The Italian crotch rocket gets a whole lot of upgrades
Didi Group has officially launched the new Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory at the recently held Ipoh Big Bike Pitstop and Velocity Motorshow. Compared to the previous version, which was launched in Malaysia back in 2019, the latest iteration of the superbike gets a rather substantial mechanical upgrade as well as revised aerodynamics.
First things first, the capacity of the iconic V4 engine has been given a slight bump from 1,078 cc to 1,099 cc. While peak horsepower remains at 217 hp at 13,000 rpm, torque climbs from 122 Nm previously to 125 Nm at 10,500 rpm. This enables the RSV4 Factory to break the 305 km/h barrier at top speed, and yet meet the stringent Euro 5 emissions standards.
The Italian manufacturer has also taken some design cues from the smaller RS 660 to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the RSV4 Factory, chief among which are the winglets, which are built into the double-wall fairings. This increases stability at high speeds and during hard braking, as well as improves engine cooling.
The RSV4 Factory employs the Smart EC 2.0 semi-active suspension system that provides semi-active and manual modes for the fork and shock absorbers, and three maps – two for track use and one for street use. There’s also a new swingarm, which is lighter and more rigid.
Still on the topic of electronics, the new generation APRC (Aprilia Performance Ride Control) now features AEB (Aprilia Engine Brake) that can be adjusted to three levels and is now independent from the selected engine map. There are six riding modes, three for road use (Street, Sport and User) and three for the track (Race, Track 1 and Track 2).
As for braking, the RSV4 Factory is equipped with Brembo Stylema callipers with dual 330 mm discs at the front and a Brembo calliper with a single 220 mm disc at the rear. Accompanying these hardware is Bosch ABS with cornering function.
The new RSV4 Factory is available in Lava Red, which pays homage to Aprilia’s sporting heritage, and Aprilia Black that alternates glossy black with a few red highlights to highlight the lines of the aluminium frame. There’s also an Ultra Dark colour scheme that combines matte black and gold accents. Pricing starts from RM169,900.
