APRILA RSV4R

Full throttle in third gear, knee down exiting the Senna curve, and once again I have to keep a sharp eye on the wet patches. The Metzeler Racetech rear tire spun up earlier at a speed of 100 mph, and whilst I don’t mind a bit of drifting, a relatively cold December day in Portugal is not the day to challenge the grip too much. So I’m a bit more cautious than I usually would be and the laptimes suffered.
The Parabolica Ayrton Senna leads me on to one of the fastest straights on the MotoGP calendar. The straight is almost a kilometre long, and leading up to it is a third or even fourth gear corner. I always short shifted up from second to third gear to allow the rear tire to do its job and to allow me to get the bike upright before shifting up to fourth. The six-speed gearbox is very precise and I’m working my way up the gearbox without using the clutch. I did see around 165 mph at the end of the straight, but with more confidence in the tarmac conditions I could have left the braking later for an even higher top speed.

Is the base model RSV4 any good? Oh yeah!

The monoblock Brembo brakes are the same as on the Factory and they are immensely powerful and impressive. The deceleration from 165 mph going slightly downhill is certainly a job the Brembos do very well. The forces are damped through a 43mm adjustable Showa fork rather than Ohlins on the R, and the front tire is a 120/70-ZR17 Metzeler Racetec rather than a Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa.
I know that the Factory setup is a better one that’d given me even more confidence and feel; however I’m still impressed with the RSV4 R chassis as it’s more than good enough for road and track day use. Aprilia have swapped the Factory’s Ohlins for a fully adjustable item from Sachs. The 6-spoke aluminium wheels are not as light as the forged items on the Factory, and overall the RSV4 R weighs in at 11 pounds more than the Factory (a claimed 406 lbs for the RSV4 R versus 395 lbs for the Factory).

Despite a lesser-spec suspension and a few extra pounds, the RSV4 R is still an extremely impressive handler.

The RSV4's compact dimensions are even palatable for Tor's tall frame.

The interesting thing about the RSV4 R is that despite the extra weight it still handles like a dream. The frame and swingarm can’t be adjusted in all the ways the Factory can, but you really need to spend a lot of time on a racetrack to utilize that adjustability. The RSV4 Rs tech specs also reveals that the variable intake ducts are not in place, but acceleration from 9,500 rpm and up to 13,000 is still immense whilst the midrange is also powerful and very useful, particularly on the road. The 999cc V4 acts like it has a turbo kicking in above 10.000 rpm, but it’s just Aprilia’s masterful natural big bang engine kicking in for real.
The V4 is very addictive and I felt no significant difference in this area between the two RSV4s apart from perhaps a slightly “milder” throttle response. The one good thing about Estoril being slightly damp in the morning was that I finally got a good chance to ride a lot more using the powerful midrange. Aprilia says 85 ft-lbs of torque peaks at 10,000 rpm, but at these revs the engine was way too powerful for the level of grip we experienced in the morning session. Between 7 and 10K rpm the midrange produces great pull, and even below 7,000 rpm there’s plenty of go that’s exclusively reserved for the roads.
The Gancho chicane that everybody loves to hate brings speed down to 35 mph, and the flick from left to right is done with ease as there’s no high revs or speed. On the Estoril circuit there’s plenty of hard acceleration through second and third gear as the corners are so slow. This again gives a good feel with what the RSV4 R is capable of in terms of pure acceleration from low speed. Imagine a 600 supersport with 180 horsepower and you’ll get the idea.
The RSV4 R feels very solid under both braking and acceleration. It’s down to the tires what sort of grip you can achieve, and since it was cold and not completely dry, the Metzeler Racetecs performed well.

Like WSBK rider Max Biaggi, Tor says he feels at home on the RSV4 R.

I must admit that I love the ergonomics on the Aprilia RSV4. The motorcycle looks tiny, but for a motorcycle with the size of a 600 and the power of a 1000 Aprilia really has nailed it when it comes down to ergonomics. I’m tall compared to Max Biaggi, but both of us feel at home on the RSV4 R. This is something we can thank Aprilia official test rider Alex Hoffman for, as he’s been instrumental in developing many things relating to how the RSV4 handles. You can look at pictures of me on the RSV4 R and think that the rider looks quite big on the bike but the feel is nearly perfect in the seat.
The whole package is so nimble and transferring weight is the easiest thing in the world. After each session I did the “hold a cup of coffee test” and felt almost no shake at all. This is very important as it proves how little vibration the V4 engine transfers to its pilot. I could mention a handful of Inline-Fours and V-Twins where this is not the case at all. The only time there’s a shake is when the RSV4 R reaches its upper rev range, and even the Sachs steering damper can’t tame the big lion completely then. There’s never danger for a proper tank slapper, but without the steering damper it would.
I turned up at the Mugello circuit a couple of months ago where the original launch took place. However upon arrival I was told the launch had been cancelled due to 5 bikes blowing their engines due to a poorly manufactured conrod.
Since then Aprilia has issued a recall for all RSV4s shipped to North America. Finding the faulty part was easy, but finding out what was wrong with it was difficult. Quality control has been sharpened further in Noale.
Conclusion
I’m very tempted to say that the RSV4 is the best handling motorcycle available out there. There are other motorcycles that handle just as solid and safe but not quite with the same overall easiness of it all. The mass centralisation is supreme, and all 180 horsepower is kept in check at all times through all the aluminium goodness.

The $5000 difference in price between the RSV4 R and the upscale RSV4 Factory will be worth it to only the most discriminating clientele.

If you wonder if you should choose the RSV4 R in favour of the RSV4 Factory, my advice is to go for the RSV4 R as the Factory isn’t worth the $5,000 premium unless you really are going racing with it. On the road it’ll still be just as much of a weapon as the Factory compared to its competition.

Highs:		Lows:
Nimble handling Wonderful V4 engine Powerful brakes		It takes too long to switch riding modes. Take a lesson from BMW and make it instant. No traction control for cold and wet weather Cheaper but not cheap

APRILIA V4R APRC Tuono

It’s a sunny morning in Valencia, and I’m at the Ricardo Tormo circuit sipping a coffee whilst listening to 20 roaring V4-powered Tuonos being warmed up in the pit lane. One of them is mine, all mine, for the day with a dedicated mechanic – I’m being treated like a MotoGP star.
I start my first session with the traction control set at level six and then reduce by one for each lap until I’m down at level one. The Aprilia 2011 Tuono V4R is a bit of a shock to the system as it just pulls like an angry bull everywhere and stops as if a freight train suddenly started pulling it in reverse. When I’ve finished my second 20-minute session I’m experiencing arm pump and a threatening cramp in my left leg each time I brake hard. My mechanic made some rear-suspension adjustments which changed the bike a lot and made my hard riding much easier.

Our European correspondent enjoyed a day of riding the 2011 Aprilia Tuono V4R APRC on track and street with a dedicated mechanic...so this is how the other half lives.

The V4 engine, taken directly from the RSV4 R superbike, suits the Tuono perfect with an absolute abundance of power. Aprilia has only de-tuned it slightly, down only 13 horsepower short of the RSV4 R. The Tuono is hard physical work when it hits the higher revs as I really have to push myself forward to avoid hanging after the bike by the handlebar. The Tuono munches up all the short straights at the Ricardo Tormo circuit like nothing else, and quickly it seems the whole circuit is a succession of corners with one long start/finish straight.

With the APRC traction control I can accelerate early from great lean in safety, and even on level one it feels safe despite some nice sliding action out of most corners. The only place on the Valencia circuit where there’s some room for relaxation is down the straight, but even here the enormous power and the wind pushes you back until it’s time for hard braking whilst shifting down the box.
Later in the day I preferred to short-shift up the quick shifter more to save my arms from the strain, and it hardly felt like I was going any slower. The three lower gears on the Tuono are lower than on the RSV4 R and it can be felt! Due to that great quick shifter I also made my way all the way up to sixth several times down the straight. The slipper clutch is equally good when shifting hard down to second ahead of the fast left-hander at the end of the straight. Then it’s all full throttle and sliding and a little wheelie all over again.

The Tuono V4R APRC leans into the corners like a superbike.

The Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC we ride at the circuit has been fitted with the 200/55-ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Corsa rear tyre and aftermarket clutch and brake levers, which makes it even better than the standard I’m later riding on the road. The 200-section rear tire just offers so much grip, but still the brutal Tuono makes mincemeat of that too given half a chance.
Lean angles are absolutely of superbike standard, and there’s not much about this bike apart from the wide handlebars and the lack of a fairing that resembles a streetfighter. The one and only bike I can imagine being able to compete morally is the Ducati Streetfighter, and that has 17 horsepower less. The MV Agusta Brutale is too soft compared to this.
Despite going as fast as I could or dared, the Tuono just stays composed and is incredibly safe on the circuit. I can’t imagine ever making bad mistakes on this bike, as it forgives a rider with pity and just spits back “can’t you ride me any faster than that?” The Tuono is for those of us who like to ride fast on both the road and the track, and nobody will ever find this bike boring. It’s testosterone on two wheels.
I have never ridden any naked that feels as stable or as suited to a race track as the Tuono V4R APRC. As soon as the revs climb towards 10K rpm there’s a high-tech, roaring MotoGP-style mighty V4 sound exiting the exhaust. The rev limiter has been set to 12.300 rpm which allows for 800rpm of overrev if needed. You’ll be surprised by how mighty the Tuono midrange is from around 7,000 rpm. The lower gearing in the three lower gears just amplifies the arm-wrenching acceleration. The Tuono’s tall and wide handlebar allows for a relaxing ride on the road, but on the circuit, the V4 engine makes sure you get your arm exercise.

If you want to loft the front wheel skyward be sure to turn off the traction control.

The Tuono V4 R APRC has everything the RSV4 Factory APRC SE has got, so that includes wheelie control allowing smooth landings. Out on the road, it’s not the easiest bike to wheelie due to the ride-by-wire and sudden explosion of power. I had some fun on the motorway by pulling it up by pure power in second gear at anything between 60 and 75 mph, and just continued as far as I wanted or the revs would allow. The Tuono is definitely a big wheelie bike. Traction control must be off or you’ll be disappointed as the system quickly brings you back to earth. The traction control works by pushing the + or – button on the left side of the handlebar whilst on the move.

Traction control is your friend when you’re cruising the motorways.

Whilst I stayed in Track mode for all my laps around the circuit, on the road ride I found myself on a standard Tuono V4R APRC with the 190/55 rear tire, standard levers and the traction control set to a higher level and the riding mode set to Sport, which reduces the torque in lower gears. I played around with the traction control and found level three to be really good for our riding in the mountains. It adds a safe level of traction control. Later I changed to setting one for some wheelie fun and also off. Riding hard in the corners with traction control set to level one might not be sufficient to save a situation involving gravel and oil, so I needed more traction control for a relatively safe ride.
The one and only thing the APRC suite doesn’t cater for yet are ABS brakes. Reliable sources tell us Aprilia will launch something very good to the racing ABS segment soon. I had a couple of moments on the brakes because we never reached fast enough speeds to make brakes and tires work as well on the road as on the circuit. The Tuono V4R is a bit of a handful on the road, so I recommend people to use the traction control wisely.
The seat is hard and not very comfortable, so it didn’t take too many miles before I felt a bit wooden in my seat muscles. The Tuono is that type of compromise, but it is miles more comfortable than the RSV4 R superbike. The Tuono V4R is the roadbike for the rider that would otherwise ride a supersport but with a more upright riding position. Because I tell you the power and the handling is there.
Conclusion
The 2011 Aprilia Tuono V4R APRC is possibly the most extreme streetfighter-type streetbike ever made. Aprilia have upped the ante by a large measure. The V4 engine with its 167 horsepower is one of the best in the business, and its handling is exemplary.  Oh, yes, the Tuono V4R is that good.

Highs:		Lows:
Massively impressive V4 engine tuned Tuono style Handles like a superbike, nearly Impressive electronics package The Tuono truly is what it says on the box, filled with thunder and lightning, and Aprilia deserve kudos for doing it		Only comfortable relative to a full-on superbike

What is APRC

The APRC suite equipping the Tuono V4 R includes: * ATC (Aprilia Traction Control) with eight different settings for controlling sliding when powering out of curves in relation to bank angle and throttle aperture. The system has been tweaked to make the more conservative settings even more suitable for road use, while leaving the racing spirit of the less restrictive levels intact; * AWC (Aprilia Wheelie Control) which helps the rider maintain control in extreme wheelie conditions by gradually bringing the front wheel back to the ground, has been appropriately adapted for the different weight distribution of the Tuono V4; * AQS (Aprilia Quick Shift), which allows instantaneous upshifts without closing the throttle or using the clutch. * ALC (Aprilia Launch Control): Simultaneously pressing both buttons on the joystick on the left-hand handlebar arms the system, as confirmed by the specific message on the display. From this moment on, all 167 horsepower of the beast from Noale are ready to slingshot the Tuono V4 R like a missile as soon as the rider releases the clutch. With the APRC’s Calibrating function, it is the only system of its kind on the market capable of self-adapting to tyre size and drive ratio.