In our mind, the Aprilia SXV 550 (and its smaller sibling, the Aprilia SXV 450) is one of the most impressive motorcycles made in modern time…with one caveat.
The 77° v-twin SXV made headlines with its impressive power figures (70hp for the 550cc version), as well as its tendency to blow itself apart.
A true race bike with lights, the SXV line was a bit of a disaster for Aprilia, in terms of customer reliability, and unfortunately that made the limited number of supermoto and dirt bikes produced by Noale very short-lived with their owners.
So, it warms our heart whenever we see the SXV engine used for other projects, if for no other reason than it makes us wonder what could have been.
Take for example this sport bike custom from Simone Conti Motorcycles, which turns the SXV into something that is quite far from the original design intent.
Low and fast, SCM’s Aprilia SXV is a hard tail design with a double-wishbone front-end and sack of snakes exhaust system that exists under the seat. For bonus points, it tips the scales at a true 269 lbs.
Everything but the motor is the work of SCM, with metal bodywork giving shape to the machine and helping to frame the v-twin engine in its custom chassis.
SCM’s creation pleases us greatly, and not just because it uses one of the most intriguing motorcycle engines to come in the last 20 years. We think you will enjoy it as well.
Source: Rocket Garage; Photos: SCM
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