Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128107
o This philosophy of "throwi ng m ore love at i t " ha s l i k e w ise p r o d uce d som e inc re dib le m ac h inery - more two-wheel ed scu lp t ure than m echanical co ntrivance . Hig h performance? A nd how, w ith th e D ucati 851 Superbike o f the late ' 8 0 s becoming the catal y st t hat spa r k ed the second renaissance of the It alian motorcycle indus t r y a ll t hese ye a r s later. A rena i s s a n c e w h i c h h a s spawn ed April i a an d rebirthed such cla ss i c marq ues as MV Agusta and Benell i. Moto Guzzi, M o nd ia l, Gi lera ... hec k , ev en the names sound good. Versatility? We ll , if y ou' re do in g' all the t ime, then it probably isn't e of th e finer things in li fe, no w,' it? W hich brings us to the sexy , dred heart of the matter: After na g hammered our way th rough two h a core shootouts , the Cycle New s t ing staff decided to relax and ta opportunity to sample a few . ian superbikes at on e of t racetracks in the wo agu Raceway (sorr Mazda Rac ew do esn't so u we book e mance m Denn is Pe DP Safety us to get 100 bring ing paro of three of the finest sport I i n ex istence : the Du cat i 996 , the Aprilia RSV M ille and the MV Agusta F4S. Having l ogg ed p len t y of t ime ab o ard a ll th r ee on the st reet , we weren 't as interested in offering up a stop light -to -stoplight e v a lu at i o n of th is particu la r trio . Rat her, we just wanted to pl ay with them on th e track and see w here the y differed, an d where they were the same. A s usual , Freddie Spencer's High Perfo rm ance Rid ing Sc hool instructo r Je ff Han ey was on hand to ass ist us. The former factory Honda road -ra ce an d dirt - t r ac k star a lw ay s o f fe rs ex c ellen t suspens i on setup advi ce and p e r formance f e ed ba ck . And besid es , Ha n ey liv e s in Sea s ide , wh ic h is in close proximity to Laguna Sec a. So if we d idn't like what he had to say , we co uld send him home. . Thus , t h e st ag e was set: a great da y of testing some of th e most exotic Su perb ik es o n a sunny da y at one o f our fa v o r ite t r a c k s. Wh at cou l d possibly go w rong? Plen t y , b rother. But ore on th at lat er. ENG IN E The Aprilia's brakes are the best of the bunch, offering excellent f ee dba c k and feel. • e n e _ s Italian Superbikes decided to race it , that is) 750cc inline four with fou r valves per cylinder. O f course , the difference in engine configuration bet ween th e V- tw in and in line fo ur requ ired a corr espondi ngly d ifferent approach when hust li ng th e ma ch in es arou nd the 1 I - t u rn 2 .23 m ile Laguna course. T he Aprilia Mille RSV was the eas iest to rid e, but also the hardest to ma k e time on. Smooth sew ing m ac h ine , th e fu el -injectO:de g re e M ill e m o t or simply """........a . ier style of power pro ""c "A..=~" e D u c at i . T he Mi ll = e rna 'c t he grunt of tn -sto Ie turn II, s st art ed li e worlds i s to sugg est that i t offers some sort of c omprom ise. Nothing could be fu rther fro m the truth , as the 90 -deg ree ot to valvo le 996 motor somehow smoothl y produces the type of seamless y et rough -hewn, agg ro power that has made i t the benchmark V-twin racer. Smooth and quick off t h e bottom, the Duck can also quack on the top end , mak ing it far mo re forg i v ing than t h e RSV , w h ich m ust b e he ld on long er hifts, or the MV , which must , nine tails . ENGINE Liquid-cooled. 60-degree V-twin VALVE:fRAIN DOHC, four valves per cylinder BORE x STROKE 97 x 67.5mm DISPLACEMENT 997.62cc COMPRESSION RATIO 11.4:1 CARBURETION Indirect multipoint electronic injection wi integrated electronic engine regulation system: 51mm throttle bodies IGNITION Twin Spark Ignition (TSI) digital electronic wi two spark plugs per cylinder, integrated with injection CLUTCH Hydraulic-assisted multiplate in oil bath TRANSMISSION .Six-speed FRAME Afuminum alloy box-type sloping double side beam wi removable aluminum alloy saddle mount WHEELBASE 56.6 in. RAKE/TRAIL 25°/99mm SEAT HEIGHT 32.8 in. SUSPENSION FRONT Showa 43mm upside down fork w/ 4 .8 in. travel: fully adjustable REAR Aluminum alloy swingarm with differentiated design arms: progressive linkage with Aprili a Progressive System (APS); Sachs shock wi 5.4 in. travel; fully adjustable TIRES FRONT Dunlop D207 120/70 ZR1 7 REAR Dunlop D207 190/50 ZRI7 WHEELS FRONT Brembo 3.50 x 17 REAR Brembo 6.00 x 17 BRAKES . FRONT .(2) Brembo 320mm stainless steel double floating disc wi four-piston caliper REAR (1 ) Brembo 210mm stainless steel disc w ] two-piston caliper CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT .41 1.4 Ibs. FUEL CAPACITY .4.7 gal. MSRP $13.899