The EICMA show is underway, in proper, and the first bike we get to see is the 2022 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade, which is getting a bevy of updates for next year.
While the majority of the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade remains the same for 2022, the engineers at Big Red have refined the motor further to make more mid-range acceleration.
If you don’t keep a pulse on the work that Team Classic Suzuki has been producing the last few year, then you owe it to your nostalgia to peruse their Katana race bike or Suzuki XR69 replica endurance bike. They are exquisite.
Now the British outfit has a new bike for us to drool over – one that cuts right to our 1990’s loving superbike hearts. It is a Suzuki GSX-R750 SRAD circa 1996.
What is old is new again might as well be the theme for this week, after the Crighton CR700W reemerged and the Husqvarna Norden 901 finally debut, and that theme continues now with the relaunch of the Norton V4 superbike, which has changed names to the Norton V4SV.
With the company now in the hands of India’s TVS Motor Company, the British firm is starting to make good on some of its previous owner’s promises, and one of those is making the Norton V4 work properly and land into the hands of happy customers.
The BMW S1000RR is getting some very mild updates for the 2022 model year, but they do go beyond the attractive “bold new colors” that come with the new black livery that is available.
The biggest change is that BMW Motorrad is making the M Chassis kit for the BMW S1000RR standard on the 2022 model, which means an adjustable swingarm pivot and adjustable tail riser.
The venerable Suzuki GSX-R1000 is set for an update during the next model year, so say our Bothan Spies.
With the current generation now in its fifth-year (and second revision), the Japanese brand is seeing it fit to offer a “new” model of its popular superbike.
What do you say about the Aprilia RSV4? The past 13 years have seen a number of changes come to the RSV4 (and seen a number of letters come and go, as well), as Aprilia has been consistent in its effort to keep the RSV4 at the pointy end of the liter-bike spectrum.
The 65° V4 engine has grown from 999cc from its debut in 2009, now to 1,099cc in 2021. Similarly, the electronics package has gotten smarter and faster. And of course, the design has (debatably) improved with the latest trend of aerodynamic aids.
This constant unyielding iteration is unseen elsewhere in the motorcycle industry, which instead prefers to succumb to the ebbs and flows of more clearly defined model generations.
This unique approach has allowed Aprilia to constantly keep the RSV4 at the pointy end of the liter-bike segment, but has it paid off for the 2021 model year RSV4 and RSV4 Factory machines, though? That is the topic of today’s story.
To find the answer to whether the Aprilia RSV4 has gotten better with age, and remains at the top of the superbike pile, we took this motorcycle to one of the most iconic tracks in the United States: Laguna Seca.
We were not disappointed in the result. Let me explain.
For the 2021 model year, the venerable Aprilia RSV4 gets another update to its 13-year-old platform.
The RSV4 has evolved considerably in that timeframe, and over that period, this production motorcycle lays claim to being the first with an IMU, the first with ride-by-wire, and the first with winglets.
While the differences between the model years of the RSV4 can be subtle at times, the 2021 model sees a revamp of the superbike’s aesthetic, especially in terms of how it handles aerodynamics.
When it comes to superbikes, the Aprilia RSV4 rises to the top, which is why the Italian brand has been slow to change its winning formula.
Now 12 years in the making, we see the Aprilia RSV4 getting another large update, this time with a robust visual makeover, as well as some strategic technical changes.
American Honda has begun a recall on the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP for the faulty installation of the rear cushion and its connecting plates.
The recall affects only 2021 model year Fireblades, which means that a total of 89 units may be affected by this announcement.
When you are at the top of the superbike pile, it can be hard to justify change, and yet Aprilia has been constantly updating the RSV4 ever since it debuted in 2009.
For the 2021 model year, the Aprilia RSV4 and Aprilia RSV4 Factory models get another update, which is again more of an evolution of the existing machine, rather than a totally new design.
That being said, the changes that come to the 2021 Aprilia RSV4 are pretty big this time around, as you can see from the photo above.
The BMW M1000RR was one of the surprise new bike announcements this year, as it takes the BMW S1000RR superbike package, and cranks it to 11.
This winged homologation special will be the platform that Tom Sykes and Michael van der Mark will use on the factory BMW squad next year (along with Jonas Folger and Eugene Laverty, who will appear on two separate satellite teams).