WORDS: Jock McLauchlan
PHOTOS: Geoff Osborne
APRILIA
RSV4R
FACTORY
Simply stunning on track, but what is
Aprilia’s RSV4RF like on the road...?
must confess that for some years
now my feelings have been torn
concerning the Aprilia RSV4. On
the one hand it’s a beautifully
engineered and technological
power house of Italian design
that’s destined to slay race tracks in
the right hands. But on the other,
that doesn’t necessarily make it a
great road bike for general use. I have
wavered between being totally amazed
by its capabilities, beyond stunning
looks and heavenly sound track, and
whether the RSV4 is a logical or even
rational choice as a road bike.
The argument against goes like this
– it’s too fast, too uncomfortable and
the pillion accommodation is abysmal
at best. So, in a nutshell, it’s not at
all practical. But, that’s really all the
naysayers have. Now, for the glass half
full guys... a bike can never be too fast,
it’s plenty comfortable unless you’re
super tall and, well, I bought the bike
to enjoy for myself, not potter around
two-up. Of course, as with most things,
the full truth lays somewhere in the
middle and this will be determined by
the type of rider you are.
I have to admit that I really do love
the 65-degree, V-four engine and
everything about it, well, everything
barring the the mechanical clatter
it makes just above idling engine
speed. It shouldn’t be necessary to
say it’s fast, but, it I feel it needs to be
vocalised. This is phenomenally fast.
The power delivery is strong from the
get go and just progressively ramps
up until the rev-counter needle buries
itself in the red and the limiter stops
proceedings. The RSV4 doesn’t have
the ultra frenetic top-end rush of, say,
a ZX-10R, but it’s still hauling absolute
arse. There is an effortless surge in
the midrange where the Aprilia will
loft the front wheel beautifully around
the 130km/h mark as you exit flowing
turns, but overall it’s really quite linear.
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