Fresh from the Top of the Podium

Aprilia wins another World Superbike title, and we get the trophy.
By Bill Heald

Max Biaggi and Aprilia have a lot in common. They both hail from Italy, both go really fast around a racetrack, and both are multi-time World Superbike champions. It should come as no surprise, then, that Biaggi announced his retirement from racing after winning the 2012 World Superbike Championship, once again aboard the Aprilia RSV4. The company has now released two new 2013 versions of the bike, and both models apply some of the latest breakthroughs that helped Biaggi achieve his second World Superbike title. Aprilia has proudly proclaimed, “The two new RSV4 versions, Factory ABS and R-ABS, are the fastest, most powerful, and safest RSV4 units ever built.” Once you delve into the details of the latest RSV4 hard parts, it’s easy to see how an ace like Biaggi was able to defeat superbike offerings from the likes of Ducati, BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, and Suzuki on some of the most demanding tracks in the world. Best of all, the bike you can purchase at your dealer isn’t that far removed from Biaggi’s race bike, especially in terms of the power, finesse, and control delivered by advanced electronic-management systems.

The two versions are basically the same bike, with the Factory getting a few additional top-shelf parts and a corresponding increase in price. The beauty of these amazing machines is so much more than skin-deep, for at their heart is a truly soulful 184-horsepower engine that is one of motorcycling’s greatest treasures. There’s four-cylinder power, but the cylinders are arranged in compact V-4 fashion, with a 65-degree spread between cylinder banks. Since it’s placed longitudinally in the alumi num twin-spar frame, the bike is very narrow, despite having four cylinders (so you can tuck in and generate wicked top speeds). This is a way of combating the V-twin competition, which has always had very narrow profiles. The engine also benefits from Aprilia Performance Ride Control, which incorporates a dizzying array of rider-adjustable parameters, including eight-level Traction Control, three-level Wheelie Control, three setting Launch Control, and a Quick Shift system that allows wide-open, clutchless upshifts from the six-speed transmission. Even the ABS braking system goes the route of high-tech rider customization, including Track, Sport, and Road settings (and you can switch the ABS software off entirely as well). With so many settings available—and naturally the suspension also offers full adjustability, with Öhlins components on the Factory and Sachs for the R-ABS—it’s almost like having your own racing crew onboard to fine-tune the bike to your style and riding ability. Of course, it was his extraordinary riding ability that made Max Biaggi a champion. But the beauty of these RSV4s is their ability to enhance the riding skills of mere mortals like us, and modify performance to keep output at a safe, comfortable level.