2015 APRILIA RSV4 RF
FIRST RIDE
P100
tight turn. The only trait of the
Aprilia's steering I didn't care for
was that it liked to stand up and
head for the hedges if I took an
extra handful of front brake while
leaned over in the middle of a
turn because I'd misjudged my
entry speed a little, and needed
to slow down to make the apex.
So this is a bike that rewards
precise riding, in which case it's
a fabulous package that, with
its extra power yet still linear
delivery and increased midrange
torque, is hard to better.
If I'd had more time I might
have started dialing in different
settings for different turns on
the V4-MP system via the smart-
phone mounted on top of the
triple clamps. This is a proper
big boy's toy that gives you ac-
cess to World Superbike-level
corner-by-corner setup cali-
bration. Although I'm not sure
how you're supposed to cope
if you get a call on your mobile
halfway round the fifth-gear Cur-
vone at Misano, or maybe the
second-gear Tramonto before
that, with your knee on the deck
as you wind open the throttle.
Anyway, for those of us more,
er, mature riders, the biggest
problem with an electronic
system as complicated as this
is that to get used to it we need
our kids to explain it to us. And
there's no room on the Aprilia
for either of my sons to sit be-
hind me, and press all the right
icons to dial up perfection.
But in addition to letting you
set your TC and AWC for each
different bend, after your ride is
over the datalogger that the V4-
MP system incorporates shows
real time speed, plus lean angle
(bound to be a topic for bench
racing in the pub after track days
are ended!), throttle position and
TC/anti-wheelie intervention, as
well as showing you where you're
gaining or losing time lap by lap.
Just takes time to understand and
get used to, but here yet again
Aprilia has led the field in another
electronic riding aid advance.
The marketing straplines that
manufacturers attach to their
products are sometimes so
misplaced as to be frankly laugh-
able. But Aprilia's dictum for
describing its new RSV4 in RF
and RS modes hits the bullseye:
'Designed for Racers, Built for
Riders.' Yes, it is. Maybe better
than anyone else has done so
far… CN
The RSV4 RF has a limited run of 500 units.
