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Driving report, Aprilia RSV4 R

Aprilia RSV4R

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The premature end of a hopeful relationship causes particular pain. As in the case of the new Aprilia RSV4 R, which was heartbroken by a dramatic event.

Everything speaks for a perfect day. Aprilia organizes the driving event for the new RSV4 R im "Autodromo del Mugello", a delightful World Championship race track near Florence. The weather plays along too, the sun shines over the Tuscan hilly landscape. According to the schedule, two test drives are scheduled in the morning, and the testers complete another lap in the afternoon. However, this does not happen. Reason: During the morning session, one of the connecting rods broke in five engines, further engine damage cannot be ruled out. A disaster for Aprilia. Romano Albesiano, Aprilia’s technical director, appeased: "The defective connecting rods come from a certain batch of the supplier, which are only used in the pre-series engines of these specially prepared presentation machines. Series production is not affected." Pre-production engines? Specially prepared? According to its own information, the same drive works in the RSV4 R as in the RSV4 Factory, apart from a different programming of the ignition / injection system and the rigid intake funnel. And it has been with dealers for several months. The rumor mill is steaming that the Italians recently changed the supplier of the connecting rods for cost reasons. That sounds plausible, but Aprilia doesn’t confirm the rumor. The exact facts cannot be clarified at this point, of course PS informs its readers about new findings. On a more pleasant subject: the heady design of the RSV4 R..

At first glance, the “Erre” differs from the exquisite "Factory" only through a different paintwork: black or white the new one, red / black the sister. In the standard variant, all trim parts are made of plastic instead of carbon. Cheaper material is also used for the engine covers: aluminum instead of magnesium. If you take a closer look, you will see some technical modifications. For example, a Showa fork takes over the leading work on the front wheel, and a Sachs shock absorber is emblazoned in the rear. Ohlins works at the front and rear of the noble version. In addition, the mounting points of the rocker arm and motor in the frame no longer allow a change in position, and the steering head angle cannot be varied.

Aprilia

Only slight changes to the frame: fixed mountings for engine and swing arm, non-adjustable steering head angle.

Other differences: non-adjustable steering damper, different series tires (Metzeler Racetec Interact instead of Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP), cast instead of forged rims. Aprilia offers the Superbike including ancillary costs for 15,500 and thus over 4,000 euros cheaper than the premium version – a real competitive price, which is in some cases well below that of the competition. You can easily get over five kilograms more weight compared to the factory. Even if the RSV4 R gives way emotionally a little more heavily than its sister. The stability in curves is still impressive. Only the sometimes nervous front when accelerating and the somewhat restless rear when braking affect the driving stability of the RSV4 R. For a shorter gear ratio, Aprilia installed a chainring two teeth larger.

As a result, their wheelbase is a few millimeters shorter. The fork and strut do their job very well. Only professionals complain about the lack of reserves when heating on the last groove. Mainly designed for the country road, the spring elements are definitely sufficient for occasional detours on the race. As usual, the windshield is quite poor, a higher windshield is available as an accessory. PS reports on the performance of the drive as soon as real series engines are installed in the RSV4 R. Then the relationship deserves a second chance.

Conclusion: The RSV4 R has huge potential. Exciting design, great chassis, very fair price. Aprilia gets the quality of the connecting rod under control, but special test machines are not the best.

Ps data

Aprilia

Same spring rate as the Ohlins, but softer damping: Sachs shock absorber.

Drive: Four-cylinder 65-degree V-engine, 4 valves / cylinder, 132 kW (180 PS) at 12500 / min *, 115 Nm at 10000 / min *, 1000 cm³,
Bore / stroke: 78.0 / 52.3 mm, compression ratio: 13: 1, ignition / injection system, 48 mm throttle valves, mechanically operated multi-disc oil bath anti-hopping clutch, six-speed gearbox, G-Kat

Landing gear: Light alloy bridge frame, steering head angle: 65.5 degrees, caster: 105 mm, wheelbase: 1415 mm, upside-down fork, Ø fork inner tube: 43 mm, spring travel f / h: 120/130 mm

Wheels and brakes: Light alloy cast wheels, 3.5 x 17 “/6.0 x 17”, front tires: 120/70 ZR 17, rear: 190/55 ZR 17. 320 mm double disc brake with four-piston fixed calipers at the front, 220 mm single-disc brake with two-piston Fixed saddle at the rear

Weight with a full tank: 209 kg *, tank capacity: 17 liters super

Base price: 15500 Euro (incl. Ancillary costs)

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