Aprilia To Make Sporting Twins
APRILIA TO MAKE SPORTING TWINS
ROUNDUP
A PRILIA WILL CHALLENGE home-country rival Ducati by introducing its own line of four-stroke V Twin sportbikes in early 1996.
Rotax-designed engines were originally intended for large displacement Aprilia cruisers and dual-purpose bikes now being developed, but Aprilia’s own engine work has boosted performance to levels sufficient for sportbikes, says England’s Motor Cycle News.
HECTOR CADEMARTORI
Aprilia is known for its fast, stylish small bikes, and, as seen in this artist’s impression, plans to broaden its line with VTwin sportbikes.
A 900cc engine already produces more than 100 horsepower, and a 750cc version is also in development.
Development costs and the price of the bike will not be a concern, vows Aprilia boss Ivano Beggio. "Any new April ia must be competitive in per formance terms, regardless of price," he says. Aprilia had considered using Suzuki 600 and 900cc engines in largedisplacement sportbikes, which would cost less than developing Twins. Those plans have been scrubbed, Aprilia says, but one Aprilia-Suzuki project, a 250cc, two-stroke streetbike, (see Roundup, October, 1993) will be introduced in October.
Aprilia’s RSV250 looks very much like its 250cc GP bike, and will have a computer-controlled shift mechanism. This is the first production use of the device, which cuts ignition for a split-second when pressure is applied to the shift lever, allowing the rider to upshift without letting off the gas or disengaging the clutch.
—Robert Hough
