Owned and run by Tim Pestridge - sold as of April 2004

Aprilia Pegaso 650 single

Bought 27/12/01 from Middlesex, the bike was ridden back from it's first owner to it's new home in Devon. Just for the record, mileage on leaving London read 5170.

Like many motorcyclists residing within the UK I have am disgruntled with the escalating costs of motorbike insurance, and have been searching for motorbikes that the insurance companies rate as 'low risk' to reduce my premium. These are bikes which wouldn't rate a second glance from an opportunist bike thief, and consequently are much cheaper to insure. Bikes such as the nicely styled Kawasaki W650 and the Yamaha Dragstar 650, both capable of topping 100mph are rated a sleepy group 8 or 9 with Norwich Union, the largest motorcycle insurer in the UK. Other bikes like Honda's Deauville and Dominator are also lowly rated, along with BMW's F650, Yamaha's 600 Diversion and many other supposedly 'sleepy' bikes. Compare their humble ratings next to a Harley Davidson's or Yamaha R1's staggering group 17 rating and you'll understand why many bikers are downsizing to 'lower risk' motorbikes, which may offer as much fun for half the insurance costs.

It was for this reason that I was immediately drawn to an Internet auction advertising an Aprilia Pegaso 650, a big trailie style machine which attracts a low risk insurance rating of 9. For me, that adds up to a premium of around £110 per annum TPF&T, a big saving over the £300 plus it used to cost to insure my previous bike, a VFR750. The seller and I struck up a conversation, and after a week or so of emailing, a price was agreed.

As you can see from the pictures the paintwork in particular is of a very high quality indeed. It's a nice bike to stand back and look at, and I for one prefer it's looks to that of it's rivals, the BMW F650 and Honda's 650 Dominator. In fact it looks sharper than it's later variant, the slightly portly Pegaso 3.

The bikes previous owner had used the bike sparingly, finding the odd moment to ride into central London and back once a month or so. Hence the Pegaso had clocked up a piffling 5000 miles in six years.

Update: January 2002

Well worth a look is the excellent Aprilia Pegaso owners forum, to be found at
http://pub49.ezboard.com/bapriliaforum. I have managed to glean an amazing amount of information from far-flung owners the world over, so do check it out if you're interested in Pegasos.

Above: exhausts in place, now coated with aluminium.
Note they look white in this picture, but are actually silver to match the engine.

Above: New plate and pipes have smartened up the back end..

Above: and the finished article is a work of art in my eyes...

A real Italian beauty. (...it's all in the eye of the beholder!)