Moto-scribe Kevin Ash recently got to ride the 2011 RSV4 Factory APRC SE (Aprilia Performance Ride Control Special Edition), which looks all set to usurp the BMW S1000RR’s ‘hottest, fastest, most technologically advanced production superbike’ crown next year. Maxi Biaggi won the World Superbikes championship aboard one these machines this year and in 2011, Aprilia want to pass on some of the championship winning bike’s DNA to the public. And so we have the all-singing, all-dancing APRC SE version that promises to kick ass. Here are some brief excerpts from what Mr Ash has to say about this bike:
“It’s the sound of the RSV4 first that seduces, a gorgeous angry bubbling with electrifying response to the twistgrip that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The bike is so tiny, it’s hard to remember it’s a one litre machine with 300km/h capability.”
“The electronics will leave you gasping in admiration and adrenalin. The traction control system uses similar parameters to Ducati 1198’s and BMW S1000RR’s, monitoring front and rear wheel speeds, lean angle, acceleration, throttle movement and so on, determining if rear wheel spin is about to occur. The level of intervention can be changed while still riding, from a very safe 8 down to level 1, at which point the back of the bike is drifting, sliding, painting black lines on the track and making the rider look like a superbike god.”
“There are two differences, the first being the Aprilia system’s ability to learn revised parameters when different tyres are fitted. The rider activates this facility manually, then rides the bike for a short distance at a steady speed, and the recalibration is complete. This allows the system to work more effectively with whatever rubber it’s wearing. The second unique factor is that the cut-off point on each of the levels is not a line drawn at a predefined amount of spin. Instead there’s a fuzzy area leading up to this line in which the amount of spin is allowed to increase up to that point, meaning the rider still has a level of throttle control over the spin before the system says enough. In terms of feedback it brings something entirely new to traction control systems and lifts the Aprilia immediately above its BMW and Ducati rivals. The sheer exhilaration of being able safely to tighten the bike’s line while charging out of a turn at ferocious speed by dialing in more back wheel spin leaves you panting with excitement. Take away from the rider? Oh no, this adds a whole new dimension for most of us.”
