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Aprilia RS 250 test

A question of timing

Fast street bikes with two-stroke engines? There’s only little Aprilia left. And that too must be retired in July 2004 at the latest. Pretty tactless.

My fingers itched the whole time. But control was required. After all, the test should be done with a production motorcycle. One evening, however, the measurement, test and impression drives were completed, and the wrench could finally be used. Reversing the original circuit diagram for a happy afterburn was announced. With the Aprilia RS 250, all you have to do is turn the small lever on the transmission output upwards and adjust the position of the gear lever to the correct height.
Why all that? Very easily. Only when you shift up from top to bottom can you push down the gears with the speed that suits the champagne cork characteristics of the RS 250. Between 5000 and 7000 rpm, signs of willingness to perform appear. Here the Aprilia can bob along in traffic and even pick up speed in the lower aisles. However, any thought of serious acceleration would require at least two downshifts. Then there is a small drop to overcome at 8000 rpm. But at 9000 rpm it suddenly makes mooooaaaahap, like a cork many horsepower pops out of the small combustion chambers. It’s all over again at just under 11,000 rpm, but if the next gear is reloaded in time with a tenth of a second twitch, the cork pop can be repeated a few times. The small shift light in the cockpit is very helpful. Until an approaching curve or in the worst oven box-wheeler at a slow trot push all the liveliness back into the bottle. So go down the gear steps again, turn in or lag behind, wait for the right moment, and do the whole thing again. A highly exhilarating pleasure and not one that is easy or cheap to get. But always a pleasure.
Regardless of which scheme they use, newcomers to RS need time to meet the constant demand for the optimum speed, to internalize the gear ratios. Only then can they use the route map in front of them to reasonably estimate which gear is needed. The fact that the first one was designed rather briefly and the jump to the next two is large helps when starting, but does not make it easier to choose the right gear. Especially since the overall gear ratio – probably because of the noise measurements – is too long, which means that the advantageously narrowly stepped gears five and six are shifted into a speed range that is hardly usable on the country road. Sounds complicated and it is. But it just has to be mentioned so that it becomes clear which pull-ups are necessary to allow such a pointed device for public transport. It should therefore be clear that the RS 250 cannot be a good motorcycle in terms of everyday suitability. Anyone who gets involved with it and knows how to drive it with the necessary precision can therefore be very happy with it. It doesn’t even have to be this way from the start. Because the Aprilia is a great training motorcycle that trains its pilots to concentrate and drive cleanly.
And they are richly rewarded for it. To reduce the Aprilia’s two-stroke engine from the Suzuki RGV 250 to its performance, its excellent characteristics and its exorbitantly high consumption of petrol and oil would be grossly unfair. After all, a two-stroke engine is always an engine with a built-in anti-hopping clutch. Its low braking torque in coasting mode guarantees carefree downshifts even with very late braking maneuvers. The clutch can still be engaged in an inclined position without the rear wheel slipping due to the engine brake or punching. This dry technical situation makes the Aprilia lightning-fast in the corner entrance and the driver downright cocky. The often used expression "razor-sharp handling" fits here better than ever thanks to the motor.
The two-stroke engine also shines with its flexibility in the further course of the curve. The rapid transition from pushing to load surgery succeeds with practically no load change shock, without disturbing influences on the chassis, and when the speed is right, the RS 250 snaps out of the curve with elegant ease. The pilot keeps his head free for the essentials: the eye for the line, the feeling for lean angle and tire grip. A colleague who celebrated his two-stroke debut with the 250cc Aprilia was impressed: ”You can punch into the corner and then still drive any line you can think of. You only have to look where you want to go and the little one is already there. No wonder these things sweep around the racetrack so cheekily. ”Well, think people with two-stroke experience, even if the gear ratio was adjusted …
So that nobody believes that the Aprilia’s ability to turn corners can be easily recreated for a four-stroke motorcycle with a handling-friendly chassis geometry, a look at your data: Steering head angle 64.5 degrees – not particularly steep. Trail 102 millimeters – rather long. Wheelbase 1360 millimeters – also only three centimeters shorter than the shortest 1000s. An arch-conservative, stability-promoting geometry. The Aprilia’s handiness therefore consists to a large extent of two-stroke magic – from how well this drive concept fits with the processes of motorcycling. Combined, of course, with a narrow 150/60 ZR 17 rear tire and a 120/60 at the front. The front tire, however, again left an ambivalent impression. As recently observed with the Yamaha YZF-R6 (MOTORRAD 9/2002), it also passes on bumps very ungraciously with the Aprilia. The front wheel bounces more than with tires with a larger cross-section, and the Aprilia needs the handling advantage of the 120/60 just as little as the Yamaha.
When talking about the handiness of the RS 250, its lightweight of 167 kilograms with a full tank should of course not go unmentioned. The lightweight construction was not even taken to extremes. Because apart from all the add-on parts that are necessary for road use, apart from the 19 liter tank, the Aprilia has pretty solid parts. The fork, the aluminum bridge frame or the swing arm seem almost overly stable for a 250cc. But what the heck, you like to see them, the sturdy axle clamps and voluminous light metal profiles. Especially since their finely polished surfaces and uniform weld beads are pleasing to the eye. In any case, with all its agility and slim shape, the RS 250 presents itself as a fully-fledged motorcycle. At a full, but understandable price given the features. Not even tall pilots get the feeling of having to fold themselves up unduly on a toy moped. The Aprilia philosophy of building sweeping fairings can already be seen in the 250cc GP racers; it runs through to the RS 250. With the heavily curved windshield on top, proper wind protection is guaranteed.
The question remains about the reliability of the sophisticated two-stroke device. In principle, fine, but … Yes, the old story. The exhaust control slides are still sensitive. If the groove in the middle segment is widened a bit in the longitudinal direction, the sharp-edged part slips into the cylinder and immediately causes engine damage. However, if you check the groove regularly, you can cover several 10,000 kilometers with the mechanically robust Suzuki engine in the Aprilia. The two-stroke engine is mostly concerned with its pollutant emissions. Because of you, the unreasonably fascinating Aprilia will no longer be eligible for approval when the Euro 2 standard becomes binding for all new vehicles from July 1, 2004, including those with an older homologation.
AT.I do not even want to think about this day. Now it’s time to go, a tingling test on the way home with a reversed shift pattern beckons. Maybe I can qualify for my colleague Werner Koch’s two-stroke rattle ride.

Model history – Aprilia RS 250

In the beginning there was the Suzuki RGV 250. It came in 1990 with a sensationally powerful engine, almost GP-compatible sportiness and a fitting appearance. A year later, the fast little one got an even faster outfit, the water-cooled V two-stroke engine was adapted to strictter exhaust gas limits with surface catalysts. Thanks to the larger carburettor (34 instead of 32 millimeters) and redesigned transfer ports, the performance increased to 61 hp. Suzuki supplied this engine to Aprilia; Apart from new cats and minor changes to the carburettor equipment, it remained the same and still powers the RS 250 today. The chassis and accessories of the little Aprilia are much more elegant than those of the RGV. Especially since 1998, when the RS received many parts from the RSV mille. Just look at the brakes, the cockpit or fork and strut.

Technical data – Aprilia RS 250

APRILIA RS 250 engine Water-cooled two-cylinder two-stroke 90 degree V engine, transverse crankshaft, diaphragm inlet in the crankcase, exhaust control via electronically operated slide, separate lubrication, Mikuni flat slide carburetor, Ø 34 mm, contactless condenser ignition (CDI), uncontrolled catalytic converter, kick starter bore x stroke 56 x 50.6 mm displacement 249 cm³ rated power 40 kW (55 hp) at 11,000 rpm max. Torque 35 Nm (3.6 kpm) at 10,750 rpm Pollutant values ​​(homologation) CO 17.42 g / km, HC 2.80 g / km, NOx 0.01 g / km Power transmission Mechanically operated multi-plate oil bath clutch, six-speed gearbox, O-ring -Chain, chassis, bridge frame made of aluminum profiles, screwed down beams, upside-down fork, sliding tube diameter 41 mm, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, two-arm swing arm made of aluminum profiles, mono spring strut, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, double disc brake at the front, four-piston calipers, Ø 298 mm, rear disc brake, Ø 220 mm two-piston caliper. Tires 110/70 VR 17 or 120/60 VR 17; 150/60 VR 17 tires in the test Dunlop Sportmax D 207 / F / 207; 120/60 ZR 17, 150/70 ZR 17 Chassis data Steering head angle 64.5 degrees, caster 102 mm, wheelbase 1360 mm, spring travel f / r 120/130 mm.Warranty for two years with unlimited mileageColors black / silver, red / bluePrice incl. VAT and Additional costs 7 199 Euro MOTORCYCLE measurements Driving performance1 Maximum speed Solo * 190 km / h Acceleration Solo0 – 100 km / h 4.7 sec0 – 140 km / h 9.0 sec0 – 180 km / h 18.0 sec Pull-through Solo60 – 100 km / h 15.5 sec100 – 140 km / h 13.9 seconds fuel type super consumption in the test country road 7.5 liters / 100 km Theor. Range 253 kmOil consumption 1.9 liters per 1000 kmDimensions and weightsL / W / H 1990/830/1170 mmSeat height 800 mmWeight fully fueled 167 kgTotal weight * 357 kgTank capacity / reserve * 19 / 3.5 liters * Manufacturer information1Measuring conditions: Temperature 15 degrees, light cross wind, Jagsttal measurement site; 2 Performance on the clutch, measurement on Dynojet roller test bench 150, corrected according to ECE, maximum possible deviation +/- 5%

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