Aprilia SXV 550 Supermoto Buyer's Guide

The Machine's Character

Aprilia built the SXV 550 as a race machine that happens to carry a plate. The 550 cc liquid-cooled 77° V-twin sits in a chassis that weighs 295 lb wet, and nothing in the package was softened for the showroom. You get an upside-down fork with adjustment at both ends, a 320 mm front disc, and 17-inch supermoto rubber, 120/70 front and 180/55 rear. Travel runs 10.2 inches up front and 9.6 at the rear, with 12.5 inches of ground clearance underneath. In this class, it sits at the end of the scale where compromise stops.

And it rides like it. The 58.7-inch wheelbase and the light chassis give you direction changes that happen the instant you think about them, and the front end talks back with a clarity most street bikes never manage. The caveat is ownership. Factory sealant between the engine cases fails and lets oil out, often meaning a full teardown to fix properly. Sustained high revs build crankcase pressure the vent system can't always handle. Some 2008 bikes leaked at the head gasket, and starter motors go weak, usually when the engine is hot. Buy it for the ride and budget for the rest.

Hard Numbers

Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.

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Key specifications
Power	18 hp (13 kW)
Torque	45 lb-ft (61 Nm)
Displacement	550 cc
Engine	77° V-twin
Cooling	Liquid-cooled
Gearbox	5-speed
Final drive	Chain
Fork	Upside-down (USD)
Front brake	320 mm
Front tire	120/70-17
Rear tire	180/55-17
Wheelbase	58.7 in (1490 mm)
Ground clearance	12.5 in (318 mm)
Front travel	10.2 in (260 mm)
Rear travel	9.6 in (245 mm)
Seat height	35.8 in (910 mm)
Wet weight	295 lb (134 kg)
Fuel capacity	2.0 gal (7.5 L)

Equipment check

Chassis

Front Suspension Adjustable Standard
Rear Suspension Adjustable Standard

Safety

Ride Modes Standard

Known issues

Engine case sealant failure

engine common

Inadequate factory sealant between engine cases leads to oil leaks, often requiring a full engine teardown and reseal.
High crankcase pressure / oil blow-by

engine occasional

Sustained high RPMs cause excessive crankcase pressure that can overwhelm the vent system, leading to oil leaks and potential engine damage.
Head gasket failure

engine occasional

Some 2008 models experienced head gasket leaks, potentially due to inadequate sealing around the oil galleries. This issue appears to be less common than the case sealant problem of earlier years.
Starter motor problems

electrics common

The starter motor is known to fail or become weak, causing difficulty starting or no-start conditions, especially when hot.
Speedometer cable routing issue

electrics occasional

Poor routing can cause the speedo cable to rub against the front brake disc, eventually chewing through and destroying the cable.

The Expert Benchmark

Where this Aprilia SXV 550 Supermoto pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.

What kind of bike this is — character vs. the class

Pure Hooligan Flickability

Instant Punch Delivery

Brake-to-Apex Control

Front-End Playfulness

Hard-Use Suspension Control

Urban Mischief Potential

Ownership Reality Check

This bike Class average

Head-to-head: Aprilia SXV 550 Supermoto vs. its rivals

Power

18 hp This bike 15 hp Yamaha WR 125 X 15 hp Husqvarna SM 125 S 23 hp Honda CRF250M 40 hp Suzuki DR-Z400SM

Torque

45 lb-ft This bike 9 lb-ft Yamaha WR 125 X 16 lb-ft Honda CRF250M 29 lb-ft Suzuki DR-Z400SM

Displacement

550 cc This bike 125 cc Yamaha WR 125 X 124 cc Husqvarna SM 125 S 249 cc Honda CRF250M 398 cc Suzuki DR-Z400SM

Wet weight

295 lb This bike 302 lb Yamaha WR 125 X 320 lb Honda CRF250M 322 lb Suzuki DR-Z400SM

Seat height

35.8 in This bike 36.2 in Yamaha WR 125 X 34.3 in Husqvarna SM 125 S 33.7 in Honda CRF250M 35.0 in Suzuki DR-Z400SM

The 'Should I Buy It?' Score

Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the SXV 550 Supermoto is actually built for.

Aerial photograph of downtown Austin, Texas, showing modern high-rise buildings against a clear blue sky. Urban infrastructure, highways, and parking structures visible in the foreground. — Thomas Balabaud / Pexels

Best motorcycle for Angeles Crest?

On a tight, technical canyon road this thing is in its element and gives you more feedback than almost anything else you can buy. The 2.0 gallon tank will dictate where your day goes.

Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur

Best motorcycle for Laguna Seca?

It arrives track-ready with adjustable suspension at both ends and lean clearance you'll never exhaust. There is no ABS and no traction control, so every input is yours to get right.

Made for WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca · Barber Motorsports Park · Circuit of the Americas

Best motorcycle for Tail of the Dragon?

For working on line choice and precision through tight East Coast twisties, the light chassis and honest front end are ideal teachers. Long approach rides on the highway are the hard part.

Made for Tail of the Dragon · Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway

Alternatives to the Aprilia SXV 550 Supermoto

If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.

Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Aprilia SXV 550 Supermoto. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.