Aprilia's Shocking Shiver
APRILIA'S SHOCKING SHIVER
ROUNDUP
PRILIA ENJOYS SHOCKING people, and the new Shiver, introduced at the Bologna Motor Show, is as attention-getting as a cattle-prod. The Italian manufacturer was expected to debut its new V-Twin RSB 1000 sportbike at the Milan Show two weeks previous, but instead chose the low-key Bologna Show to unveil a motorcycle that defies categorization. The Shiver’s design is an eclectic compilation of cruiser, retro, standard and sportbike styling cues, with a flowing rear seat and a beautifully sculpted engine coupled with an enormous fuel tank and an oblong headlamp. It’s enough to make onlookers wonder what they’re putting in the city of Noale’s drinking water these days...
More than a simple concept bike, the Shiver is the calling card for a whole new family of V-Twin models, making Aprilia the only European manufacturer with a full lineup of machines from 50 to lOOOcc. Ranging in size from 750cc to one liter, the Vees will go into production in late 1996, beginning with a supersport version that has already undergone dyno and real-world testing.
Though details are scarce, what we do know is that the Shiver’s lOOOcc engine is a stressed member of the chassis, joined to a central, squaresection single backbone and to a pair of perimeter-style, tubular-steel frame rails. Suspension is semi-active, with electronic controls that vary damping according to the weight on each axle, as well as to road and riding conditions.
The engine is also fairly advanced: The liquid-cooled, dohc, 60-degree V-Twin features five valves per cylinder, computerized fuel injection and ignition, and dual counterbalancers to quell vibration.
The Shiver also breaks ground in the instrumentation department, with a compact digital instrument panel and keyless, magnetic-card ignition lock, similar to that employed on Honda’s NSR250 streetbike.
According to company spokesman Massimo Florentino, Aprilia plans to enter the U.S. market, perhaps as soon as ’97, which would put a very different kind of V-Twin in front of American buyers.
Claudio Braglia
