The Falco's dual exhausts and remapped fuel injection reduced peak power slightly but bolstered bottom and mid-range.

[1] The Falco has a half-fairing, a twin-beam alloy frame, 53 mm USD forks from Showa (& later Marzocchi) and twin Brembo 320 mm semi-floating front brake discs.

The Falco was not as radical as the "race-replica' Mille nor really a sports-tourer (such as their own Aprilia Futura) but, rather like the Yamaha TRX850, was instead a sporty half-faired roadster which competed in the market against the Honda VTR1000 and the Suzuki TL1000S.

A Motor Cycle News review of the Falco declared: "Less is sometimes more.

By making its roadster less extreme than the RSV Mille sportster it's based on, Aprilia broadened its appeal and produced a motorcycle that's both easier and more fun to ride.