VOL. 55 ISSUE 44 NOVEMBER 6, 2018 P43
A
prilia has shown those pesky
neighbors in red they are not
the only ones who can have a
bigger-than-usual superbike, with the
announcement of a new RSV4 1100
Factory.
This marks the first departure from
the 998cc V4 weapon that was intro-
duced in 2009, with capacity boost-
ed to 1078cc to give a very handy
217 horsepower at 13,200 rpm and
89 lb-ft of torque at 11,000 rpm via a
3mm bore increase, the new motor
now measuring 81 x 52.3mm.
The RSV4 1100 shares the same
13.6:1 compression ratio as the base
RSV4, but it gets new pistons, a new
oil pump, new intake valve timing,
and longer fifth and sixth gears.
The chassis is largely the same
as the 1000. The RSV4 is the only
1100 Factory
superbike in the class that allows
the rider to alter the engine position
in the frame, the headstock angle,
the swingarm pivot and the rear end
height, so you can tinker away at the
track to your heart's content.
For the suspension, you'll get a
top-shelf Ohlins NIX fork with 5mm
more travel than the RSV4 1000 at
125mm, and an Ohlins TTX36 shock
at the rear. That's matched to a now
stiffer swingarm for better handling.
The main chassis itself remains
unchanged in the aluminum twin-spar
design, but there's beefier steer-
ing head bushings and the steering
offset is reduced by 2mm to bring the
front wheel closer to the rider, result-
ing in a 4mm shorter wheelbase.
Braking is taken care of by Brembo
four-piston Stylema calipers, which
now supersede the M50 Brembos
found on the 1000.
Aprilia is claiming a stunning 438
pounds with a full tank of gas, ready
to ride.
The electronics are the domain of
the excellent, fourth generation April-
ia Performance Ride Control system,
with three throttle modes of Sport,
Track and Race, along with traction,
wheelie, launch and cruise control,
cornering ABS, as well as a quick-
shifter and pit lane speed limiter.
Aprilia has also dug deep in into its
MotoGP parts catalog and fitted all
carbon fiber bodywork and wings on
the side of the fairings. These have
been developed by Aprilia riders Aleix
Espargaro and Scott Redding and
are a first for a full-run production
machine, although we did see these
winglets on the RSV4 RF Limited Edi-
tion earlier this year. CN
