Piaggio Group USA President and CEO Paolo Timoni told Hell for Leather how the Aprilia RSV4 will eventually be sold in the United States during the final quarter of 2009. Although first revealed last September, Aprilia’s 180bhp, 85lb/ft, 179 kg (dry) superbike barely makes it for the 2009 introduction and mostly because of SBK homologation requirements. Accordingly to these, a returning manufacturer must build at least 250 units for initial homologation and 1000 units by June of the first year in racing and that’s precisely the scenario we’re witnessing.

Independently of their motives for introducing the Factory version of the RSV4 till the end of the year, we’re extremely happy to find a potent European contender going against the dominating Japanese crowd.

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