Living with the Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally-Raid

08/07/201828/04/2019

Bargain Futura motor

Aprilia Futura RST1000 engine V990 Just bagged a nice little Aprilia spare off eBay ….. an RST1000 Futura motor! Not the lowest mileage, but complete and still sporting the starter motor. Overall in nice condition with only age related external wear and no corrosion at all, but of course it’s the condition of the internals that count! Either way, use it or break it for spares, I think it’s well worth what I paid for it – can’t wait to pick it up later this week. 😀

I’ve noticed that engine prices seem to be on the increase in the UK …. Capo/Futura motors seemed to go for £350-£500 a year or two ago – now they seem to be commanding £450 – £700 plus!

20/06/201828/04/2019

INNOVV K2 – a quick update

OK, so this is a no-frills post while I’m on the road in Italy …..

Some folks have asked how the INNOVV K2 is getting along after I fitted it to the Capo a few weeks ago. Well here is a quick update for you! The install is a semi-permanent arrangement – the recording unit and GPS module are in the under-seat storage area and the front camera is hung from the right-hand fog lamp, while the rear camera hangs from the right-hand pannier rail. Both are very much temporary mounts and as such suffer from a little vibration (front mostly) but it’s only noticeable at certain RPM’s. This will disappear once they are mounted permanently on more robust mounts.

The 12v/5v power supply sits in the same spot as the old unit – on top of the ECU. 12v is taken directly from the battery and the sensing/switching connection goes to the tail lights. No lights, no cameras!

The system has run faultlessly from day 1. Start the bike, turn on the lights and away it goes …. no fuss, no drama. I have not experienced any of the shortcomings of the old K1 – corrupt files, frozen recording etc. The K2 has done its job exactly as it should, in fact I’ve got so comfortable with it that I no longer check the video or setting on the app every ride …. I just fire up and go! At the end of the week I’ve checked the SD card and been really pleased that all the files are recorded just fine with no corrupt or dropped frames in sight.

So that’s it as far as a quick update is concerned. Once I’m back in the UK I’ll go more in detail about image quality etc, but for now I’m really pleased with the K2, it’s a real improvement over the K1 in all aspects.

02/06/201803/05/2019

New INNOVV K2 arrives!

Yes folks, the all new INNOVV K2 arrived this sunny Saturday afternoon. I ripped the box lid off and took a quick pic of the new 1080p dual-camera WATERPROOF replacement to the K1. Out of the box, the recording unit is smaller, but better built and no longer has a screen. The cameras appear to be the same as the C5 but with different connectors, and the GPS is a new smooth (and waterproof) design – very nice! The lack of screen is of no issue, as the recording unit uses your phone (K2 app) to adjust settings and view both cameras. This is how the C5 works and I prefer it to be honest.

So on the workbench it went. Load up the K2 app on the Samsung Note 8 and within a couple of minutes its settings were adjusted, the SD card formated and it was away doing what it’s made for – recording!

As I write this it’s happily sucking up 350ma at 13.8v and working perfectly. The images look a magnitude better than the K1 and everything seems to run a little cooler than the old K1, I’ll know better after a few hours on the bench. So the upside is that it has arrived and looks a great leap forward from the none-waterproof K1, the downside is that I’ve now got to strip out the old system and install this one! Oh well, I guess that’s what the 3D printed mounts were destined to be ….. temporary!

Stay tuned for more pics and video when they’re installed.

20/05/2018

Time at the bar(-end) gentlemen please!

Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally-Raid bar-end weight mount stainless steel As Guinness said, “Good things come to those who wait” …… and boy have I waited! When the new grips went on in late November, they were accompanied by the 3D printed temporary bar-end mounts. The clock was ticking, I had to get the grown-up adult versions (stainless steel!) made up asap as I’d no idea how long these things would hold up. In early January someone stepped in to do the deed.

Unfortunately, they never appeared no matter how much cajoling and nudging I tried. Finally, after 4 months I was out of time and the Capo had to return from Italy sporting the plastic 3D printed ones. I shouldn’t have worried though, they held up just fine!

Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally-Raid bar-end weight mount stainless steel So just when I was giving up on ever seeing a set, a mate offered to help, and in the blink of an eye made these beauties! They fit perfectly and the finish is brilliant – what more can I ask for? So a huge ‘Thank you’ goes out to Jason – stand up, take a bow, don’t be shy fella! The eagle-eyed will notice a change from the rendering (and drawing) in that the flats (for socket or spanner) were left off. This was to reduce machining time and also because they only really need to pinch up – I’m not torquing the nuts off an axle here!

Of course, once these were in the pipeline, I told the other guy ……… who then got all stroppy saying the material had been ordered …… this is after 5 months of waiting! Sheesh some folks. 🙄 Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally-Raid bar-end weight mount stainless steel

02/05/2018

… and back again!

Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally-Raid As I rolled off the bottom of Stokenchurch hill with a clear motorway ahead and a remaining journey time of 15 minutes, it was time for a little post-ride reflection. The dashboard temp gauge dropped another degree and sat at 5C – hardly the 20C at midnight when I’d left Italy 19hrs previously! Never mind, the Oxford heated grips were doing their thing, keeping my podgy fingers nice and toasty in my BKS winter gloves. From the front of the bike, the white beams of the Sealight X2 LED’s turned night into day – from hard shoulder to armco barrier a reassuring spread of light paved the way.

With 550 miles of night-time riding under the belt in the last 24hrs, I can truly say these things are awesome and Euro motorway speeds (130Kmh /80Mph) are a doddle, even on tricky motorways with tunnels that sneak up on you and bends that you just don’t expect on a motorway – all in a day’s (or night’s!) work for these babies!

As I approached Oxford, I dipped the back brake to cut the cruise control …….. the cruise control …… I haven’t given it a moment’s thought for a long time. It just does what it’s supposed to, no drama, just smooth throttle control over long tedious distances, up hill and down. The sign then of a cracking piece of kit, when it fades to the back of the mind as it quietly gets on with the job. Without it I’d be stuffed, my wrist just cannot do these sort of mileages anymore …. so I doff my cap in appreciation for a fine piece of kit that keeps me crossing continents – cheers MCCruise!

So everything is happy bunnies in the house of Moto-A’s Capo? Not quite unfortunately …. the fuel sender has decided to sulk and the fuel gauge can no longer be relied upon to be anything more than decorative! My guess is the sender itself needs cleaning or replacing as everything else checks out OK. Not a big issue in the scheme of things and a way of remembering how we used to do things – fill-up, Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally Raid low profile clamp fuel filter pump reset the trip and ride up to a mileage above which you know you’ll be pushing – and repeat! Happy days ….

So now, 48Hrs on, a new fuel filter (Ducati 42540101), fuel pump (Bosch 0580453427), ‘Zero Leak – Low Profile Ear Clamps’ and Caswells epoxy fuel tank sealer have been ordered to complement the spares on the shelf – large gasket, short section hose (filter to plate), corrugated fuel line (filter to pump) and wiring harness. Hopefully this little lot will keep the fuel tank in tip-top condition for many years to come!

26/03/201821/04/2018

Getting ready to role!

A few weeks ago I wrote: Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally-Raid 131,313 miles

With the Capo fresh out of its winter slumber, we set off for a quick shake-down before (hopefully) heading back to the UK on Sunday. Along the way the odo clicked over to 131,313 miles and I couldn’t resist taking a quick pic! The ride was uneventful and it now sits in the sunshine waiting to be loaded up ……. but even then it may not turn a wheel. That depends on the weather forecast through Switzerland – oodles of snow and -15C doesn’t float my boat these days, so I guess if push comes to shove, the Capo can hibernate for another month or two until I can get back over here for it. I’ll make the call on Friday evening …. thankfully I managed to snap up a cheap-as-chips return flight for Saturday. Just in case!

In the end, Ryan-Scare it was …… hideous delays and a landing like we’d been shot down included in the discount price! Now the time has come to finally make the run once and for all. Ticket and ferry booked, all docs to hand and weather on route between 9-20C with a bit of rain in North Italy. Much better than last time! It’s going to be a real whirlwind trip, but worth it to have the old Capo with me once again……

16/02/201803/05/2019

Seal of disapproval!

When is a part not the right part? When it’s an Aprilia part of course!!!!! A few weeks ago the old Capo seemed to be producing its own chain lube …. long and the short of it was the possible failure of one of three seals. Clutch push-rod, gear selector or gearbox output shaft. Two of the seals are stock off-the-shelf items so no problem ordering spares. But the gearbox output shaft seal is down as AP0850050 and quoted as ’40x47x7.5′ …… and what a load of bollocks that turned out to be!

Punch the numbers into any online seal supplier and you’ll draw a blank or at best come up with a ’40x47x4′ …… so thinking it was a Rotax special, I caved in and ordered the brain numbingly expensive Aprilia item from Fowlers (UK). And here it is, written crystal clear on the Aprilia bag and backing up the parts manuals … except it’s all a big fat lie! The seal is in fact marked in itty-bitty script on the back as – ’30x47x7′ – and THAT seal size is most definitely available through any online seal store for a frigging fraction of the Aprilia one! Now you know …

Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally-Raid AP0850050 gearbox output shaft seal

04/01/201827/04/2019

Dashboard update

Just a reminder for those that have asked for dashboard repairs and those that are thinking about it …. I’ll be back in the hot-seat, all set up and ready to receive boards after the 8th January. As some of you know, life has been rather hectic with one thing and another over the past weeks, but soon the dust will settle. The bright side of this little waiting game is that the cost of return postage and transit time should be much improved …… especially for those in the UK! 😉

01/01/201827/04/2019

New year, new domain!

https://www.moto-abruzzo.net/

Well it looks like 2018 is bringing in changes thick and fast … Not only are we relocating, but moto-abruzzo has also moved! The site has changed to a new domain (see above! 😀 ) but more importantly, it has had an upgrade in security – we’re now https instead of good old http. That simply means that any interaction you now have with the site is encrypted and secure, especially important with the expansion plans that I hope to roll out over the coming year. Meanwhile I’ve a lot of website-tweaking to do as some bits didn’t seem to survive the move too well ….. more midnight oil to burn!

24/12/201703/05/2019

Introducing the ‘Capogiro’ unit ….

Firstly may I say that we here at moto-abruzzo wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and hope that 2018 brings good roads and big smiles on those shiny Caponords of yours!

Secondly, fellow Capo owner and electronics whizz Michele from Italy (MCR on AF1 forum) got in touch about his Mk3 ‘Capogiro’ unit. Based on the BMW Dynamic Brake Light system, it uses a microcontroller and a 3-axis gyro/accelerometer unit to control the brake light and hazard warning lights, as well as having other useful outputs. In a nutshell the DBL function is:

- Normal brake light function under all light/medium braking conditions

- Brake light pulsed at 5Hz when braking hard (>0.35g) from between 14Kmh (9mph) and 60Kmh (37mph)

- Below 5Kmh (3mph) normal brake light function is restored

- If still braking hard at below 5Kmh (3mph), the hazard lights are turned on automatically

They will then remain on for 60 seconds OR until the speed is greater than 20Kmh (12mph) for xx seconds

This then is the primary function of the unit. But Michele didn’t stop there, he’s added a raft of other useful functions as well, including:

- Add a handlebar switch and you have rider switchable hazard warning lights

- Drop the bike on its side and the opposite (high side) pair of indicators will operate in a kind of half-hazard mode to alert others of an obstruction on the road

- Leave the indicators on too long and the system will give you an audible alarm to remind you to turn them off …. who hasn’t done that!

- A basic but useful alarm function. Add a hidden switch and intercept a relay and the unit will use the gyros and accelerometers to know if it’s being moved and set off the horn/hazards as well as immobilise the engine.

- It also has the ability to do what Aprilia never did – keep the headlights switched off until the engine is running, then turn them on, vastly reducing battery drain on starting.

And last but not least the ability to interface with an eCall device that alerts others that you may need assistance.

Each of these functions is well thought out with outputs all protected and battery status being analysed so as to not activate certain functions which could possibly prevent the bike from starting due to low voltage. All in all, a well thought out and professionally built unit. All this fits into a neat 122mm * 39mm * 31mm package that is designed to locate on top of the headlight behind the windscreen. Granted, if you use all the functions then there are a fair few wires to be connected, but if you don’t want to use a particularly function(s) then just don’t hook up those particular wires, easy! And the cost for this little box of wizardry …… currently €120, not cheap granted, but for the safety features and added additional functions thrown in, I think it’s well worth the money. You can download a copy of the installation instructions in English HERE or in Italian HERE.

OK, sounds great but is it legal to use? Well BMW have added a similar system because it conforms to EU legislation and they sell bikes fitted with it in the UK. But the fact is they DO appear to fall foul of the Highway Code rule 116 (watch their own videos):

“….. You MUST NOT use hazard warning lights while driving or being towed unless you are on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway and you need to warn drivers behind you of a hazard or obstruction ahead. …… “

In other words, if the hazard lights activate while moving on any other road than motorways/unrestricted dual carriageways then that’s a legal no-no …. even if it is helping to save your pride and joy (and skin) from some inattentive muppet driving too close behind!

So the bottom line seems to be that a big manufacturer can bend the rules but we, no doubt cannot. Fitting it then may be legally questionable, on the other hand if it increases safety, makes no visible changes to your bike in day-to-day use AND will most likely never be noticed during an MOT test or roadside inspection ……….. well then that’s up to you, I cannot condone anything that would possibly break local or international law in any way shape or form, no siree Bob. Me? I’m only testing it off-road of course. 😉

If you’re interested in more information or would like to buy on, please drop me a line with your details and I’ll forward them to michele for you.

And that just leaves me to express my own gratitude to Michele for not only sending me a Capogiro to try, but also sharing ‘under the bonnet’ details so that I can get a better understanding of how the functions work. I owe you one Michele! 😀

Moto-Abruzzo

Posts