What is the Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory?

At the 2018 EICMA, Italian superbike maker Aprilia had unveiled the latest iteration of their flagship bike, the RSV4 1100 Factory. The company has finally launched it after showcasing it at Aprilia’s All Stars event a few days ago.

One of the most notable changes in the bike is its engine, which is a 1074 cc V4 unit which makes 217 PS of maximum power and 122 Nm of peak torque. Aprilia has achieved this by increasing the engine’s bore by 3 mm and adding new pistons. This has given the bike an extra 100 cc which has increased its power by 16 PS over last year’s model.

The bike also gets a new oil pump and an oil duct, and the rev limiter has been set higher at 13,600 rpm. Another of its changes are the new Ohlins NIX forks which have gained 5 mm of travel, while the wheelbase has been shortened by 4 mm. The bike gets a lightweight titanium Akrapovic exhaust as standard, along with a lighter Bosch lithium-ion battery. This has brought down the overall weight below 200 kg.

Though the bike remains mostly unchanged in terms of aesthetics, Aprilia has added some crucial carbon fibre components. The bike now sports a pair of carbon winglets on the front fairing of the bike, which adds a lot of downforce. The front mudguard, side panels and exhaust heat shield are also made of carbon fibre.

The bike is armed with all the possible electronic aids, including traction control, wheelie control, launch control, pit limiter and cornering ABS. It also gets a v4-MP data logging system as well as an improved TFT instrument cluster.

The RSV4 is set to hit the streets soon and will lock horns with the likes of Ducati’s Panigale v4 and the new BMW S1000RR among others.