[Busy Little Shop]

WE HAVE A WINNAH!
Usually comparison test rides end up being a debate between our
testers as to the merits! faults of each bike in order to determine a
winner, and Bike of the Year comparos are often even more of a
hair~splitting contest. But even with how closely matched this
certainly isn't the strongest of the bikes in this group, but the
Aprilia's lithe handling allows the powerplant to generate speed in
cornering situations and areas of the racetrack where the others would
find it difficult. The difference in performance between the standard
R and Factory engines may not be huge, but the impact of the Factory's
smoother power band on its ability quintet is performance-wise, it was
easy to see at the conclusion of both street and track testing which
bike was going to be at the top of everyone's sheets.

It's been a while since we've had a motorcycle that elicits such a
glowing reaction from everyone who rides it. There was no denying that
its performance had a definite seductive effect on all of our testers.
And yet inspiring such joy and confidence in a rider are only a few of
the attributes of the bike that has earned Sport Rider's Bike of the
Year crown for 2010: the Aprilia RSV4 Factory



STREET POINTS
BMW S1000RR: 93 POINTS
APRILIA RSV4 FACTORY:92 POINTS
MV AGUSTA F4: 88 POINTS
DUCATI 1198S:90 POINTS
KAWASAKI ZX-6R: 85 POINTS


RACETRACK POINTS:
APRILIA RSV4 FACTORY: 94 POINTS
BMW S1000RR: 92 POINTS
DUCATI 1198S: 89 POINTS
MV AGUSTA F4: 88 POINTS
KAWASAKI ZX-6R: 85 POINTS


TEST NOTES OVER ALL POINTS
1st APRILIA RSV4 FACTORY
Magical Chassis. Superb engine. A bit pricey. Plank for a seat. If it
had a bit more power and traction control.

2nd BMW S1000RR:
176 Horsepower. DTC/Race ABS holds it back on the track.
Race/Slick mode throttle response very sensitive. Give it more
midrange and agility and it'd be unbeatable.

3rd Ducati 1198S
Super midrange strong engine. DTC standard. A little down
on top-end. Narrow rev-band. Give it a little more rpm capability and
it'd be tough to beat

4th KAWASAKI ZX-6R
Best engine in the 600 class. Fantastic brakes. A little overweight
Needs quicker handling. The advantages of a middleweight are getting
smaller every year

5th MV AGUSTA F4
No more abrupt throttle response. Monster engine. Excellent chassis.
Footpegs are too small and slippery. Brakes lack feel at the limit. A
work of art that goes as good as it looks.

 

[drthompson65]

They actually got it wrong..

 

[Busy Little Shop]

They actually got it wrong..

Bike of the Year could be Ducati's if they would only homologate their V4 in 2011... just think Old Baldy would go quicker then he ever did
before and never have time to blow on his soup again...

 

[simonkobe]

The RSV4 seems to be as bit of a dud though.Never see any here(and I live 5 minutes from the aprilia dealer and a few red baron's so expect to see a few..)

and according to someone in the know Power commander might not even make a harness for it as the sales wont be worth the expenses/time etc..

Unlike the stinky in line BMW which is super popular

The V4 is an old clunky relic of the 80's
People want super repsonsive modern high tolerence machinery with perfect weight distribution and a simplistic and well designed/engineered layout

too many compromises with a V(you have these 2 horrible heads in the way,extra weight etc
why make everything twice as complex,limiting space,ruining rear suspension(heat,layout)
Just from an engineering and design point of view the in line is a far more logical and modern design.
and I love the tuneful tone and over rev of a screamer.
Not some toneless drone and limited revs of the 1910's V architecture!
It's like comparing a J-Custom Ibanez RG through a VHT Pitball(in-line 4) to some horrid 3/4 scale bass through a 1970's US Vox solidstate 15 watt practice amp(the toneless fart like note of the drag queen,sorry drone-queen(Veeeee fuor)

And the sales have proven that!
BMW wins,and soon Kawasaki will have a pretty hot seller based on the German bike.
whilst the Honda 1200 V4 and the Aprilia languish for a few years,soon to be forgotten.
Even though Aprilia has won WSBK I don't think anyone actually cares(compared to a Ducati for example!)



no thanks!

 

[Turbo329]

Comparo is retarded.

The BMW is cleaning up EVERYWHERE on the track. Everyone knows it's the baddest bike. Any mag that doesn't pick it as the winner is just trying to be different.

Masterbike is all you need. All these other crap reviews and comparos are just to sell books. :banghead

 

[sideways]

Comparo is retarded.

The BMW is cleaning up EVERYWHERE on the track. Everyone knows it's the baddest bike. Any mag that doesn't pick it as the winner is just trying to be different.

Masterbike is all you need. All these other crap reviews and comparos are just to sell books. :banghead

Yeah, whatever, check back on your corner entry thread and learn a thing or two. I was trying to help you and you just glaze right over my post. I think I'm gonna cry

 

[Turbo329]

Yeah, whatever, check back on your corner entry thread and learn a thing or two. I was trying to help you and you just glaze right over my post. I think I'm gonna cry

lol. I didn't just glaze over it. I'm just left speechless at such an informative post.

 

[aus_rc45]

The V4 is an old clunky relic of the 80's
People want super repsonsive modern high tolerence machinery with perfect weight distribution and a simplistic and well designed/engineered layout

Not some toneless drone and limited revs of the 1910's V architecture!
It's like comparing a J-Custom Ibanez RG through a VHT Pitball(in-line 4) to some horrid 3/4 scale bass through a 1970's US Vox solidstate 15 watt practice amp(the toneless fart like note of the drag queen,sorry drone-queen(Veeeee fuor)

So many wrong statements in the above, I don't even know where to start!

Clunky, yeah engine configurations will do that! what a joke!

Super responsive, yeah I guess V4's can't be that, what a joke!

High tolerance, yeah I guess V4's have to run excessive clearances, what a joke!

Well engineered, oh please, FFS!!

limited revs, are you friggen serious! my 45 sees over 14K rpm all the time.

Yet your quite prepared to flog parts for them, hypocrite

 

[Rothmans]

I heard from a guy in the know that the Aprilia is wonderful to ride but has been a sales failure, they have sold something like 200 units in the States compared to 4,000 for the new Beemer... jus sayin'!

 

[aus_rc45]

Rothmans I'm not knocking the BMW, I'm looking at getting a new commute bike, been looking at the triumph street triple R, I think it would be a nice everyday bike.

 

[Rothmans]

Rothmans I'm not knocking the BMW, I'm looking at getting a new commute bike, been looking at the triumph street triple R, I think it would be a nice everyday bike.

yeah I know, and truth be told so many of the bikes out now are just awesome....maybe someday in the future we will look back at the early 2000's as the golden era of great bikes, kind of how many look back at the 60's and 70's with muscle cars.

So much great stuff out there right now, the new 1000RR is amazing and for the money hard to beat, the 848/1198 are killer, RC8, new BMW, RSV4 and on and on!!
:rockon

 

[aus_rc45]

and truth be told so many of the bikes out now are just awesome....

Which begs the question HOW many people can really use the FULL potential of ANY of these bikes on public roads or are THAT good that the bike is limiting their road riding enjoyment!? max speed in 1st gear will see anyone lose their license!

 

[RockyMt]

Which begs the question HOW many people can really use the FULL potential of ANY of these bikes on public roads or are THAT good that the bike is limiting their road riding enjoyment!? max speed in 1st gear will see anyone lose their license!

Stop talking like an adult, this is a fookin' SPORTBIKE forum, logic has NOTHING to do with WHAT WE WANT! (more/bigger/lighter/bettah.....) :woot:

Semper Fi! :rockon

-Rocky-

 

[HRCules]

Yup the Ape isn't sellling well at all . The early engine reliability issues and high price aren't helping I suppose . If they included the geared cams standard , I'd consider it ; I'm fickle that way . The comparo doesn't mean shit to me -- opininons of particular riders on a particular course . It won wsbk and that's an amazing accomplishment for any company let alone a "small" one like Aprilia , but I'd still prefer the RC8R b/c there's nothing like the low to mid pull of a stonking 1200 twin , especially on the street where high rpm isn't practical unless you like jail .

 

[simonkobe]

So many wrong statements in the above, I don't even know where to start!

Clunky, yeah engine configurations will do that! what a joke!

Super responsive, yeah I guess V4's can't be that, what a joke!

High tolerance, yeah I guess V4's have to run excessive clearances, what a joke!

Well engineered, oh please, FFS!!

limited revs, are you friggen serious! my 45 sees over 14K rpm all the time.

Yet your quite prepared to flog parts for them, hypocrite

And I dont care much about the RC45,just the cool parts that are made by people I know for them...
Whats wrong with helping them try to make some money back on their investments?youthink nakagawa san of Ladybird is loaded with cash?And it's people like you that make people think twice about doing anything productive in this business.
Who else is making HRC replica's in titanium for the RC45?RC30?maybe RC51(if we can be bothered anymore...)

 

[Busy Little Shop]

And I dont care much about the RC45,just the cool parts that are made by people I know for them...

People don't care about the RC45 until they ride one...

 

[Busy Little Shop]

Maximize your RSV4 for 69K...

Aprilia Racing RSV4 Biaggi Replica develops 200 horses and weighs
385lbs in motion with an empty tank. The carbon fairing contributes to
this result and is available both in the “carbon look” version and the
attractive version in the Alitalia livery of the Official SBK Team.
Aprilia Racing RSV4 Biaggi Replica was conceived exclusively for track
use. It can be used as an entry level for the SBK class in accordance
with FIM regulations and is available from Aprilia Racing at a base
price of $69,725.00 USD

 

[Jami6989]

Can you imagine that morons were paying $27k for a 101 hp POS 16 years ago and considering it the holy grail.:wacky Or worse yet, people STILL think a 100hp bike is superior.:woot:

 

[DesperateSP2]

This review got me thinking... who is aimed at?

As sales are concerned the only new sportsbikes you see around here (both on the road and on the track) are the BMW, the Aprilia and the occasional CBR600RR.
The BMW's merits have been enunciated so many times I'll skip over them. Sales have been phenomenal in the first six months of the year but have slowed down considerably in the second part of the year.
The Aprilia is an excellent handling bike but I suspect the main reason for decent sales it's Aprilia's extremely aggressive pricing policy around here. You can have a Factory for 17000€, 4000€ off the retail price, pretty much without haggling. An RSV4R will sell for 3000-4000€ off the retail price (17000€), depending on how desperate the dealer is.
A 600RR will go for less than 9000€... and the dealer will usually throw in something extra to seal the deal. Plenty of cheap second hand spares too so it's a serious choice as a dedicated track bike.
All the rest of the bunch is in the showrooms gathering dust.

 

[jgos929]

I heard from a guy in the know that the Aprilia is wonderful to ride but has been a sales failure, they have sold something like 200 units in the States compared to 4,000 for the new Beemer... jus sayin'!

I pick mine up on Wednesday so make that 201:rockon