Test: Aprilia RSV4 Carbonero and Bimota DB9 Brivio SC

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Test: Aprilia RSV4 Carbonero and Bimota DB9 Brivio SC

Radical super athlete and sporty naked bike

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The bikes are united by the ultra-light fabric from which pitch-black dreams grow. Otherwise, a radical athlete and a sporty naked eccentric fight each other. Location: the best of both worlds – the Nordschleife.

You just look forward to such a test. Two completely crazy motorcycles that don’t need a hyperanalytical comparison test. They attract everyone’s attention, and above all invite you to indulge, to rave about and pure pleasure in unreasonable gasping. That’s how it has to be when you put the family bomber in the garage and take out a Lamborghini. What are the unpleasant hardships of exclusivity? Because it is undisputed: Either way, the gas sufferer pays his price for such fine toys.

And not only the pecuniary value is meant, although the picture with the car world fits here as well. The Bimota costs € 28,510 exclusive, the Aprilia tuned by Holy € 28,890. Shit dude! Exactly, and that’s one of the reasons we’re looking forward to a test like this: Let’s see what is possible with just under 60 Mille on four wheels.

D.he Aprilia RSV4 Carbonero amazes with its fighting weight. 182 kilograms with a full tank – a whopping 20 kilograms less than the series! No wonder, because in addition to the full carbon cladding, the noble carbon lurks everywhere. The handlebars are made of carbon just like the BST rims. And when you crawl in, the 14 liter airbox is also carbonated. Tuner Dieter Briese added weight by tearing out the entire variable-length intake funnel system from the factory engine. But larger fixed intake funnels came in. The completely new wiring harness creates weight, but also space, and does not need any control electronics, because there is no traction control in the Holy-RSV4. The control unit, the battery, everything from the rear moved to the front part of the RSV4 under the special tank with a capacity of 24 liters.

Test: Aprilia RSV4 Carbonero and Bimota DB9 Brivio SC

Radical super athlete and sporty naked bike

Holy-Aprilia RSV4 Carbonero.

First of all, it means work, because it quickly becomes clear that the fine test subjects need fine tuning. We picked up the Aprilia from the workshop almost fresh as a dew. That’s the right excuse for your first round. As light as the motorcycle is and as playful as it can be pushed in the parking lot, it was unwieldy and nasty at the beginning on the route. The RSV did not want to turn in at all and pushed tremendously to the outside in corners. In addition, the damping, especially on the fork, was just rock hard. That can’t be where the series is so convincing?

With less compression and rebound it got better, got a little more feeling for the front wheel, but playful? The RSV required a basic vote. Finally, we completely redesigned the chassis, took out the preload on the fork and also retuned the shock absorb. And then things went much better with the Ohlins chassis from the production bike, which was revised by HH-Racetec. A slightly more agile tire than the mounted Michelin Power One would certainly do the rest. But the basic set-up of the dampers is, in our opinion, too close to a true racer for a little comfort on the country road. Just like a Lamborghini on a country road.

The engine sounds like a fat performance. The airbox rattle comes on top of that. But what makes this V4 really exemplary is the throttle response. The turning movements from the wrist are very finely converted into propulsion. And that’s vehement – at the top. The easy-revving, characterful four-cylinder V-engine has almost ten hp more than our last measured Aprilia Factory in the set-up available to us. But this power plus is beyond 12,000 rpm and the extensive tuning only really lashes out from 10,000 rpm. This means that the Carbonero is not only closer to a racing machine in terms of the chassis, but also with this engine than a friend of the country roads.

And the bike doesn’t disguise this ethos. Tea bench can also be made of Alcantara, the thin upholstery shows no mercy. And the very sporty footrests and stubs are not accessories of recreational furniture either. The Nordschleife uncovered this just as mercilessly as the Holy-Aprilia’s predilection for fast, fine asphalt slopes that can be braked hard. Especially due to the engine characteristics with the lower torque in the middle range, the RSV4 drives better where you know the corners inside out – which not too many can say about themselves on the Nordschleife.

Quite different is the Bimota, which has the appearance of a naked bike, but with a lot of carbon chic of the minimal fairing and its radical styling attracts Warning. The DB9 only shines with the beautifully milled aluminum parts and the red anodized chassis (43er Marzocchi fork and Extreme-Tec shock absorber).

Like the RSV4, the Bimota also has its problem with the Nordschleife. But in contrast to the Holy-Racer, because it is trimmed too much for country roads. It is true that the chassis is also of the tight type, but still provides enough comfort on normal roads, but at the speeds in the green hell at the Nurburgring, the DB9 reveals a fundamental weakness: its instability at high speeds. Then it begins to oscillate around the longitudinal axis at the slightest impulse in the broad handlebar. And it is also not much fun to bend with a lot of pressure on the front wheel in the fast downhill bends, because the palm of the hand on the top of the handlebars simply does not receive enough information.

Bimota DB9 Brivido SC.

The Bimota DB9 is very handy, which is also due to the steep steering head angle of 64.5 degrees, but also the light OZ forged wheels. The brakes on our test bike, on the other hand, are really strange, behind the abbreviation SC for the individual rim-edge brake disc with a brake calliper encompassing the inside. It costs 3150 euros extra compared to two Brembo four-piston calipers and 320 discs for the "normal" version. The test candidate’s stoppers turned out to be somewhat dull and nebulous when it came to dosing.

But it should be enough for the country road ride. And this is exactly where the Bimota in the Ducati Testastretta has the perfect argument. The torque waves that this potent twin pour out on the rear wheel after a somewhat rough throttle response are simply a pleasure. This allows you to drive quickly, even if you have to look for the direction and prefer to close the gas a little earlier. The dresser seating position, the tight knee joint and the good seat cushion underpin the concept.

And so the practical price is also fixed, which lovers of such exclusive parts pay: the compromise. You can take the Holy-Aprilia with you on the street – to show off and make a riot. But it should actually be used on the racetrack. The Bimota also has a high level of exclusivity, but is more of a rock-solid country road bike for moderate gasping than the sharp hopper whose dress it wears.

Technical specifications

Bimota DB9 Brivio SC and Aprilia RSV4 Carbonero.

Holy-Aprilia RSV4 Carbonero

drive 
Four-cylinder V-engine, four valves / cylinder, 132 kW (180 PS) at 12,200 / min, 109 Nm at 11,300 / min *, 1000 cm³, bore / stroke: 78.0 / 52.3 mm, compression ratio: 14.4: 1, ignition / injection system, XX mm throttle valves, mechanically operated multi-disc oil bath anti-hopping clutch, six-speed gearbox, G-Kat, chain

landing gear 
Light alloy bridge frame, steering head angle: 65.5 degrees, caster: 105 mm, wheelbase: 1420 mm, upside-down fork, Ø fork inner tube: 43 mm, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression level. Central spring strut with deflection, adjustable in spring base, rebound and compression. Suspension travel front / rear: 120/130 mm

Wheels and brakes 
Carbon wheels, 3.50 x 17 / 6.00 x 17, front tires: 120/70 ZR 17, rear: 190/55 ZR 17, test tires: Michelin Power One, 320 mm double disc brakes with radially attached four-piston fixed calipers at the front, 220 – mm single disc with two-piston fixed caliper at the rear

measurements and weight 
Length / width / height: 2050/750/1130 mm *, seat / handlebar height: 845/865 mm, handlebar width: 660 mm, 182 kg fully fueled, v./h .: 52.5 / 47.5%

Rear wheel power in last gear 
124 kW (168.9 PS) at 264 km / h

fuel 
Super Plus

Base price 
28,890 euros (plus additional costs)

Bimota DB9 Brivido SC

drive 
Two-cylinder V-engine, four valves / cylinder, 119 kW (162 PS) at 9500 / min *, 128 Nm at 8000 / min *, 1198 cm³, bore / stroke: 106.0 / 67.9 mm, compression ratio: 11, 5 : 1, ignition / injection system, 56 mm throttle valves, hydraulically operated multi-disc oil bath anti-hopping clutch, six-speed gearbox, G-Kat, chain

landing gear 
Light metal tubular space frame with aluminum milled parts, steering head angle: 64.5 degrees, caster: k. A., wheelbase: 1435 mm, upside-down fork, Ø fork inner tube: 43 mm, adjustable in spring base, rebound and compression. Central spring strut with lever system, adjustable in spring base, rebound and compression. Suspension travel front / rear: 125/130 mm

Wheels and brakes 
Forged light alloy wheels, 3.50 x 17 / 6.00 x 17, front tires: 120/70 ZR 17, rear: 190/55 ZR 17, test tires: Michelin Power Pure, 340 mm single disc brakes with six-piston fixed caliper at the front, 220- mm single disc with two-piston fixed caliper at the rear

measurements and weight 
Length / width / height: 2040/830/1150 mm *, seat / handlebar height: 800/890 mm, handlebar width: 745 mm, 195 kg fully fueled, v./h .: 50.0 / 50.0%

Rear wheel power in last gear 
106 kW (143.8 PS) at 245 km / h

fuel 
Super unleaded

Base price 
28,510 euros (plus additional costs)

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