It is hard to believe that the Aprilia RSV4 superbike is ten-years-old this year. Even in the superbike space, which has seen more than its fair share of models languishing through the years, 10 trips around the sun is a long time. And yet, Aprilia has managed to be at the top of the game the whole duration.
Riders will always differ on their preferences, but the Aprilia RSV4 is a regular on the experts’ short-lists. The RSV4 is just an amazing machine, and Aprilia has done a good job of bringing meaningful updates to the model every few years.
With the Euro5 homologation coming in 2021, we are sure to see a successor to the Aprilia RSV4, but before that happens, the Noale brand wants to celebrate its opus with a special model, the Aprilia RSV4 X.
If you want one of these bikes (and you should), well we have bad news for you. Only ten will be made (hence the name), which means the odds are very much not in your favor when it comes to owning this potent machine.
That is a shame, because there is plenty to drool over when looking at the Aprilia RSV4 X. Right away, it is clear that this is bike is only for the track.
As such, all of the road-legal nonsense has been removed, which leads to Aprilia quoting a dry weight of only 364 lbs (165 kg). To frame that for you, the Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory that we just rode at Mugello has a quoted dry weight of 390 lbs.
That 26 lbs weight reduction comes from several components, including the carbon fiber fairings, lighter weight fuel tank, and titanium Akrapovic exhaust system.
Getting to the sexy part, at the core of the machine is an Aprilia Racing hand-built 222hp (165 kW) 1,078cc V4 engine, which as you can imagine has a number of improvements under the hood. Those changes include new intake camshafts, new valve return springs, caps, and bucket tappets, which allows for the use of shafts with more aggressive cam profiles.
Naturally, the motor tech has all been developed from Aprilia’s racing efforts in the WorldSBK Championship.
Perhaps more geek-worthy is that Aprilia has moved the neutral position in the gearbox to below 1st gear. The Italian brand calls this Aprilia No Neutral (ANN), and they say that it speeds up shifting between the first and second gears, and avoids the possibility of a false neutral.
Brembo nerds will also notice that the Aprilia RSV4 X is the first production bike to use the new Brembo GP4-MS calipers, which are mated to T-Drive discs and a 19×16 radial master cylinder from the same Italian brand.
If this all sounds good to you, then you will need €39,900 in your bank account. Availability opens up in the second half of April, on the Aprilia Factory Works website.
Of course, if you don’t happen to get your hands on the Aprilia RSV4 X, you can always have the Noale factory build you something similar, which we suppose is the purpose of this exercise – promoting the company’s Factory Works parts and bike-building services.
Source: Aprilia
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