Rennie Scaysbrook | November 2, 2018
2019 Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory First Look—Aprilia has shown those pesky neighbors in red are not the only ones who can have a bigger than usual superbike, with the announcement of a new RSV4 1100 Factory.
2019 Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory First Look
Yum, yum! Aprilia has joined the ranks of the class-busting 1100cc realms with the new RSV4 1100 Factory.
This marks the first departure from the 999cc V4 weapon that was introduced in 2009, with capacity boosted to 1078cc to give a very handy 217 hp at 13,200 rpm and 89 lb-ft of torque at 11,000 rpm via a 3mm bore increase, the new motor now measuring 81 x 52.3mm.
If you’re thinking this has something to do with MotoGP, you’d be right. 81mm is the widest bore allowed in MotoGP and the same as what Ducati has for their Panigale V4 that was released earlier this year. The RSV4 1100 shares the same 13.6:1 compression ratio as the 1000, but it gets new pistons, a new oil pump, new intake valve timing, and a longer fifth and sixth gear.
The chassis is largely the same as the 1000. The RSV4 is the only superbike in the class that allows the rider to alter the engine position in the frame, the headstock angle, the swingarm pivot, and the rear end height, so you can tinker away at the track to your heart’s content—or go mad trying to find the optimum set up.
The suspension is not the Ohlins Smart EC 2.0 system we found on the 2019 Tuono 1100; instead, you’ll get a top-shelf Ohlins NIX fork with 5mm more travel than the RSV4 1000 at 125mm, and an Ohlins TTX36 shock at the rear. That’s matched to a now stiffer swingarm for better handling.
The main chassis itself remains unchanged in the aluminum twin-spar design, but there are beefier steering head bushes and steering offset reduced by 2mm to bring the front wheel closer to the rider, resulting in a 4mm shorter wheelbase. Braking is taken care of by Brembo four-piston Stylema calipers, which now supersede the M50 Brembos found on the 1000.
Aprilia is claiming a stunning 438 lb with a full tank of gas, ready to ride, with the new RSV4 1100.
The electronics are the domain of the excellent, fourth generation Aprilia Performance Ride Control system, with three throttle modes of Sport, Track and Race, traction, wheelie, launch and cruise control, Cornering ABS, as well as a quickshifter and pit lane speed limiter.
Aprilia has also dug deep in into its MotoGP parts catalog and fitted all carbon fiber bodywork and wings on the side of the fairings. These have been developed by Aprilia riders Aleix Espargaro and Scott Redding and are a first for a full-run production machine, although we did see these winglets on the RSV4 RF Limited Edition earlier this year.
No price or availability has been determined for the RSV4 1100 Factory but once it does, we’ll be sure to pass it onto you guys.
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