Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Attocking the Qotor circuit on two versions of Aprilio's RSYI000R THE tr MEBAtrK KID That's because the restyled, revamped base-model Series 2 RSV-R that appeared alon8side its prestigious factor) (ompanion version, never properly took off in produc- tion thanks to Aprilia's spring 2004 factory shutdown. and the interruption of the flow of component supplies needed to build the new models. Production was also held back after the Piaggio takeover, so even though the RSV|000R still ended up comfortably outselling it5 Ducati 999 Latin V-tlvin rival in key sportbike markets such as Britain and Germany, fewer than half the proiected 16,000 bikes scheduled to be manufactured in 2004 and 2005 evergot built. Thus, it was a case of unfinished business in the run-up to Piaggio boss Roberto Colaninno's stated intention of floatinS the company publicly via an IPO planned forlune of this year But it is a case of better late than never for Aprilia and now it is back on an even keel under the direction of PiaSSio place- man Leo Mercanti. Aprilia has relaunched the RSV|000R in an improved 2005 ver- sion that also addresses the sin8le most important issue that manufacturers cur- rently have to confront - the much strictea Euro 3 noise and emissions rules. lt is those rules concocted by the bureaucrats in Brussels that represent the grealest poten- tial challenge yet to maintaining perlorm- ance in a street-legal motorcycle. Tests of other bikes which incorporate compliance to the Euro 3 have shown that the penalty for meeting the new emissions standards, via the required lean-burn injection set- tings, appears to be a comparable reduc- tion in midrange torque. And that's the kind of muscle that's synonymous with any V-twin. The world has turned. So, it was with something approaching a sense of inevitability that I showed up to ride the 2006 Aprilia RSV-R and its factory spin off at the the Losail GP circuit in Qatar. Fifty laps later, though, lwent looking for Aprilia R&D chief Mariano Fioravanzo. to shake his hand - because what he and his team have done with these new 60-degree V-rwin sportbikes is they have delivered the best of both worlds. met the harsh new environmental norms while at the same time improved the performance of the narrow-angle V-trvin motor as part ofa significantly better package compared to the Series 2 Mille. Okay - but what's changed? Well, for a preview of what the new Mille is like, look at the new Tuono R. The bikes share the same new tlvin-spar alumrnum chassis. twin 320mm Brembo front brakes (with forged mounting block for the radially mounted four-pad, four-pot calipers with braided metal hoses). with a 220mm rear and two- pot caliper, and a fully ad,ustable Sachs rear shock with the same rising-rate link. Above all, there is a comparably improved state of tune for the company's Rotax-built 60- deSree V-twin engine, while still meeting the Euro 3 norms via a three-way catalyst and lambda sensor in the 2-l-2 stainless- steel exhaust system, with its twin Ansa silenceas tucked in to reduce drag. But doing this on a street rod tuned for torque is a diflerent proposition for an out- right sportbike that has to deliver top-end performance to satisfy the expectations of its demanding clientele. The new RSV-R does this by delivering an extra 4-horse- power over its 2003 to 2005 predecessor (so it now produces 143 hp at the crank- shaft at 10,000 rpm), with an extra 3-per- cent more power delivered at the bike's claimed I 74-mph top speed. Most ofthis is thanks to the enhanced design of the 10.3- liter airbox's so-called Air Runner central intake duct. fu before, this is located in the nose of the subtly restyled, sleeker and more aerodynamic bodywork, which now boasts an ultralow 0.3 Cx drag coefficient, in spite of the extra hot-air extraction vents fitted to aid cooling. The inlet duct passes through the head- stock of the chassis, while the masterpiece of plastic molding that the duct represents incorporates a choke controlled by the engine-management ECU- This regulates the airflow to optimize it depending on engine revs, gear selected, throttle open- in8s. air pressure, elc., plui there are a parr of Helmou resonators to lower intake noise at critical revs, and an air bypass stepper motor that sends air downstream of the throttle butterfly to aid cold starring - and to stabilize the 1200-rpm idle speed. Sull boasring its rrademark AVDC twin counterbalancers - one running off the crank, the other positioned in the rear cylinder head - and pneLrmatically operated PPC diaphragm rwerse-torque mechanism for the close-ratio six-speed transmission, the 97 x 67.5mm RSV-R 998cc dry-sump motor weighs 143 pounds. The modular chain/gear drive to the twin overhead camshafts (each timing chain's gear is locat- ed in the crankcase to reduce cylinder-head dimensions), are fitted with reworked cylinder heads with revised valve seats, and altered porting for better gas flow These employ bigger 33mm exhar.rst valves (r.rp from 3lmm, while inlets remain un(hanged at 38mm), matched to correspondin8ly larger diameter headers for the 2-l-2 exhaust, which sees the twin catalytic con- verters installed nearer to the collector box. This reduces activation time by 50 percent, while further reducing emissions. To compensate for this, however, the secondary exhaust section within the Ansa silencers has been lengthened by 200mm to Testore some of the torque sacrificed rn meeting the Euro 3 norms - and cruciall, to add an extra l0 Nm compared to the older bike in the crucial 5000-7000 rpm midrange, even if maximum torque has been reduced slightly, from 107 Nm at 7500 rpm on the previous model, to l0l Nm on the new one, at 500-rpm higher. So there's less outright grunt, but a fatter spread of it. There are also new strffer connecting rods - the same close-ratio six-speed gear- box as the TLrono R - and uprated single- in,ector 57mm Bing throttle bodies. Meanwhile, the completely remapped new-generation l6-bit Siemens VDO real- time ECU employs a CAN line with just two wires to transfer data lrom the l5 dif- ferent sensors that it monitors, and incor- porates an immobilizer and alarm con- trolled via the ignition key. The very lght Digrtech multrfunction dash, which weighs less than half a pound wirh analog tach and digital speedometer, is based on the same all-encompassrng multifunction unit introduced last year on the PeSaso and Moto Guzzi Breva- This one, though, incorporates a CANJed auto-diagnostic system, plus a 40-lap timer. Equally uprared is the RSV-R chassis. Using experience gained from Aprilia's suc- cessfr-rl entry inro World Endurance racing in 2005, this 2l-pound frame is not only lighter than before, but stiffer as well. As before, it consists of a composite-alu- minum twin-spar structure manufactured from a blend of alloy castings welded to Peraluman-4so aluminum pressings, and incorporates a slightly more kicked-out 25- degree rake (was 24.5 degrees). Up front, the bike gets a fully adjustable 43mm TiN-coated Ohlins fork that now come standard on the base-level RSV-R - previouslx these were only available on the costlier factory version. A new alloy swingarm gives extra space for the exhausts to be tucked in tight, and at 10,6 pounds, is also lighter, though its pivot point still isn't adjustable, as it is on many lapanese sportbikes. Fitted with OZ-look-alike Y-spoke wheels that aren't, in fact. the lightweight 24 APRIL26,2OO6. CYC[E NEWS - L Aprilio RSYI000R The flOOoR i5 revomped, powered up ond f meets Euro 3 rcouirJments for ' ,toi"Id amircions- _.- ifteen months after its Piaggio bailout, Aprilia's comeback from the Last Chance Saloon is gathering momentum, with the intrgduction of the lat- est in the series of the several new models which had been waiting for someone to sign the checks to propel them into production. After the debut of the Tuono R street rod at the Paris show in September, then the SXV/RXV off-road V-twins, followed by the revitalized RS 125 ring-ding road rocket and Pegaso 650 Trail, now it's the turn of the revised RSV l@0R duo in what, in some ways, amounts to a delayed intro for the completely revamped ver- sion of the company's benchmark 60iegree V-twin sportbike. I \ t' .1. ,0 ( .t$.

• Cover