ROAD NEWS
X MARKS THE SPOT
Aprilia has released a very limited edition piece of motorcycle art. This comes in the form of the Aprilia X 250TH. The 250 moniker alludes to the 250th anniversary of the USA Declaration Of Independence, hence the livery being used at the recent COTA Grand Prix of the United States round of MotoGP. Sure, it is very flag waving in its look, which raised a few eyebrows as it comes from an Italian marque but it was such a stunning weekend at COTA for Aprilia that is all seemed to work amazingly well. If you are not of the flag waving livery type, don’ t discount this special edition as simply a US-style paint job. It is way more than that. If you are contemplating spending US $ 150,000 on a new track weapon, read on … Besides, you could do a custom wrap and still enjoy the fruit on this 240hp sculpture.
Yup, that’ s right … 240hp and the ripped Italian only weighs 165kg, so the power to weight ratio is sublime, even if the power to dollar ratio may have your eyes watering a little bit. So, what is so special on this particular X model? Well, for starters, there’ s the stoppers. Carbon-carbon 340mm, finned aluminium forged calipers et al mean you have carbon discs and pads and the knowledge that you have genuine MotoGP stopping ability on tap. Paired to the forged magnesium Marchesini wheels and pressurided Ohlins forks, it is the front-end of dreams. The front of the bike also gets the latest MotoGP aero treatment, as does the rear. In the middle is Aprilia’ s patented panel technology that utilises the rider and panels to increase downforce at his lean angles, giving more grip on the tyre edge. That 1099cc 65-degree V4 engine produces
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