Aprilia reinforces its reputation as the Piaggio Group's racebike division with its RSV4 “Factory Works” family line that delivers out-of-the-box track readiness, and the “GP” version resides at the top of the totem pole. This is Aprilia's flagship public-sale racebike with all the best of what the Italian marque has to offer, and part of the overall price and delivery process involves factory training so you can get the most out of the machine. Make no mistake, this is a track-only bike with none of the equipment you'd need for safe and legal road operation.

Aprilia RSV4 FW-GP Design

The RSV4 FW-GP is built with the RSV4 RF as its base platform, but unlike the street-legal RF, the GP rolls sans mirrors, turn signals, and such mirrors, turn signals, and such}}. A trio of headlights lead the way recessed in the front fairing over a cut-down, carbon-fiber fairing that pulls double duty as a guard for the exposed inner-fork tubes. Not only do the foil-shaped uprights protect the swept area of the inner fork tube and seals from road grit, but they force the incoming wind outboard to encourage laminar flow of the slipstream with the engine cowling.

They aren't very conspicuous, but a pair of intake vents are molded into the front fairing to take advantage of the pressurized air at the front of the bike; an easy trick that improves volumetric efficiency. Sure, you don't get much of a boost until you hit the 100 mph mark, but that is hardly a prohibitive metric on a racebike proper, unlike its street-bound brethren.

A smoked bubblescreen tops the fairing to punch a hole in the wind for a fully tucked-in rider. Down low, the cowling meets at the chin fairing that itself extends back into a full belly pan to fair off drag-inducing elements of the undercarriage. The body covering stops just shy of 100-percent by holding short at the trailing edges to expose the perimeter-style frame and part of the blacked-out engine as it opens up into vents that draw air through the radiator and oil cooler up front.

A flat deck tops the 4.9-gallon fuel tank with an upper flange that caps the knee-pocket area at the pinched-down rear end. Everything about the waist is built around extreme body English so you can toss it around in the corners like you mean it.

The solo-saddle rides at 33 inches (stock) in a bit of a swale to pull the pilot into the bike for positive man-machine integration, and a faired-off tail section finishes the subframe with nothing in the way of passenger amenities.

Carbon-fiber elements pervade the bodywork, no doubt to keep the weight down to a trim 450 pounds, wet. Part of the optional equipment includes engine cowlings with winglets that generate downward force to help keep the front end planted.

Aprilia RSV4 FW-GP Chassis

The twin-spar chassis on the RSV4 FW-GP uses the engine as a stressed member to displace the entire downtube and cradle sections and the weight they would otherwise add to the equation. Folks, this here is a proper racing frame, and as such, it comes with adjustments most of us aren't exactly used to dealing with on a daily basis.

Everything is adjustable. By “everything” I mean the steering head can be adjusted, the swingarm pivot location moved and the rear-end height can be set. To hold it all up, Öhlins products fill all the slots, starting with an adjustable steering damper to take the edge off the kickback when the front rubber returns to the road.

Inverted NIX forks float the front end on the full spectrum of adjustments opposite a TTX monoshock that relies on a progressive linkage for quick shock-reaction times and concurrent traction improvement. Brembo supplies the dual, 330 mm front discs and four-pot, monobloc calipers that slow the front wheel and the twin-piston anchor and 220 mm disc that slows the rear. That's some pretty good hardware, but what makes it come alive is the Bosch 9.1 MP C-ABS safety net that delivers switchable, three-mode corner-sensitive ABS protection (plus “Off”).

In addition to the anti-lock coverage, the system comes with a rear end lift-up protection feature that'll keep the rear wheel planted, even under the heaviest braking effort. Forged-aluminum wheels round out the rolling chassis with a 120/70 hoop ahead of a 200/55, both 17-inchers and both “Z” rated to tolerate the forces of track use.

Aprilia RSV4 FW-GP Drivetrain

Aprilia started with its proven, 65-degree V4 engine, then the engineers punched the bore out to 81 mm to up the power output on the RSV4 FW-GP. The engine relies on dual over-head cams and pneumatic valvetrain actuation, which makes the poppets open and close faster than the older systems with less reciprocating mass in the top end.

What kind of power are we looking at? The factory claims a total of 250 horsepower at the shaft, which is impressive considering the stock RF mill generates 201 horsepower at the shaft. Torque is measured at 84.8 pound-feet at 10,500 rpm, and as you may have guessed by the pneumatic valvetrain, the top end is a lofty 13,000 rpm.

A trio of new engine maps (Track, Sport and Race) lets you dictate the personality of the powerplant and the delivery of the juice. Power flows through a six-speed transmission and O-ring chain drive with a quick-shift feature that ensures you'll never have to touch the clutch or roll off the ride-by-wire throttle once you get moving initially.

The lean-sensitive traction control and ABS are joined by an anti-wheelie feature along with a pit speed limiter and launch control to round out the track-tastic electronics suite. As for the top speed, word is it comes in at 185.3 mph.

Aprilia RSV4 FW-GP Pricing

U.S. buyers can expect to shell out something around the $83k mark. Bear in mind, that's the price before the winged cowling and other race-tastic bits and bobs.

Aprilia RSV4 FW-GP Competitors

It can be tough to find an apple-to-apple competitor for a true trackbike, but I think Honda may be my Huckleberry this time around with its track-tastic RC213V-S superbike.

Honda RC213V-S

Windtunnel-tested body panels abound across the board, and let's face it, comparing the aesthetics of bikes such as these is a waste of time; it's strictly a form-follows-function kind of deal. I'll concede also that the current Honda RC213V-S rolled back in 2016, but as is frequently the case with apex-predator models, it is what it is until something comes along that supersedes it.

An adjustable frame and Öhlins suspension supports the Red Rider model, just like its counterpart, but that's to be expected with a proper track bike. Honda runs a 999 cc V4 engine that drops the pneumatics in favor of a lower-maintenance conventional drivetrain. Power takes a severe hit with the Honda only claiming half the horsepower of its rival, but the factory claims top speeds around 200 mph, so it seems clear that Aprilia wastes some horsepower carrying all that horsepower at the end of the day.

Pricewise, if you have to ask, you can't afford it. The RC213V-S rolls for $184,000 in a number that is inversely proportional to its power output.

Read our full review of the Honda RC213V-S.

He Said

“This is not a bike for wanna-bes or has-beens, but instead is a serious machine for serious riders who are seriously going to compete in sanctioned races. It ain't even street legal, so if you aren't a racer or don't plan on equipping a racer, the best you can hope for is a nice addition to a gallery/garage, 'cause you won't be hitting the road on this one.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “Aprilia added the RSV4 FW-GP in 2017 as part of its Factory Works expansion. Factory Works offers to the public RSV4 superbikes built to World Superbike specs with full support of Aprilia Racing. Buyers are treated like factory riders with access to exclusive perks with on-track support, track test sessions with Aprilia Racing engineers, and customization to fit the bike to you, your needs and style. Plus, when you race the FW-GP on the track, an Aprilia Racing engineer can be present. Aprilia takes it seriously when you buy one of these babies.”

Aprilia RSV4 FW-GP Specifications

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