Aprilia RSV4 Factory Road Test

I told her I’d only be an hour. When I returned home the clock hands pointed to a time much, much later. I was surprised to find my key still fitted the door, though less so to witness my contented pooch, bloated from being gifted my Sunday lunch. In fairness I was lucky just to get a yellow card from my girlfriend for my extended absence, regardless of how unintentional that might have been. But surely any relationship court hearing is bound to accept a ride out on Aprilia’s new and all-consuming RSV4 Factory as sufficient mitigation.

Any time spent on the marvelous Italian V4 is liable to alter your plans. It’s the bike of the moment and just an absolute joy to ride. In fact the more you ride it and understand just how special and massively capable it is, the more saddened you are when you get off the thoroughbred. And no-one wants to be sad do they?

My relationship-straining adventure came after my third lengthy trip on the Aprilia, and certainly the best one to date - though I’d fully expect to be still saying that after the 33rd if I ever got the opportunity. Because even if the very first few miles of being with the bike are thrilling, fuller understanding of just what it can do takes quite a bit longer. And never really ends.

Juggling the usual factors of photographer, fine weather and my own availabilities, and then having to seize the moment when they all fell into place, meant I had to pounce on friendly Aprilia dealer Forza Italia with little notice. But with a level of assistance and courtesy akin to that given to a real buying customer handing over the not insignificant £15,000 to buy the bike, I was given the key to an immaculate and fully sorted RSV4.

The usual pedestrian laps of the bike I normally make before getting more involved brought the usual oohs and aahs that exclusive and stylish Italian bikes like this one so typically encourage. But most notable feature of all with the Aprilia is its size. With really slim and compact dimensions it looks more like a 600 than a 1000cc sportsbike. But anyone fearing a cramped ride shouldn’t worry as the riding position is far roomier than you’d think. And though the height of the footrests is typical of a machine made for speed, they’re certainly not what you’d label as DVT-inducing. Better still, the freedom to move around in the seat, together will a reasonable handlebar elevation means even taller riders are quite well accommodated. The view from the mirrors is actually decent too. A reasonably civilised Italian sportsbike, surely some mistake!

This is a particularly pleasing feature for me personally. As someone less willing to make compromises and allowances for some basic bike issues like comfort these days, it was a relief to find life looked like it could be quite bearable with the RSV4.

It’s certainly a thrilling machine with the sort of special feel normally found in only a handful of bikes. Just yards into any journey the precise nature of the way the Aprilia rides is revealed. The steering of the multi-adjustable chassis feels very light, swift and direct even, though stability is constant. Suspension at both ends has a beautiful quality action mixing very firm support and fine control. You can sense the significant levels of effort that have gone into this bike, and the product of what clearly can only come from many men toiling over long periods of design and redesign, testing and re-testing is strikingly obvious. Mass-produced machines, though clearly very well-engineered feel somehow less finished and, dare I say it, a little sloppy compared to bikes like the RSV4.

The design cleverness and dedication has reached the engine too. Immensely powerful, yet very civilised at the same time, taking advantage of its power isn’t as intimidating as its near 180bhp peak power output would have you believe. And with the aid of its three bar-switchable management maps it can assist your desires all the more. It’s both thrilling and usable in almost equal measure.

But though the qualities of chassis and engine immediately make an impression during the early ‘get to know you’ period, there’s also a sense of the full capability of the Aprilia being far away from most mortals’ reach. As the effort you put into it increases the more the opinion of it being both a great bike, but perhaps one that’s also a bit too great continues.

By the time I clawed down the side-stand to park the V4 after the ride home of around seventy-odd miles I was full of praise for it, though also aware it was a lot better than me. Few riders will be able to get the absolute best from the Aprilia such is its fantastic level of ability. As a result it had both thrilled me, yet strangely left me a little underwhelmed too. As I’d felt more comfortable on it as the miles had gone by though, I expected it to feel more accessible and fulfilling after further rides. Given that I was due to do that the following day I looked forward to furthering the acquaintance.

Taking pictures of motorcycles is another essential part of road testing. But though it naturally has to be done to get images to illustrate the story, another valuable thing it allows is a closer examination of the way a machine performs. It’s occasionally hard for anyone other than testers to understand this, but the repeated runs over the same piece of road (photographers need to make you do this for them to get their ideal shot) gives you real chance to study the way bikes behave in detail. As the familiarity with the route-repetition increases, so does your chance to push a bit harder and learn more of what it’s capable of. A fair few hours of doing this served as a reminder of the Italian machine’s massive ability, and better still allowed me to delve into it more and more.

It helped me to understand the ride home yesterday had really been just that. I’d had a brief taste rather than dined fully. The day in front of the camera was letting me satisfy my appetite a lot more, and I very much enjoyed the mouthwatering flavours of the Aprilia. I’m not sure which bit of it I enjoyed most, but best of all was the feeling of being more at one with it.

Fired up by the prospect of being able to get to grips with the V4 all the more the next time I rode it, I set my alarm early the following Sunday morning knowing it was going to be much better as a day of play rather than rest. And that’s exactly how things turned out, though the riding pleasure lasted for a lot longer than the hour I’d originally allowed myself.

Running along some great roads I’d recently found was guaranteed to bring plenty of satisfaction. Sure enough, the cocktail of the Aprilia’s sublime handling and heady power the engine can summon up so promptly was just as intoxicating as it has been previously. But this time I felt much more comfortable using it.

The Aprilia ticks many, many boxes and just like I did when I rode the Ducati 1198S a few weeks ago, I began to revel in the sheer unadulterated pleasure it generates. The super sharp steering helps you to take any corner with real precision. And with such a light feel to the bike overall, aiming it at apexes takes such minimal effort it’s almost intuitive. Needing to flick the bike onto its side and hold it there is never challenging and brings subtle smiles and sighs of near disbelief. Do the same thing at speed, or do it repeatedly and the warmth from just how damned good this bike is grows stronger and stronger. The chassis has such a special feel to it, you’d swear it must have some sort of electronic guidance system helping it along.

Helping it perform as well as it does, the stiff Ohlins suspension, strong Brembo brakes and supergrippy Pirelli tyres all live up to their brand reputations brilliantly providing exceptional levels of control to make progress that might feel excessive on some bikes seem almost sedate on this one. Each and all can be quickly and easily asked to do an awful lot thanks to the power and response of the superbly tractable V4 engine, but they never fail in their duties.

Of the engine’s three power mappings I only selected the R ‘Road’ option briefly for the purposes of the test. Limiting maximum output to ‘just’ 140bhp, the engine behaves very nicely indeed and no doubt will provide some riders benefit, especially in poor grip conditions. I myself was happy to alternate between the S, ‘Sport’ and T ‘Track’ settings.

You could easily argue that the middle S option, that limits torque in the first three gears by 25%, is the most realistic choice for road riding. With that there’s plenty of very strong acceleration and speed available, and with enough flexibility to make gear-changing requirements to maintain your chosen progress rare events. Life certainly speeds up when the tacho needle gets to 7000rpm, though there’s not much need to spend time above that zone thanks to the power level generating exceptionally high speeds. Selecting the T option needs to be done with care as the throttle response in the first three gears can be just too sharp at times and would definitely give problems to inexperienced or unwary riders. Such a setting is best reserved where it’s suited most, the track.

It’s an issue that sums up the RSV4 Factory really. And though it’s a bike that is certainly civilised enough to live at more real world speeds, there’s no doubt that total appreciation of its quite incredible qualities can only be gained on a circuit.

Mind you staying on the Queen’s Highways doesn’t stop you marveling at the Aprilia’s poised and polished performance as my six hour-long stint on it certainly showed me. Though with its single seat and highly seductive qualities instantly transforming you into a selfish and highly indulgent person, perhaps it needs a bit of underseat storage to house some flowers. I know it’s the only thing I felt it lacked when I got home somewhat later than promised!

SPECIFICATIONS
APRILIA RSV4 FACTORY
ENGINE
Type: 999.6cc, liquid-cooled, 16-valve, 65° V-four
Maximum power: 177.5bhp @ 12,500rpm
Maximum torque: 85lb/ft @ 10,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed
Final Drive: Chain
CHASSIS/COMPONENTS
Frame: Alloy twin spar
Suspension: Front: 43mm inverted telescopic forks, fully adjustable
Rear: rising-rate monoshock, fully adjustable
Brakes: Front: twin 320mm discs with four-piston radial calipers
Rear: single 220mm disc with twin-piston caliper
Wheels/Tyres: Front: 120/70-17
Rear: 190/55-17
DIMESNISONS/CAPACITY
Seat height: 845mm
Wheelbase: 1420mm
Dry weight: 179kg
Fuel capacity: 17 litres
Price: £14,999
Contact: www.uk.aprilia.com

Performance 5
Economy 3
Style 5
Overall 5