The major change is the bores and pistons are
3mm bigger in diameter and the pistons are all-
new high compression items with a new shape
and hard-anodised surface treatment
ENGINE
The headline change for the 2019 RSV4 is a
bump in capacity from 999cc to 1077cc courtesy
of a larger bore diameter. This increase in engine
size is partly responsible for a 16hp hike in power
to give the 2019 machine 217hp, which is bloody
huge in anybody’s book. Peak torque is up too,
from 115Nm to 122Nm. Before I tell you what it’s
like hanging onto a 217hp motorcycle, this is how
Aprilia has gained so much power...
Firstly, the major change is the bores and pistons
are 3mm bigger in diameter and the pistons are
all-new high compression items with a new shape
and hard-anodised surface treatment. Helping
the bigger capacity get the extra power are a host
of changes including new inlet cam profiles and
valve timing, redesigned throttle butterfly shafts
for less drag on the incoming fuel charge (these
apparently makes a 1.5hp difference just on
their own), a Marelli 7SM ECU with new engine
management, a new exhaust and Akrapovic
titanium muffler, a revised high-volume oil pump
and lubrication strategy with dual piston cooling
jets, and a new valve-spring design with valves by
Del West. The inlet valves are titanium and the
head height has been reduced 0.3mm to give a
higher compression ratio – now 13.6:1.
What does all this mean? A lot more power
and torque everywhere through the rev-range
from 3000rpm onwards – torque is up over 10%
throughout the entire rev range. Peak revs are
down 600rpm from 14,200rpm to 13,600rpm.
Service intervals are 10,000km or 12 months, but
this is cut in half if the bike is used on the track, or
an open exhaust and race map are used.
Aprilia has also changed the oil spec for the
RSV4 1100 engine. The new grade is 10W-50,
compared to 5W-40 for the rest of its V4 motors
including the RSV4 1000 and Tuono 1100 models.
KIWI RIDER 43