Bike Review: Aprilia RSV4 Factory

Since the arrival of the RSV4 Factory in Australia last September, much has been written about Aprilia’s first V-four powered superbike.

But with the RSV4R model due in dealerships in a matter of weeks we thought we’d get up to speed and have a look at the bike that has launched Aprilia into a new era, and into contention in the World Superbike Championship.

Aprilia has always had a reputation for producing innovative and sometimes revolutionary technical ideas, and for building bikes that have dominated race tracks world-wide for over 20 years.

The RSV4 Factory follows strongly in that tradition - it is a highly technologically advanced motorcycle conceived for the purpose of winning races. It has been developed around Aprilia’s narrow 999cc V-four engine and is in every way a true superbike.

On first look the most obvious thing you notice about the bike is just how compact it is. It is smaller, lower and narrower than any other four-cylinder bike, and looks more like a 600.

Aprilia has been able to do this because of the super compact 65° V-four engine which is not much wider than a normal in-line twin. The narrow design allows for cylinders to be over square and use larger valves which equates to more power output, and for its mass to be centralised in the motorcycle for improved handling. Weight is also minimised by the extensive use of magnesium in all valve covers and external housings.

The engine produces 180HP (132 kW) at 12,500 rpm, and the optional Akropovic exhaust system will bring that up to 210HP. Maximum rpm is at 14,100 rpm.

The engine is controlled by full Ride-by-Wire technology so there is no direct connection between throttle grip and the throttle valves. Three engine maps are available to the rider and can be selected while moving.

In the “Road” setting (which you would probably want to use in wet conditions) the engine is limited to 140HP in all gears. For most of us mere mortals that’s more than enough power.

In “Sport” mode the engine develops the full 180HP but is torque limited in the first 3 gears. “Track” mode simply unleashes the engines full fury with no restrictions.

The design and construction of the chassis also reflects Aprilia’s race focus. The aluminium frame is stiffer than that used in its previous RSV 1000 superbikes, yet weighs only 10.1 kg, and the swingarm weighs only 5.1 kg.

The swingarm is designed with an arch section on the right side and a reinforcing arch on the left, and this has made it possible to design an exhaust system with optimised internal volumes without compromising the rigidity of the swingarm.

The amount of adjustability in the chassis geometry is typically only found in racing motorcycles. Headstock position and rake (through interchangeable bushings), rear ride height and swing-arm pivot height are all adjustable, and so is the engine position in the frame.

Weight is quoted as 179 kg without battery and fluids and distribution is almost perfect at 52% front and 48% rear. Most of the fuel is held under the seat in order to optimise motorcycle balance and minimise handling differences between a full and empty tank.

The RSV4 Factory runs Öhlins racing front forks, rear monoshock and steering damper, and forged lightweight aluminium rims.

The Öhlins Racing upside-down fork has 43 mm stanchions with titanium nitride coating to minimise friction and has precision adjustments for hydraulic compression, rebound damping and spring preload.

The Öhlins Racing rear shock absorber is equipped with a “piggy back” nitrogen canister and can be adjusted for spring preload, compression and rebound damping, and length, thus allowing the height of the rear end of the bike to be set-up to suit different riding styles.

Aprilia needed a totally new braking system for this motorcycle. The front uses Brembo monobloc radial callipers on dual 320 mm diameter stainless steel floating discs. The rear is a Brembo “Serie Oro” system using a 220 mm diameter stainless steel disc and two-piston caliper with racing-type master cylinder and integrated reservoir.

Power is delivered through a 6-speed cassette type gearbox with interchangeable ratios, a multiplate wet clutch equipped with a mechanical slipper system and chain final drive.

Finish and build quality on the RSV4 Factory is excellent, something you would expect from a motorcycle of this nature and price. The attention to detail that Aprilia has gone to for this bike is impressive - even the bolts have “Aprilia Racing” stamped on them!

Despite being so small it is a very comfortable bike to ride. It’s tight and compact, but the ergonomics are so good it’s very easy to feel at home quickly. A countershaft in the engine dampens vibrations even more than in a 90° V engine, and in fact there seems to be less vibration than from a typical in line 4 cylinder.

The engine is incredibly responsive, and delivers its power smoothly and predictably over a wide rev range. Even down as low as 3000 rpm the engine is impressive - a characteristic typical of torquey “V” engines. From about 10,000 rpm the power comes on at an alarming pace as the V-four unleashes its full 180HP, and you know very quickly that unless you’re in the running for a superbike title you’ll never reach the limits of this bike.

The motorcycle is very sure footed and agile, turning quickly into corners but never feeling nervous. Its “flickability” makes it feel more like a 600 than the 1000 that it is, and you need to remind yourself of the power you have on tap once that throttle is cracked open.

As a street legal superbike it is the closest thing to a World Superbike that you will ever get, although BMW are also making a similar claim with their new S1000RR. The fact is that by bolting on the optional Akropovic exhaust system you have a bike that’s so close to Max Biaggi’s race bike it’s almost daunting.

Only 140 of the bikes were brought into the country in the first shipments, and they’re actually the SBK spec machines. They have been distributed through selected dealers, and Gold Coast Aprilia is one of only 4 approved dealerships in Queensland. And at the time of writing they had the last 2 new bikes available in the country until the new 2010 shipment arrives.

At $32,490 + on roads it’s a very serious investment, but it’s also a very serious machine. And considering that this is such a high spec motorcycle it’s actually quite good value when compared to its competition. A Ducati 1198 S will set you back around $34,000 and the comparable race spec Ducati 1098 R is around $57,000.

If you’d like to know more about the bike or any of the Aprilia range including the soon to arrive RSV4R you can contact Gold Coast Suzuki & Aprilia at 21 Kortum Dr, Burleigh Heads on (07) 5520 2300.

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