VOL. 52 ISSUE 21 MAY 27, 2015 P95
motor has now swung the scales
towards the four-cylinder side of
things as it drives remorselessly
towards the soft-action 14,200
rpm revlimiter, which you're alert-
ed to by the not always visible
red shifter light flashing at 13,500
rpm. But I'd have liked a row of
lights, as on most of its rivals.
With its new appetite for extra
revs it gobbles up the gears as
your foot works overtime in feed-
ing it more cogs via the wide-
open powershifter, delivering
a searing level of performance
that's truly remarkable for any
one-liter normally-aspirated bike
with lights and a number plate.
The way the Aprilia accelerates
is literally awe-inspiring, yet at
the same time refined—every-
thing is delivered so smoothly
and competently.
Yet in other respects the
upgraded RSV4 motor tips
towards the twin-cylinder direc-
tion, thanks to the noticeable
extra midrange torque it now
delivers to the sound of the
most distinctive exhaust note on
the Superbike grid. It issues an
ultra-distinctive meaty burble at
low revs, which transforms itself
into a gruff howl at high rpm.
This extra dose of grunt allowed
me to use one gear higher in
several turns than the last time
I rode an RSV4 here four years
ago at an Aprilia launch, and
the engine's increased flexibility
makes it much less critical which
gear you use to fire the bike out
of a turn. Plus, the extra revs
and stronger midrange make it
easier to save a couple of shifts
by holding a gear between two
slower corners without sacrific-
ing drive, as well as to short-shift
in a couple of places where the
extreme angle of lean the bike
will deliver won't let you get your
foot underneath the gear pedal
for a street-pattern upward shift.
Making a motor more powerful,
more torquey, but easier and
more forgiving to ride is an engi-
neering conundrum that Aprilia's
technicians have pulled off.
So even using the more
extreme Race version of the
three available riding modes
(the others are Track and Sport,
the latter most suited to every
day road riding), the Aprilia pulls
cleanly on part throttle from just
2000 revs, as shown on the
easy-to-read analogue tachome-
ter. Indeed, the new streetbike's
cockpit looks identical to Sylvain
Guintoli's World Champion fac-
tory Superbike racer I rode at
Mugello last September, except
for the slightly higher clipon
handlebars now fitted compared
to the previous streetbike, and
the fact these are devoid of all
the racer's electronic control
buttons mounted on them.
This low down grunt is doubt-
less thanks to a combination
of the electronically-controlled
variable-length intakes and ex-
haust powervalve, but as power
builds smoothly, it comes alive
"WHAT—YOU HAVE
TO USE THE CLUTCH
FOR DOWNSHIFTS ON
THE APRILIA? YES, I'M
AFRAID SO. UNLIKE
ITS DUCATI, BMW
AND YAMAHA RIVALS
THERE'S NO AUTO-
BLIPPER SYSTEM ON
THE NEW RSV4, AN
UNACCOUNTABLE
OMISSION ON A
BIKE WHICH HAS
ALWAYS LED THE
FIELD IN ELECTRONIC
ASSISTANCE."
Ohlins and Brembos are part
and parcel of owning an Aprilia
Superbike.
