The 1199R and HP4 may be the latest and greatest superbikes to arrive, but neither can boast two World Superbike championships like the RSV4.
Reputed to have been made for Max Biaggi from the beginning, the Aprilia made the world take notice when it was released in 2009, with its compact, powerful V4 engine and some of the smoothest, most refined electronics in the business – Aprilia’s own APRC system.
This is the top-of-the-range Factory version, with monobloc Brembos, carbon trinkets, Ohlins suspension and a beautiful aluminium frame featuring an adjustable swingarm pivot, engine position and headstock.
For 2013 the RSV4 gets another 4bh, racing ABS system, a 1.5-litre bigger fuel tank (now 18.5 litres) and a more refined traction control system, which takes road speed into account, so the TC is more intrusive in big lean, high danger slow corners, than faster, flowing turns.
On the track
Although this test is supposed to be all about absolute speed around a track, let’s forget Hodgson’s lap times for a minute, because the Aprilia is a wonderful superbike.
It feels the least like a 1000 than its rivals… in a good way. It’s small, compact and agile. The ghostly wail of the exhaust at full throttle is like something from a MotoGP grid and most CRTs use an engine derived from this very bike.
We tested these superbikes at the same time as the 600s we featured in MCN two weeks ago.
The BMW, Ducati and MV Agusta all feel big, ponderous and almost uncontrollably fast after jumping off a Triumph Daytona 675R or Kawasaki ZX-6R 636, but the Aprilia feels just like one of those supersport bikes. The RSV4 is about the same physical size as a 600 and turns as quickly.
The only difference is the sensation of a slightly denser engine in between your legs and a whole lot more power when you open the taps. While the 600s were hitting speeds in the 140mph range at the fastest point of the track, the 1000s are in the 160s.
Before venturing out on track on a superbike you need to psych yourself up and take a deep breath. To ride one fast you need strength, balls of steel and lots of brain power. You’re making constant calculations in your head - when to brake and how long you need to stay off the gas in the middle of a corner, before you stand it up and unleash the power.
The Aprilia doesn’t need such commitment – it’s easy.
That amazing-sounding V4 motor has linear power all the way through the revs and the chassis gives so much mechanical grip you’re never worried about it biting you.
It’s a superbike that likes carrying easy corner speed, unlike a normal point-and-squirt 1000.
The brakes aren’t bad either, as Hodgson proves with a 1.38g braking force, which Bruce Dunn reckons would have seen the rear wheel well off the floor in the hardest braking zone.
What makes the Aprilia even easier to ride still are the electronics, which for a normal rider like you and me enhance the riding experience and increases safety.
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