Bikes

New Aprilia RSV4 RF LE to Debut with Wings

Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

The Aprilia RSV4 RF is one of the best liter-bikes on the market right now, and for 100 lucky people in the USA (25 in Canada), the V4-powered superbike is about to get a bit better.

This is because Aprilia will be bring a limited edition version of the RSV4 RF to North America. Why is this a big deal though? Because the Aprilia RSV4 RF LE will be the first production superbike with winglets.

As you can imagine, the Aprilia RSV4 RF LE draws its inspiration from Aprilia’s MotoGP program, where aerodynamics have been a driving force for innovation the last few seasons.

It makes sense then that we will see Aprilia debut the new RSV4 LE in Austin, Texas – where the Grand Prix of the Americas will take place this coming weekend.

The photo above is the first snap of the new machine, shown at Aprilia’s dealer meeting this year, but Asphalt & Rubber will have more photos this coming week, so stay tuned.

Of course, this isn’t the first RSV4 to have winglets, as the 250hp Aprilia RSV4 R FW-GP “factory works” bike could be fitted with the aerodynamic devices as well, should an aspiring owner have the desire (and the coin).

We don’t expect that design to change for the Aprilia RSV4 RF LE, but it does make this new model the first “production” machine from Aprilia with the technology.

The reason for that might be beyond just marketing and PR, as the World Superbike Championship recently put rules into place that would allow manufacturers to run winglets, so long as they come standard on their homologated machine.

With 125 bikes to be sold in North America, and likely more in Europe, homologation numbers shouldn’t be a problem for Aprilia, so we could be looking at the first manufacturer to take advantage of that rule. As always, time will tell.

Source: Bothan Spies

Comments