Aprilia RSV4 RR 2021 — Specifications

When Noale decides to celebrate its history, it doesn’t do so halfway. The Aprilia RSV4 RR 2020 in its Misano Limited Edition guise is not a simple marketing operation: it’s a gesture of memory, signed by a brand that has built its sporting legitimacy stroke by stroke for decades. And this legitimacy is measured in figures as much as in its track record.

The 999.6 cc V4 engine beating under the carbon shell produces 201 horsepower at 13,000 rpm. That’s 21 horsepower more than at the birth of the RSV4, a machine that has since accumulated three rider titles and four manufacturer titles in World Superbike. Torque, 115 Nm at 10,500 rpm, arrives late in the rev range, as with any proper competition V4, and it takes accepting to make the engine sing to extract its vital essence. Faced with a Ducati Panigale V4 or a BMW M 1000 RR, the Aprilia RSV4 RR ABS positions itself as a serious rival, more compact, with a wheelbase contained to 1,420 mm which favors natural agility on the track. The wet weight of 204 kg, 180 kg dry, remains within the standard of the segment, without excess.

The Misano series takes its name from a specific memory. In 1987, Loris Reggiani offered Aprilia its first Grand Prix victory at the Misano circuit, during the San-Marin GP. The tricolor livery that dresses this limited edition is not a color whim: each shade refers to this race, this man, this founding moment. One hundred examples of the Aprilia RSV4 RR and its Tuono cousin were produced, reserved exclusively for the American market. This privilege raises a legitimate question for European enthusiasts, those who sometimes seek an Aprilia RSV4 RR used to access this level of machine without spending the €16,335 of the new price.

On the front end, Aprilia has not spared any expense. The 43 mm diameter Sachs fork, fully adjustable in preload, compression and rebound, works in concert with the single rear shock absorber on an aluminum swingarm with double reinforcements. Brembo M4 calipers, mounted on forged aluminum radial supports, bite on stainless steel floating discs with a conviction that renders any hesitation superfluous when approaching a late brake. All shod in 120/70 ZR17 at the front, 200/55 ZR17 at the rear, dimensions that immediately betray the track vocation of the machine.

The electronic arsenal on board the Aprilia RSV4 RR APRC deserves attention. Bidirectional quickshifter, traction control, anti-wheeling, Launch Control, speed limiter on center stand, cornering ABS, anti-stoppie, three riding modes: the list resembles that of a championship superbike barely restricted for the road. This level of equipment clearly distinguishes the RR from previous versions such as the Aprilia RSV4 RR 2016, the Aprilia RSV4 RR 2017 or the Aprilia RSV4 RR 2018, where some of these functions were absent or optional via the race pack. The seat height at 840 mm and the closed riding position reserve this machine for riders who know what they are doing. This is not a motorcycle for beginners, nor for purely urban use. It is a sportbike designed for the track, tolerated on the road, and which demands a physical and mental commitment to match its announced 300 km/h.