December 2001 . Aprilia presents a preview of the RSV Mille Tuono R Limited Edition at the Bologna Motor Show . Initially produced in only 200 units , it will become , like its sporty sister the RSV Mille , a flagship of the Noale-based manufacturer , anticipating the market for high-performance Naked motorbikes by several years .
JOINING APRILIA I joined Aprilia in January 1994 . After my engineering studies in Munich , a year and a half as a mechanic at ATK Motorcycles in California and a year with Engines Engineering in Bologna writing my thesis on the development of the chassis of the Malaguti F 12 Phantom scooter , Aprilia hired me as a designer in the technical area . I contributed to the RX125 and RS250 projects , and finally became project manager for the Aprilia Pegaso 650 Cube , then the Aprilia SL1000 Falco . After the Falco there was a
reorganisation within the technical department and they made me one of the two motorbike area managers in R & D .
NAKED SELLS Naked bikes like the Triumph Speed Triple , Ducati Monster and Honda Hornet 600 were starting to sell well , so we decided to work on a Naked bike as well . We started with a stripped down SL1000 Falco , but as the basic bike was not a big commercial success , we were afraid that this bike would not be successful . So , we analysed the market to better understand that the numbers were made in the intermediate range , i . e . between 600 and 800cc with the various Honda Hornet , Suzuki SV650 etc ., and that the price was very important in this displacement .
SPORTS DNA At the time the idea was born , but I don ’ t remember where or by whom , to start with a narrow V-twin Rotax engine ( I think around 60
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