And then there ’ s the sound track ... a gloriously heady mix of booming baritone and soaring falsetto . It is a fantastic engine note that changes as you flick through the gears on the speed-shifter , unmatched in motorcycling from my experience . Keeping this rather perky motor in check are a host of power / rider modes and even cruise control , all of which are selectable from the handle bar switch blocks via cutting edge Bosch electronics . The rider mode selection process has been tidied up and simplified immensely compared to previous iterations . Just follow the steps on the dash to adjust traction control , antiwheelie , ABS sensitivity and power – it ’ s all very clever and most of the ‘ Italian factor ’ has been removed , so it ’ s way more intuitive to operate than in the past – and almost as logical as the four button switch process KTM use – which in my view is the simplest of the lot . I was very taken with the Ohlins suspension at both ends . Obviously Ohlins is a wellrespected quality product and should perform well , but , as they say , its all in the set-up . And the set up is firm , quite firm , but never harsh and even when hitting some quite ugly bumps at speed the Aprilia always feels taut and very controlled . It is probably a step too far to say the RSV4 is ‘ comfortable riding ’ suspension-wise on our rough byways , but it isn ’ t bad by any means , certainly for a thoroughbred sports bike . A superbike like this must be firm to cope with all the power and braking forces , so I ’ d say Aprilia has walked a fine line between comfort and control quite brilliantly . Of course both ends are fully adjustable , so fine tuning to personal requirements is only a few clicks away .

KIWI RIDER 37