Rain which cuts top power by 30 percent.

The power and delivery feel somewhere between Yamaha FZ-07 and Ducati Hypermotard, which is to say mellow mannered and easily controllable but with oomph there when you want it.

After we left the other journalists at lunch 113.3 miles behind, I pulled into my driveway more excited to get off that seat and out of my leather jacket, but impressed with what a good daily rider the Dorsoduro had been. The old fueling and suspension woes are gone and—with plenty more oomph than the 750 it replaced—the Dorsoduro 900 carved up a solid day’s worth of riding and accepted anything we threw at it.

I posted a pic of the bike on those social medias the teens are always talking about and asked what your questions were about the bike so I could help tailor the review to what you wanted to know. If you aren’t following me on Instagram or Twitter, you really should be. I keep my exercise tips to a minimum, I swear.

“Where is a smaller Tuono?” I have no idea, but this is a great question. An 800-900cc V-4 would be rad.

“Does it wheelie?” It does, but nearly as easily as one would expect. It doesn’t power wheelie like either the Husky 701 or the Ducati Hypermotard, and you’ll need to use some clutch if you want anything more than a few inches.

“How’s the seat height?” Aprilia claims 34.25 inches, and my six-foot frame with slightly shorter legs had no problem putting both feet down.

This is where things get tough. The Dorsoduro 900, to me, falls somewhere in between the Husky 701 Supermoto, Ducati Hypermotard, and Yamaha FZ-07. It’s shorter and feels smaller and lighter (not to mention cheaper) than the Ducati, has longer legs and would be better at distance than the Husky, and is more fun lively than the FZ-07.

But, it doesn’t have the hooligan attitude of the Hyper or 701, weighs and costs more than the Yamaha, and has the smallest dealership network of the three. If anything, its blend of multiple bikes made me think that buyers may be better off choosing something more specifically suited to their needs.

If you want something light and fun for around town, get the Husky. If you want something that you can take to a proper race track or tour with, get the Ducati. If you want a nice all-rounder, get the Yamaha. Or, if you have to have something Italian that does all three, get the Dorso.