VOL. 56 ISSUE 13 APRIL 2, 2019 P93
I
n its 10 years of life, the Aprilia RSV4
has become one of the all-time great
superbikes. A near perfect ratio of crush-
ing power via that V4 motor, one of the
sweetest chassis ever fitted to a produc-
tion motorcycle, and with Aprilia being one
of the first to fully harness the power of
modern rider aid electronics, the RSV4 has
earned its place on top of the heap. Oh,
and it's won three WorldSBK titles in that
time, too. That helps.
Until this year, the RSV4 has always
maintained the four-cylinder superbike-
racing ceiling of under 1000cc (999.6cc
to be exact). Horsepower has improved
year-on-year, to the point where, in 2015,
Aprilia claimed 201 hp at the crank from the
Noale-built V4.
Yet for 2019, that's all changed, as Aprilia
has repositioned the RSV4 along the same
lines as that other Italian manufacturer
down the road in Bologna. The flagship
model—the RSV4 Factory—now utilizes an
absolutely bonkers 1078cc V4 that pumps
out a claimed 217 hp at the crank. This
new machine sits alongside the base-
model RSV4 RR that still uses an SBK-legal
999cc motor, with a claimed 201 hp at the
crank. And you get wings with the Factory.
Because, you know, 217 hp…
E A S T M O D E
THE APRILIA
RSV4 HAS
BEEN TO THE
GYM, LOST
SOME WEIGHT
AND GAINED
SOME SERIOUS
MUSCLE. WE
HEADED TO
FANTASYLAND
(MUGELLO)
IN ITALY TO
STRETCH IT OUT
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MILAGRO
