2003 Aprilia SL1000R Falco Derestriction
I am just as much in love with the 2003 Aprilia Falco as the day I first rode it 3 years ago and am still very glad that I purchased one. I just recently finished break-in, am feeling comfortable with the power the bike makes and decided it was time to investigate the well known derestriction procedure to make this motorcycle a little more peppy. As if it needs it…
Basically, Aprilia Falcos from 2001+ come from the factory restricted (on all import models); this is true as best I know for the Tuono and Mille as well. The restriction is placed on the bike for EPA emissions purposes and consists of a different EPROM fuel map for the U.S., a restricted airbox and, on some (not the Falco), extra baffles in the exhaust pipe to reduce flow and noise. The restrictions lock up a ton of horsepower, in the neighborhood of 22 HP on the Falco! When the bike makes about 84 HP restricted, a 26% increase in horsepower, to around 106 HP, after derestriction can definately be felt and readily seen on the dyno.
The cool thing about the restrictions are that they can be easily removed from the Falco. The factory ECU EPROM actually contains a second fuel map for the unrestricted Falco! Reportedly though, the EPA found out about the easy restriction work arounds and forced Aprilia to remove the second fuel map from all 2002+ Aprilias, EXCEPT for the 2003 Falco. This bike still has the second map; lucky for me. 
The derestriction process takes less than an hour and is super easy to complete. I would recommend reading this web site, as it is short, sweet and has illustrations to accompany the details.
Once derestricted, the motorcycle really comes alive. If you thought this thing had torque before, look out!
By the way, if you need more info on any Aprilia, AprilaForum.com is the best place to look.
Filed under: Motorcycles/Cars