Every week, bike buyer Scott Redmond trawls the web and gives us a commentary on an interesting bike that’s on the market. This week he’s stepped back two decades and found a rarity in Aprilia’s ‘outside-the-box’ 6.5 Moto. Tell us more, Scott…

Some Italian bikes are an acquired taste, but there’s no denying that some of the most deliciously looking machines ever built have come from Latin powerhouses of motorcycle manufacturing.

There have also been a fair share of misses over the years. When Aprilia wanted to build a funky town bike that would appeal to the Filofax hugging trendies of the ‘90s, they sought help from a geezer who was more known for designing expensive kitchen appliances than he was motorcycles.

Phillipe Starck was the French designer in question and the result was the Aprilia 6.5 Moto, a silver dream chaser that was meant to sell in masses to city professionals who needed a stylish two wheel option for getting about town.

Launched in 1995 to mucho hype, it bombed big time and was dropped from the fleet by 1997.

The styling isn’t to everyone’s taste, and over two decades later it hasn’t improved with time. It’s a shame in a way because you can see there was some joined up thinking that went into the design. The silver paint and brushed alloy components are overshadowed by the random use of so much orange paint on the awkward looking fuel tank. The exhaust, at first glance, looks like a neat design but then you realise that the collector box also doubles up to be a bash plate.

Any bike that sold in low volume will eventually creep up in worth, that’s exactly what the seller of this example is banking on. This 17,000 mile example hasn’t been used for a few years, it will require some cash and love to get it ship shape again, which makes the £2,495 asking price look somewhat ambitious.

What to look for when buying an Aprilia Moto 6.5.

• The single cylinder engine is based on the BMW F650, so new and used parts shouldn’t be a problem to find.
• It is a 1990s Italian bike so it will be bursting with character. Character is another word used by motorcyclists for faults. Electrics can be troublesome, check everything out before parting with your pennies.
• Build quality is at best average, at worse iffy. Take a good look beyond the bodywork.

See this example up for sale at: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F153145262126