2015 APRILIA RSV4 RF
FIRST RIDE
P94
The chance to assess Aprilia's
latest and greatest came at
a freshly resurfaced Misano
circuit. It's a track now endowed
with such massive grip that it
exposed the new RF version
we were riding—complete with
that Öhlins suspension—to the
sternest possible test of handling
and acceleration. There's not
so much top speed (a watching
Leon Haslam told me he gears
his RSV4 Superbike to use just
five of the six ratios at this track)
though this will certainly have in-
creased with the extra 500 revs
the bike now pulls. But the thing
you immediately notice is how
much quicker the engine spins
up from lower revs, thanks to the
combination of the lighter crank
and reduced internal friction that
Aprilia's engineers have focused
their attention on.
Whereas before the unique
character of the narrow-angle
V4 motor yielded the impression
that you were riding a halfway
house between a V-twin and an
inline four—with the torque of
one combined with the top end
power of the other—the new
The graphics on
the new RSV4
RF have a hint
of old-school
Aprilia to them
and are a clear
break from
the minimalist
color schemes
of past Aprilia
Superbikes.
(Right) If you pick up a limited edition
RF you'll know it every time with
those engravings on the top clamp.
(Far right) Yes, you can use your
phone to win bar arguments with the
RSV4 and their app for smartphones-
-it's your own personal data logger!
