The Aprilia RS250 SP Is Coming to the USA After All

Good news if you are a small-displacement racing fan, as the Aprilia RS250 SP will not just be a European affair, as we get word today that the 250cc track bike will be coming to the USA as well. 

Interestingly enough, the Aprilia RS250 SP will not make its way across the pond via the Piaggio Group, but instead Rise Moto – the Ohvale distributer for the United States – will be importing the machine.

That shouldn’t be too much of a surprise for those who are in the loop on how the Aprilia RS250 SP came to be (and of course you are, as you religiously read Asphalt & Rubber every day).

But, for those who aren’t, the Aprilia RS250 SP is the product of a rather extensive Italian collaboration. The bike might bear the Aprilia name, and the folks at Noale are responsible for its design, but the bike is being built by Ohvale – hence the connection to Rise Moto here in the USA.

With 30hp (22kW) and a dry weight of 231 lbs (105 kg), the Aprilia RS250 SP is designed to be an affordable but competent racing machine. The bike was built with the the involvement of the Italian Motorcycling Federation (FMI), with Italy looking to develop a spec-series with the motorcycle.

It remains to be seen if a similar model for a youth talent cup could be successful in the United States, but Aprilia RS250 SP would be a ripe candidate for the job.

Pricing in the USA will be set at $11,900, and for that price tag you get an impressive piece of kit. Öhlins suspension, forged aluminum Marchesini wheels, Pirelli slicks, an SC-Project exhaust, and high-spec Brembo brakes (M50 caliper with Brembo RCS 14×18/20 master cylinder).

The only peculiarity with the Aprilia RS250 SP is its carbureted four-stroke / four-valve motor, which was designed to make decent power, but yet be approachable for maintenance and tuning.

While certainly not the power specs we have seen at the top of the sport (Moto3 bikes are said to make north of 60hp, for instance), the modest power figure carbureted intake comes back to the Aprilia RS250 SP being designed as a platform for developing talent, and thus uses the idea that tuning prowess in the pits shouldn’t be overshadowing rider talent on the track.

With that in mind, when you look at the Aprilia RS250 SP in comparison to something like the Honda NSF250R, the Italian design starts to make a bit of sense – at almost a third of the price.

For those who have outgrown the superbike rat race, and are looking for something a bit smaller and more fun, the Aprilia RS250 SP seems like a good fit to our eyes.

For those interested, Rise Moto is taking pre-orders now on the Aprilia RS250 SP, with the first shipment expected in August 2020.

Technical Specifications of the Aprilia RS250 SP:

Source: Rise Moto