First Spy Pics of Aprilia V-4 Prototype on the Track: Apriliaforum.com

[Schneegz]

http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102022










It looks to me like they shoved that V-4 in an RSV chassis.  Or, maybe, it's a whole new chassis with RSV bodywork.  Either way, it's good to see it out and running.  I hope Aprilia hits this one out of the park.  They need a boost.

[TalkingHead]

I hope they get it right too.  

[Busy Little Whiner]

Go Aprilia... V4s are on the rise... I4s and V2s are on the wane... mercy it's about time too... so here's
hoping there's a V4 in your future... you'd be surprised just how good they are...

[pearsonm]

I love the Ignore function of the new board.

[TalkingHead]

Me too!!!!!

[JonS]

Go Aprilia... V4s are on the rise... I4s and V2s are on the wane... mercy it's about time too... so here's
hoping there's a V4 in your future... you'd be surprised just how good they are...

 
 Looks like another cool bike from Aprilia, though.

[Busy Little Whiner]

I hope they get it right too.  

Hey Talk... how's your Head??? here's hoping you own a bike again... would love to ride with you...
 

[Schneegz]

This week's MCN has an article on the new V-4.  They also claim to have spy pics of a 1500cc Triumph cruiser.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/nav?page=motorcyclenews.articles.articleCategory.article&resourceId=6155225&articleCategory=MCN-EXTRA_MCN-PROMOTIONS

[forester]

Is MV Agusta the ONLY Italian motorcycle manufacturer that doesn't have their head buried in their ass?  V-4s sound pretty good, and you can get power from them - but NO WAY are they going to perform eqivalent to inlines of the same displacement.  I say "inlines" because I think Triumph has the clearest vision of what type of motorcycle engine works the best.

!!! and I don't even own a Triumph!

[pushrod]

'Glad to see them moving forward, but I agree that their Cosworth triple would have been a killer. I'd hoped they would move forward to commercialize the triple.

[marc11]

Is MV Agusta the ONLY Italian motorcycle manufacturer that doesn't have their head buried in their ass?  V-4s sound pretty good, and you can get power from them - but NO WAY are they going to perform eqivalent to inlines of the same displacement.  I say "inlines" because I think Triumph has the clearest vision of what type of motorcycle engine works the best.

!!! and I don't even own a Triumph!

Ever think that not everyone wants the same old inline four?  And that other engine configs can work just as well, if not better than an inline?  Hmm, ever wonder why Honda doesn't use an inline in MotoGP?  

Variety if good, very good.  A sad day has come when I can sit in my house and here some loud ass vehicle go by and I cannot tell if it is a Honda Civic with an exhaust or a Gixxer with a slip on....I say good for Aprilia, Guzzi, BMW Boxers and all the other companies that offer something different!

[Orson]

I've heard stories from a cousin's next door neighbor that people have fallen asleep on inline-4s

That's just plain dangerous in my book.

if you ride an inline 4, be sure to drink lots of coffee...stopping every 30 minutes and doing jumping jacks helps too.

remember...I'm just here to help  

[TalkingHead]

I would love to see a big-bore Triple super sport. Hopefully Triumph will birth one in the form of a big Daytona triple some time in the near future. Perhaps by the time it happens I will be, perhaps, able to afford one.

[Schneegz]

Is MV Agusta the ONLY Italian motorcycle manufacturer that doesn't have their head buried in their ass?  V-4s sound pretty good, and you can get power from them - but NO WAY are they going to perform eqivalent to inlines of the same displacement.  I say "inlines" because I think Triumph has the clearest vision of what type of motorcycle engine works the best.

!!! and I don't even own a Triumph!

I don't understand your logic.  Why would a V-4 be inferior to an I-4?  I'm not being argumentative; I just don't see an inherent advantage to either configuration.  As I see it, both configurations have their advantages and disadvantages, and the design that "wins" is the one whose engineers maximize its advantages and work around its disadvantages most skillfully.  I could be wrong, of course, so if I am please set me straight.

[Snowbird]

Maybe forester is thinking about racing applications?

Personally, I think there should be a racing class with NO equipment restrictions except that the thing has 2 wheels. Fastest bike wins.

[Dr Gil]

Is MV Agusta the ONLY Italian motorcycle manufacturer that doesn't have their head buried in their ass?  

No...  

These 4's all have two too many cylinders for my tastes.  Why complicate things?  

[Busy Little Whiner]

 V-4s sound pretty good, and you can get power from them - but NO WAY are they going to perform eqivalent to inlines of the same displacement.  

That's a big negative... A V4 will match I4 on a dyno anyday... the difference being that the V4 sports a
linear power band whereas the I4 sports a cammy hit... what that translates to us on the street is that V4s
are easier to go quick on whereas the I4 requires more effort...  

[R.Markus]

No...  

These 4's all have two too many cylinders for my tastes.  Why complicate things?  

They have three too many for me.

[Bodhi]

Nothing much to look at (maybe they're disguising the body). I guess the proof in the pudding will be on the track. Pretty doesn't win races.

[Schneegz]

Nothing much to look at (maybe they're disguising the body). I guess the proof in the pudding will be on the track. Pretty doesn't win races.

I think it's an all new chassis wrapped in old bodywork for the sake of testing.  I doubt the finished product will look like that.  As for the exhaust, who knows what that will look like when it's complete?  I sure hope it doesn't look like the one on this prototype!    The current RSV and Tuono have traditional dual exhausts, and the Mille and 1st Gen Tuono had traditional side mounted exhausts, so I would expect Aprilia to continue in that direction.  Either way, it's exciting to see something new and different from a major manufacturer, even if I'll never be able to afford one.  

[Tyrroneous]

Personally, I think there should be a racing class with NO equipment restrictions except that the thing has 2 wheels. Fastest bike wins.

There is....its called MotoGP.  Okay, it does have a displacement restriction, but thats about it.

[Lon]

Looks like Aprilia just might deliver what some VFR owners have spent the last several years begging for...

[ol Rocket]

Looks like Aprilia just might deliver what some VFR owners have spent the last several years begging for...

Yep, I was thinking the same thing.  I think you'd have to have a separate model like the Falco that would offer softer ergonomics for the all-arounder market.

[Schneegz]

Yep, I was thinking the same thing.  I think you'd have to have a separate model like the Falco that would offer softer ergonomics for the all-arounder market.

Unfortunately (or furtunately, depending on your point of view) I think Aprilia plans to use the 1200cc V-Twin they're developing to power their street bikes, including the next Tuono and maybe a new Futura.

[keystonejenks]

I don't know but after seeing that my pee-pee just went "pheeeeeeft"

[ol Rocket]

It deflated?

[keystonejenks]

It deflated?

No, it inflated.

[MisterSmooth]

Yep, I was thinking the same thing.  I think you'd have to have a separate model like the Falco that would offer softer ergonomics for the all-arounder market.

If history holds true...

1.  The new V-4 will be excellent right out of the box (remember the first Mille in 1998?).
2.  The next year, there will be a SPORT-touring version (like the Falco) that will be excellent and reliable as an anvil but sell for crap (like the Falco).
3.  The next year, there will be a "Tuono" version that will rip your tits off.


For one, I hope that Aprilia hits a home run with this bike.  Bottom line for the US is that until Aprilia establishes a good dealer network, they're going to be a niche player here.

However, what if all those Vespa dealers expanded into big bikes?  It's all Piaggio now.  That might give Aprilia the market penetration they deserve.

[Mr Sunshine]

So locally there is a new Aprilia dealership where the Race Director for WMRRA (my local racing club) works (I think as a sales manager but I'm not positive). Anyhow he is working on getting some Aprilia contengency money.

I'm hoping that in a couple of years time I'm good enough to be willing to race liter engines.  If so and I can afford it...I'll race the V-4 Aprilia if it is available.  Shall be fun.

[Schneegz]

1.  The new V-4 will be excellent right out of the box (remember the first Mille in 1998?).
2.  The next year, there will be a SPORT-touring version (like the Falco) that will be excellent and reliable as an anvil but sell for crap (like the Falco).
3.  The next year, there will be a "Tuono" version that will rip your tits off.

I sincerely hope you're right, but I'm afraid that won't be the case.  Aprilia is developing a 1200cc V-Twin for their street bikes.  While this is a good thing in some ways - 1200cc versions of the Tuono, Futura and maybe Falco are on the way - I think it will also mean that the V-4 will be reserved exclusively for their race replicas.

If you are right, however, it could mean that Aprilia will branch out into two basic "big bike" lines - a 1200cc V-Twin line and a 1000cc V-4 line.  That way, whether you prefer big torque or big horse power, Aprilia has you covered.

[stk0308]

Maybe forester is thinking about racing applications?

Personally, I think there should be a racing class with NO equipment restrictions except that the thing has 2 wheels. Fastest bike wins.

The original Formula USA was like that, over 10 years ago now.  In the same race you'd see hot rod ZX10s running against GSXR7/11s, against TZ250s(some say they were overbored), against monster motored YZF1000s.  It was beautiful, well, accept when Kenny Roberts got serious and brought the previous years Yamaha 500GP bikes to the party.  They killed everything with those.  The first AMA Forumla Extreme rules were loosely stol....er, based upon the original Formula USA rules.

[Snowbird]

Tyrroneous and stk0308, thanks for the replies... did not consider those racing classifications.

As for the new Aprilia, MD now reports the Mille frame is "lightly modified" (I think that means that the new motor will fit the frame) and that the motor is only slightly larger overall than the v-twin. Going back to the "lightly modified" frame, that could still mean big handling improvements if the engine hangs off the frame differently to tune sideways flex during cornering.

Personally, I won't get excited until there's an iteration with comfy egros and hard bags.

[MilleArp]

I think it's an all new chassis wrapped in old bodywork for the sake of testing.  ......

Yes.


ALL manufacturers do that, car, bike, or sled.