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Rumors of a New Aprilia RSV4 Begin

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This is the 10th year of the Aprilia RSV4 superbike, and despite that duration, the V4 superbike remains one of the top machines that you can stick in your garage.

Part of this is due to the fact that the RSV4 is an incredibly well-engineered high-tech motorcycle. After all, it was the first superbike to use an inertial measurement unit (IMU) in conjunction with traction control, and one of the first superbikes to have a ride-by-wire throttle.

The other part of Aprilia’s dominance comes down to the fact that the Italian brand has consistently updated the RSV4 every couple of years, helping keep it at the sharp end of the superbike stick. Now if you believe the rumors, the 2019 model year will be no different.

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MotoGP

Aprilia Racing Signs Andrea Iannone to Its MotoGP Team

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Mark this day, because today is the day that Aprilia Racing signed Andrea Iannone to its factory MotoGP – the Italian motorcycle brand sealing its fate to the Italian rider for the next two seasons.

The news had been expected, for quite some time, and today when we saw Suzuki Racing formally ending its relationship with Iannone, we knew it was only a matter of time before Aprilia announced its contract.

Iannone’s third factory team in the MotoGP paddock, it will be interesting to see what he can accomplish with his teammate Aleix Espargaró at Aprilia – a team that is still struggling for results in the MotoGP Championship.

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MotoGP

Aleix Espargaró Will Stay with Aprilia Thru 2020

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The French GP is seeing a number of announcements being made for the coming seasons, and one of the less surprising pieces in the silly season puzzle is finally in place, as Aleix Espargaró has renewed his contract with Aprilia Racing.

As such, Espargaró will ride with the factory Aprilia team through the 2020 MotoGP Championship season, as the Spaniard has shown himself not only capable of helping to develop the Aprilia RS-GP race bike, but also as a strong competitor on the machine.

Of course, the big question is who will be Espargaró’s teammate for the next season or two? As it seems increasingly likely that Scott Redding will not be returning to the Italian squad, after a number of poor results on the Aprilia.

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News

Aprilia Racing Certified Dealers Coming to the USA

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Soon Aprilia dealers in the United States will begin flexing their racing prowess, with a new certification program from Aprilia Racing. 

The certification program hopes to leverage Aprilia’s racing experience on the international stage, and thus turn Aprilia dealerships into performance shops capable of honing Aprilia’s motorcycles for track use.

As such, Aprilia Racing certified dealerships will have access to a host of performance parts that Aprilia Racing has developed back in Italy, during the course of their racing programs in MotoGP and WorldSBK.

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Bikes

Up-Close with the 2018 Aprilia RSV4 RF LE

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At the Grand Prix of the Americas, Aprilia USA debuted a special new superbike for the 2018 model year, the Aprilia RSV4 RF LE.

Limited to only 125 units for North America (100 for the USA, 25 for Canada), the big feature of the 2018 Aprilia RSV4 RF LE is the bike’s fairing winglets, which draw from Aprilia Racing’s aerodynamic progress in the MotoGP Championship.

Getting a chance to see the new Aprilia RSV4 RF LE in the flesh while in Texas, we grabbed some up-close photos of this limited edition RSV4, for your viewing pleasure, along with some other details.

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Bikes

The 2018 Aprilia RSV4 RF LE Breaks Cover with Winglets

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The first production superbike with winglets has finally dropped, ushering in what is likely to be a new era for sport bike design. As we teased earlier this week, the new machine is called the 2018 Aprilia RSV4 RF LE, and only 125 units will be made (and only for the North American market).

As such, 100 lucky owners in the United States, along with 25 Canadians, will have a chance to own the new Aprilia RSV4 RF LE, that is of course if they can afford the $24,499 USD price tag ($25,495 CDN).

For that $1,000 premium over the highly acclaimed Aprilia RSV4 RF (note the $500 price bump because of the strengthening euro against the dollar), limited edition buyers get the benefit of the new carbon fiber winglets, a special livery, and a numbered production plate on the triple clamp.

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Bikes

New Aprilia RSV4 RF LE to Debut with Wings

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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.

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News

Ride in Peace, Aprilia Founder Ivano Beggio

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It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Ivano Beggio, the founder of Aprilia, who passed away during the early hours of Tuesday, March 13th. Beggio was 73 years of age, at the time of his passing.

Getting his start in his father’s bicycle shop in post-WWII Italy, Beggio innovated Aprilia from a simple bicycle company into one that sold motorcycles and scooters.

In 1975, Beggio started a small racing team, which quickly rose to success, winning the 125cc and 250cc Italian Motocross Championships in 1977.

From these pursuits, Aprilia became one of the largest motorcycle brands in Italy, entering the large-displacement market in 1998 with the RSV Mille superbike, and its racing pursuits have involved some of the biggest names ever in the sport.

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Bikes

Voila! Here Is the 2018 Aprilia RS-GP MotoGP Race Bike

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The 2018 MotoGP season is almost upon us, but thankfully there is just enough time left for Aprilia Racing to debut its racing platform for this season – and unlike some other brands, the bike shown is actually the genuine article for 2018.

In the preseason, the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini squad has honed in a new aluminum frame made by Aprilia Racing, along with a new carbon fiber swingarm. The airbox and exhaust are also new, helping the narrow-angle V4 engine to breathe better on the race track.

This helps Aprilia to claim over 270hp from the four-cylinder motor, which has a counter-rotating crankshaft and pneumatic valves.

Other changes include a new aerodynamics package, which is hard to miss, but more subtlety the front suspension has also been modified, and uses Öhlins TSB46 forks (the rear shock is an Öhlins TRSP44 unit).

All of this is likely to evolve over the coming season, of course, but it is important to note that Aprilia is working with a fraction of the budget as some of the other factory teams.

As such, the Noale brand has made strong strides in recent seasons with the RS-GP, and when the stars align, we expect them to make some surprising results this year and continue their progression.

Of course, returning to ride the Aprilia RS-GP this season is Aleix Espagaro, and he will be joined in the squad by Scott Redding.

If you think we cherry-picked only the most awkward of their press photos, then you would be correct. Enjoy!

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News

MotoGP Silly Season Begins for 2018

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There were signs that the MotoGP Silly Season could be wrapped up early last week in Bologna, at the launch Ducati’s MotoGP team.

Ducati Sporting Director Paolo Ciabatti said he expected to sign the riders for the factory team ‘quite early’. “Quite early probably means the second half of February or the first half of March,” he clarified.

So before the lights have gone out for the first race of the 2018 MotoGP season, Ducati hope to have two factory riders wrapped up, and they are unlikely to be the only factory to have done so.

It is apparent that the riders have taken note of this, and are adjusting their strategy accordingly.

After Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport ran a story suggesting that Ducati were about to sign Pecco Bagnaia to the Pramac team, Danilo Petrucci has told the same paper that 2018 will be his last year with Pramac.

“[Team boss] Paolo Campinoti and I both know this. He pulled me out of the gutter, but we know this is our last year together. The cycle is complete.”

Poetry aside, Petrucci’s announcement is significant. The Italian has a contract with Ducati that promises him a seat in the factory team if one becomes available, in much the same way that Andrea Iannone did previously. But the question is, will there be a seat there for Petrucci to take?

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News

Brembo Issues Statement on Its Master Cylinder Recall

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Just over a week ago, we broke the news that a massive recall was coming to motorcycles equipped with a particular Brembo master cylinder. Since then, we have seen recall notices from Aprilia and Ducati (affecting roughly 10,000 motorcycles in the USA) with more recalls expected from other brands.

Because recalls in the United States typically come from the motorcycle manufacturer and not the part supplier, mum was the word from the folks at Brembo, though there were a number of questions regarding these recalls that weren’t answered in the NHTSA documents.

Today, Brembo has finally decided to speak about the recalls that are underway in the United States, and presumably will be occurring in other markets as well.

Though not discussing the cause of the issue, or any particulars, from Brembo’s terse statement we at least now know what other brands have been affected by this master cylinder recall. You can read Brembo’s statement, after the jump.

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