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VIDEO: 2009 Aprilia RSV 4 Launch at Misano in Italy
Written by: Neale Bayly   
08/14/2009
Charlotte, NC
 
Aprilia has the first V-four to be seen in World Superbike since Honda’s RC45s in the ‘90s, Aprilia. (Photo: Aprilia) » More Photos

Twenty-two, thirty-six, twenty! No we are not talking about the new anorexic, pregnant Barbie’s measurements here, we’re talking time spent in hours to attend, ride, and come home from the new Aprilia RSV 4 launch in Italy. Throw in a full day of rain at the world famous Misano circuit that forced us to splash around on rain tires, and you would think I would be whining harder than most online race fans about the state of motorcycle racing in the US. Factor in eight very experienced moto journalists tossing bikes down the track and coming home with my leathers so wet my gear bag was overweight, I could have been crying for a week.

Truth be told not even a couple of nights without sleep, four hour layovers in Frankfurt, and close to ten hours jammed in a coach class seat coming home could knock the smile off my face. Having the chance to ride the much-awaited Aprilia RSV 4 was worth any minor inconvenience, especially as it has been three years since I caught a glimpse of the early prototypes at the factory in Noale, Italy. Before I was unceremoniously escorted from that area of the building at a very rapid pace by the Aprilia staff, I got some time with the RSV 4’s designer, Miguel Galuzzi. During this interview he told me his desire was to build a pure race bike first, and then make sure it was capable of being ridden on the road. He didn’t want to make a street bike to go racing. As we wandered around the huge, modern facility, I saw many testing areas for Aprilia’s 250cc GP program and could only wonder how close to this format the new Superbike would be.

Arriving at our hotel in the Italian countryside under leaden skies,
the first sight to greet my bleary, jet-lagged eyes was Max Biaggi’s race bike. Sitting on a race stand next the swimming pool, the bike looked pure evil and just so incredibly compact. With Carbon Fiber a plenty, titanium and other precious metals in liberal sprinklings, it did more to relieve the sleep deprivation than the finest Italian espresso. Moving on to the press presentation, we got to see how compact Max is himself and a chance to meet his team mate Shinya Nikano before we got down business. This was a long affair in a very crowded room with what seemed like half of the world’s journalists and all the Aprilia staff. With so much information to impart it was necessary though, as this bike is one hundred percent new from the ground up and features many fascinating details. Some not seem before on a production motorcycle.

See the Aprilia RSV4 Photo Album





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