The liter bike class may be a shadow of their former selves as sales have dwindled in the face of a determined assault by the adventure segment, but that doesn’t mean that manufacturers have stopped seeing a superbike as a technological flagship. These halo-bikes reflect their glory on lesser models in the range. Of all the manufacturers, Aprilia might be one of the smallest in terms of production numbers, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t know a thing or two about building a brilliant sports bike. The Aprilia RSV4 comes in two flavors: the standard model and the RSV4 Factory. They share an engine, chassis, electronics and the same visual elements but while the standard model has conventional Sachs suspension and steering damper and cast aluminum wheels, the Factory version gets semi-active Öhlins suspension, an electronic steering damper (also by Öhlins) and forged aluminum wheels, not to mention a $7,000 price hike. In our opinion, it is worth every penny.
9 The Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory Has More Than Enough Power
In 2021, the RSV4 1100 Factory got an engine displacement increase, from 1078cc to 1099cc, the result of an extra fraction of an inch worth of stroke, designed to counter the power-sapping effect of Euro5 emissions compliance. The power output is an arm-stretching 217 horsepower at 13,000 rpm and 92 foot-pounds of torque at 10,500 rpm. The crankshaft has been lightened by 1.3 pounds, meaning this engine will spin up to its redline faster than ever and 80% of the torque is available from 6,000 rpm. No matter what gear you are in, or what speed you are doing, insane acceleration is always just a twist of the wrist away.
8 The RSV4 1100 Factory's Improved Handling
No 200-plus horsepower superbike is ever going to be ‘easy’ to ride and will always need a firm hand at the controls to make it bend to your will. Early RSV4 chassis were known for their stability, but this came at the expense of agility and really needed muscling around to get the best lap times out of it. The 2021 redesign sought to address this and Aprilia’s engineers were largely successful, effecting small changes to wheelbase and rake to make the bike change direction much quicker and with less effort, while crucially not affecting stability too much.
7 You’ll Need A Degree To Dial In The Electronic Suspension
The Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory gets Öhlins semi-active NIX 43mm front fork and TTX rear shock, coupled up to the Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 brain which automatically adjusts the suspension damping. There are three preset modes but the real fun starts when you delve into the adjustability of the three customizable manual modes. It is possible to dial in parameters to an incredible level of personalization, allowing you to set the bike up for each stage of a corner - entry, mid-corner, and exit. The feedback you get is incredible, as long as you don’t tie yourself in knots with all the changes!
6 WSBK Chassis Features
More than any other manufacturer involved in World Superbike racing, Aprilia isn’t afraid to let its racing tech drip down onto its production bikes. In addition to the active suspension technology, the chassis of the RSV4 1100 Factory can be physically adjusted. The headstock rake and swing arm pivot height can both be adjusted to fine-tune the chassis to your own personal tastes, although while previous generations of the RSV4 had an engine that could be moved in the chassis to alter the weight distribution, that feature is no longer available.
5 The Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory Gives You Wings
While it is tempting to think of Aprilia as a small bunch of engineers toiling away in a small shed, producing world-beating motorcycles, the truth is the factory employs modern technology as much as any other manufacturer. The fairing of the latest RSV4 1100 Factory was designed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) before it even saw a wind tunnel. As is now common, small wings have sprouted on the leading edge of the fairing, producing 18 pounds of downforce at 186mph! We’re not sure how many owners will ever reach those speeds, but it sounds good when telling your friends.
4 The Riding Position On The 1100 Factory Has Been Tweaked
Let’s face it; superbikes weren’t designed to be comfortable: every element of them has been optimized for performance, and you sometimes get the feeling that the engineers see the rider as an afterthought or something that will spoil all their hard work in the wind tunnel. Having said that, however, Aprilia has given the rider some consideration, trying everything to get them further out of the airstream. The screen has been raised, the gas tank narrowed and lowered, allowing the rider to tuck in ever further (if your creaking joints will allow it!), and lowering the seat and foot pegs slightly. Aprilia claims an 11% reduction of wind pressure on the rider.
3 Advanced Electronics And Increased Processing Power
There is more computing power on the Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory than on many small family sedans. Aside from the electronic suspension, the bike is equipped with a Magneti Marelli ECU has four times the processing power of the previous models, while a Bosch six-axis IMU offers eight levels of lean-sensitive traction control, three levels of cornering ABS, three throttle maps, three levels of wheelie control, three levels of engine braking, a pit lane speed limiter and even cruise control! About the only thing it won’t do is make you a cup of coffee in the pits.
2 The Aprilia 1100 Factory Plays Its Own Distinctive Tune
A highly tuned V4 engine is always going to have a distinctive soundtrack and the Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory is no different. If it errs on the side of legality, there are times when you think Aprilia engineers might have ignored legislation altogether. Accelerating hard from standstill or out of a corner brings forth a barking bellow from the muffler, despite the presence of a catalytic converter. If anything, calling it a ‘muffler’ is surely opening up Aprilia to accusations of misleading the authorities: this thing isn’t muffling anything but, boy, does it sound amazing.
1 Rivals And Pricing
Despite their waning popularity, every manufacturer worth its salt has a liter bike on their books (unless you are Triumph, KTM, Harley or Indian!). Saying that one is any better than another is a pointless task, as you would have to be Valentino Rossi to not only get the best out of them, but to notice any extremely subtle differences. Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Ducati, and BMW all offer a superbike that will scare you silly whilst also giving you the thrill of your life. The Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory can hold its head up high in such company and might even be better in some respects, but not as good in others. The Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory retails for $25,999, and it's honestly a lot of motorcycle for the money.