Top Speed 2019 Aprilia Buying Guide

Aprilia is an Italian manufacturer mainly in top-end racing machines and streetbikes, though it does have limited scooter range to round out its lineup. It falls under the same Piaggio & C. SpA umbrella as does famed builder Moto Guzzi, but unlike it's sister company, Aprilia completely shuns the standard body-style machines and focuses on performance. In so doing, it serves as the racebike division for the Piaggio conglomerate. The marque is heavily involved in the MotoGP circuit, and at the time of this writing is listed as 6th in the world manufacturer's standings.

Aprilia History

Aprilia started in the days following the end of World War II as a bicycle builder in Noale, Venice province, Italy. Founder Alberto Beggio made a name for himself as a self-supporting builder as he made all his parts in-house, turning out a finished product all his own. In 1962 the marque joined a collective partnership and Mr. Beggio passed control of the company to his son, Ivano, in 1968.

Ivano immediately made the leap into the motorcycle field with a 50 cc gold-and-blue moped model. The earliest machines were named Packi, Daniela and Colibri, but it was the Scarabeo motocross model that really put the company name on the map. In '74, the factory released its first “true” motocross bike, and that machine carried racer Ivan Alborghetti to several victories that launched Aprilia's racing legacy the very next year.

Aprilia was collecting its first racing titles by 1977, and by '79 had increased moped production to 12,000 units along with 2,000 motorcycles, annually. After an economic shakeup in the early '80s that significantly affected the European market, a new factory was built, and with it came an expansion into the streetbike, trials bike and enduro sectors with engines up to 600 cc.

The 1985 model year saw the company's departure from the motocross racing circuits and it began to expand its street and enduro efforts. The '80s marked an era of increased street-racing prowess for the company, but in 1990 the factory reminded the world of its off-road roots with the Pegaso 600 rally bike that had dirtbike DNA but was set up for road use.

Aprilia scored its first world title in the 125 class in '92, and it became the first company to integrate a catalytic converter with its two-stroke engines in a bid to meet the growing demand for clean internal combustion propulsion. This led to the clean-burning Direct Injection Technology in Y2K, and in 2003, the new RSV 1000 set the standard for twin-cylinder sportbike engines.

Aprilia Terminology

ATC- Aprilia Traction Control monitors wheel speeds for indications of slippage and restores traction by modulating the ignition timing as well as the injection timing. It comes with a maximum of eight profiles that allow you to dial in for the prevalent road conditions.

AWC- Aprilia Wheelie Control prevents the front wheel from pulling a moonshot as you roll on the throttle. It comes with three settings and avoids drastic corrections so as to cushion the landing when the front wheel regains contact with the tarmac.

ALC- Aprilia Launch Control allows you to hold the throttle open prior to the holeshot to help you nail your starts while maintaining full control over the machine.

AQS- Aprilia Quick Shift feature that briefly interrupts the spark to let you shift up and down the range without changing throttle position or touching the clutch lever.

APRC- Aprilia Performance Ride Control bundle that combines the above ride-control features into a dynamic control suite.

Aprilia Models

Aprilia Motorbikes

Aprilia lumps all of its street-bound motorcycle models together despite the fact that the Shiver 900 and Dorsoduro 900 are more like naked stuntbikes while the remainder of the lineup is near-indistinguishable from the marques proper racing superbikes. The larger models run the V4 1100 powerplant under nearly-complete body enclosures in a bid to bring a measure of efficient penetration to the table.

Model:	Price:	Displacement:
Dorsoduro 900	$10,999	896 cc
RSV4 1100 Factory	$24,499	1,078 cc
RSV4 RF	$23,499	1,000 cc
RSV4 RF LE	$24,499	1,000 cc
RSV4 RR	$17,499	1,000 cc
Shiver 900	$9,399	896 cc
Tuono V4 1100 Factory	$18,999	1,077 cc
Tuono V4 1100 Factory Summit Attack	$18,999	1,077 cc
Tuono V4 1100 RR	$15,499	1,077 cc

Aprilia Racing Motorbikes

Aprilia's racebike lineup is based all on a single model that's built on the flagship RSV4 RF superbike. The body enclosures are more nearly complete and even more aerodynamic than the street-legal models, and the front fairing has intake ports that take advantage of the pressure wave ahead of the bike to increase volumetric efficiency without the use of turbo or supercharger hardware.

The first tier machine is the RSV4 FW-SSTK1 MM RACE that brings trackday performance to the table along with weight optimization that sees the ABS feature eliminated in its entirety. Next is the RSV4 FW-SSTK2 AP XRACE that has a 204-horsepower mill complete with Aprilia's racing mods. The RSV4 FW SBK is further lightened and features a 215-horsepower engine along with the same electronics as the previous models.

Last, but not least, is the RSV4 FW-GP with a punched-out engine that sports an 81 mm bore and pneumatic poppet actuation to put out a whopping 250 horsepower at the shaft.

Model:	Price:	Displacement:
RSV4 FW	N/A	1,000 cc

Aprilia Scooters

Aprilia currently offers only a single scooter in the North American market, the SR Motard 50. It's a proper, step-through-style scooter running a 49.9 cc engine and swingmount drive system with an aluminum perimeter frame as the main structure. A Bosch 9.1 MP ABS provides some safety, and the overall panache clearly draws from Aprilia's racing architecture. The under-seat storage will hold a full-face bucket, or provide dry storage for books or groceries to give this model some utility as a commuter scooter.