Aprilia is on the gas for 2011, giving us several strong possibilities for selection to our list, including the sporty tiddler RS4 125. Parent company Piaggio, like Euro rivals Ducati, Triumph and BMW, continues an unabated stream of new product while Japanese brands are being much more cautious.In our selection process for this list, we had some votes for two new versions of the ultra-desirable RSV4 sportbike. If you have to wonder why this is exciting then you may not have paid attention to a) Motorcycle.com and/or b) World Superbike racing this year. Veteran road racer Max Biaggi scored 10 race wins on the way to the 2010 World Superbike Championship and the Manufacturer's title at the helm of an RSV4. And earlier this year we picked the RSV4 Factory as the winner of the first part of our 2010 Superbike Shootout.
The bike has a Brembo brake system with radial callipers and 320 mm floating discs at the front (220 mm at the rear), aluminium wheels with an all-new design weighing 2 Kg less than those on the RSV4R, Sachs upside down front fork with 43 mm stanchions coated with titanium nitride for reduced friction, and Sachs shock absorber with separate piggy back nitrogen canister featuring adjustable spring preload, compression and rebound damping and length, to modify the setup of the bike to suit different riding styles or for two-up use.
