2016 Aprilia Caponord Rally


The new Aprilia Caponord Rally will arrive in US dealerships in the next couple of weeks. The large-displacement adventure or street-enduro market is a growing and competitive one, with great machines from manufacturers like BMW, Ducati, KTM or Moto Guzzi. To be successful among these bikes, companies have to offer state-of-the-art technology, a powerful engine, great handling and comfort, and of course some off-road capabilities.

According to Aprilia, the new Caponord Rally can offer all this. The new Rally is based on the two-year-old Caponord but Aprilia’s inspiration was clearly the mighty BMW R 1200 GS Adventure. The “Rally” is essentially a new bike, more eclectic, more protective, and more comfortable.


New features include spoked rims with an important 19″ size on the front, new hard panniers with aluminium covers, new oversized windshield, new engine guards, and supplementary LED lights. The larger front tire is more off-road friendly and the bike also has a semiactive suspension system called Aprilia Dynamic Damping (ADD). This regulates the suspension automatically, using data from sensors at front and rear.

Engine-wise, the Rally is powered by the same 1200 cc V-Twin as the basic Caponord. The engine puts out 125 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 84.8 lb.-ft. of torque at 6,800 rpm and while these figures may sound a bit low to some considering its competitors (for example, the Multistrada has 160 hp), the R 1200 GS has tought us that horsepower isn’t that important in this category. Besides, the engine pulls nicely from low revs and stays smooth at the top end.


From the electronics point of view, the Rally has plenty to offer: it features top of the line technological content such as ride-by-wire with three engine maps, traction control, cruise control and ABS (can be disengaged). The new Aprilia Caponord 1200 Rally uses the exclusive active ADD suspension (Aprilia Dynamic Damping) system.

With previous generation electromechanically adjusted suspension systems, the rider electrically adjusted the suspension setup from a selector on the handlebar. With the Caponord 1200 Rally’s aDD system, however, all the rider has to do is ride. The system measures the forces transmitted to the vehicle from irregularities in the road surface, recognises the dynamic state of the vehicle (acceleration, wide-open-throttle, braking or cruising) and adapts the suspension setup accordingly in real time to maximise comfort and maintain ideal vehicle stability. ADD is the absolute highlight of the bike, it directly contributes to great handling and comfort, which are the two best aspects about the Caponord Rally.



Its reasonably low weight (238 kg dry) also contributes to great handling, the Rally corners liably, and most importantly, it feels just as sporty as a standard Caponord. Thanks to its relatively low seat, the Rally is very comfortable on longer rides. Aprilia retained the Caponord’s 24 liters fuel tank which should give you a range of about 320 km.