In this article: Aprilia RSV4 factory
Rarely a race bike sparked as much controversy as the Aprilia RSV 4 factory Superbike. When the appearance on the stage of the large stroke racer derived from production aircraft in winter 2008 / 2009 saw Aprilia engineers around Chief Engineer Luigi dall' Dall'Igna facing the alleged to have made a prooftext MotoGP racer bikes which blatantly contradicted the spirit of the rules of the Superbike World Championship.
And in season the conversion of chain on spur gears as evolutions Kit camshaft control was declared 2010 as the opposition grew massively. Almost all competitors ereiferten loudly about this product of intensive study of the Superbike Regelbucher how it dall' Dall'Igna represents.
More than reason enough so the master Superbike exactly on the tooth to feel. Street super sports genes are still an idea or fooled Max Biaggi opponents on a MotoGP grenade with hardly any peculiar foam his hunt for the Superbike World Championship?
The very first impression suggests all clear. The factory Aprilia surprises with kommoder sitting position. Disappeared the typical for Max Biaggi has always been overly thick seat back which helps its extremely vorderrad-oriented style and normal grown Central Europeans in a most unnatural position as not reverse circuit preferred unlike almost all other riders Max Biaggi forces. This however was banal: we had the world champion machine applied almost still operating temperature of the German Aprilia test rider Alex Hofmann, who they on new track motor State Aragon as a reference to the new 2011er version used.
But otherwise the number three in Tricolore colors showed their character unvarnished. But is quite less awesome than the irrepressible roar of the 65-degree V engine, which squeezed hard by his Akrapovic exhaust in the 107 dB(A)-Limit of the Superbike World Championship.
Without Biaggi riding position - former Grand Prix driver Hofmann is well above 1.80 meters - the RSV4 gives still outstanding manoeuvrability and agility which would present you certainly rather close to a MotoGP power pack as a comparatively massive Superbike racing cars.
After some rounds familiarization phase but the Aprilia of Superbike world champion show shows that total less radical and pointed aligned as her older sister at the beginning of the debut season 2009. Approx. 10 HP more throughout the entire usable speed range and a torque increased by good five per cent are only the key data that sets apart the master machine from their ancestors. Actually this leads to total commodo characteristics. The significantly improved performance at comparatively low speed regions makes always reasonably good-natured load despite massive excavation urge. The imagination of the bread getting with a 221 PS racer is while a long hackneyed metaphor. But in the case of Max Biaggis factory Aprilia RSV4 again adapting meaningfulness. The v4 from the cellar to 6000 rpm speed clean pulls from the downhill S curve of the new slope of Aragon, a successful reproduction of the legendary corkscrew of Laguna Seca, and allows very well supports even the casual racing driver of the 190s Pirelli rear tyres, which harmonises well with the Ohlins suspension very quickly, to find a clean and acceptable line.
Interesting on the edge: Aprilia on most WM lines with the fastest and probably also one of the most powerful Superbikes, familiar than almost all other producers more the 190s tires rear than the heavier 200 new development of unit supplier Pirelli. Transmission increased power seems still more than enough to work. Focused on agility basic construction of the RSV4 clearly favours the support by the somewhat narrower rubber.
Similar to good-natured and yet irresistibly like pulling the v4 engine from the basement of the four-digit speeds, it runs in high areas. It is only at 15000 RPM. The electronic throttle control then makes a small program for that of the speed limit by staccato-like misfiring is reached is noticeable, which concern the whole load massively and are particularly fast lap times through. The motor rotates how many nodes you pure windest in the throttle - just constantly with 15000 RPM next, no matter very impressive.
On the over one kilometre long straight behind the Paddock of Circuito motor land Aragon the Aprilia unequivocally the impression that the output is not entirely linear. Beyond the 11000 rpm: the post goes off again so correctly.
Despite of all liveliness requires down to the last exploit the extreme of the curve but not in all walks of life. "With maximum speed of 15000 rpm I'm driving only if no other choice", world champion Max Biaggi, surprise, then "at Vollgas line or short pieces between two curves." "Normally I switch a gear, however, usually already just above of 14000 RPM higher."
The harmony of the whole package is also effectively supported by the traction control, which in its original design on the factory 250cc Aprilia/Gilera of Show 2008, with Marco Simoncelli was world champion. The pilot can intervene while driving in six steps. The real success secrets of Max Biaggi and his Technikercrew Yes mostly at his first 250cc world title on Aprilia 1994 has worked with him, are also rather in perfect use of traction control as the valve timing. And these secrets can not easily be explored by an ambitious amateur.
