Aprilia
Encyclopedia
Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

 company, one of the seven marques owned by Piaggio
Piaggio
Piaggio based in Pontedera, Italy encompasses seven brands of scooters, motorcycles and compact commercial vehicles. As the fourth largest producer of scooters and motorcycles in the world, Piaggio produces more than 600,000 vehicles annually, with five research and development centers, more than...

, the world's fourth largest motorcycle manufacturer.

Aprilia started as a scooter
Scooter (motorcycle)
A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier...

 manufacturer, but has more recently come to be known for its race-winning sportbikes. It is also known for its flagship 1,000 cc V-twin
V-twin
A V-twin engine is a two-cylinder internal combustion engine where the cylinders are arranged in a V configuration.- Crankshaft configuration :Most V-twin engines have a single crankpin, which is shared by both connecting rods...

 Superbike, the RSV Mille
Aprilia RSV Mille
The Aprilia RSV Mille was a sport motorcycle manufactured by Aprilia from 1998 to 2003. It was offered in three versions, RSV Mille, RSV Mille R, and RSV Mille SP....

 and latest V4
V4 engine
A V4 engine is a V form engine with four cylinders and three main bearings.-Automobile use:Lancia produced several narrow-angle V4 engines from the 1920s through 1960s for cars like the Lambda, Augusta, Artena, Aprilia, Ardea, Appia, and Fulvia....

-based RSV4.

History

Aprilia was founded immediately after the Second World War by Cavaliere Alberto Beggio, as a bicycle production factory at Noale
Noale
Noale is a town in the province of Venezia, Veneto, Italy.The town is home to the cult Hard rock/Heavy Metal band Catarrhal Noise, and to the motorcycle company Aprilia.The most important event of the town in the Palio ....

, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 in the province of Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

.

Alberto’s son, Ivano Beggio
Ivano Beggio
Ivano Beggio is a company name as well as the name of the former owner and president of what was for a brief period the largest motorcycle company in Europe: Aprilia....

, took over the helm of the company in 1968 and he constructed a 50 cc "motorcycle" with a dozen or so collaborators. The first production Aprilia mopeds were named Colibrì, Daniela and Packi. Aprilia later produced a motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...

 bike in 1970 called the Scarabeo. Produced until the end of the 1970s, the Scarabeo came in 50 and 125 cc versions.

In 1977 Ivan Alborghetti from Milan, Italy won the Italian 125 and 250 cc motorcross championships on Aprilias. In 1978 Alborghetti closed the season with two third places in individual races and sixth place in the World Championship.

In the 1980s Aprilia added enduro, trials and road bikes of between 50 and 600 cc. In 1981 Aprilia introduced the TL320 trials machine. In 1983 Aprilia launched to St 125 road bike. In 1984 Aprilia launched an improved model called STX, and an enduro, called the ET 50.

In 1985, Aprilia started outsourcing engines for some models to the Austrian company Rotax
Rotax
BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co KG , commonly known simply as Rotax, is an Austrian engine manufacturer. It develops and produces four-stroke and advanced two-stroke engines for Bombardier Recreational Products products as well as for motorcycles, karts,...

. In 1985 Aprilia launched a 125 STX and 350 STX. In 1986 Aprilia launched the AF1; a small sports model, and the Tuareg; a large tanked bike for African rallies.

In 1985 Aprilia rider Philippe Berlatier contended for the trials world championship reaching fifth place, and Loris Reggiani
Loris Reggiani
Loris Reggiani is an Italian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who competed for the Aprilia factory racing team...

 rode an Aprilia GP 250 with Rotax engine to sixth place in the road racing World Championship. Two seasons later, on August 30, 1987, at San Marino Grand Prix
San Marino Grand Prix
The San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One championship race which was run at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in the town of Imola, near the Apennine mountains in Italy, between 1981 and 2006...

 in Misano Loris Reggiani’s AF1 won the first World Speed Championship.

In 1990 Aprilia launched the Pegaso 600, a road bike derived from off-road mechanics.

In 1992 Aprilia rider Alessandro Gramigni
Alessandro Gramigni
Alessandro Gramigni is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was the 1992 F.I.M. 125cc world champion....

 won the World 125 Road Racing Championship title. Also in 1992, Tommy Ahvala won the World Trials Championship on an Aprilia Climber. Since then, Aprilia has 124 times won 125 and 250 cc class Grand Prix, 15 Road Racing World Championship titles, and 16 European speed titles. Many world champions started on Aprilia such as Biaggi
Max Biaggi
Massimiliano "Max" Biaggi is an Italian motorcycle racer and winner of the 2010 World Superbike Championship. Throughout this racing career, he has won the 250cc World Championship four times, and finished as runner-up in both the 500cc and MotoGP championships...

, Capirossi
Loris Capirossi
Loris Capirossi is a retired Italian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, who competed between and...

, Gramigni, Locatelli, Sakata and Rossi
Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi, , is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name – seven of which are in the premier class.Following his father, Graziano Rossi,...

.

Also in the 1990s, Aprilia entered the scooter market starting in 1990 with Italy’s first all-plastic scooter, the Amico. In 1992, Aprilia introduced the Amico LK and the twin cylinder Pegaso 125, both with catalytic converter
Catalytic converter
A catalytic converter is a device used to convert toxic exhaust emissions from an internal combustion engine into non-toxic substances. Inside a catalytic converter, a catalyst stimulates a chemical reaction in which noxious byproducts of combustion are converted to less toxic substances by dint...

s. In 1993 Aprilia launched a large diameter wheel scooter reusing the name Scarabeo with a four-stroke, four-valve engine. Later Aprilia launced additional scooters such as the Leonardo, the SR and the Gulliver, to name a few.

In 1995, Aprilia commission Philippe Starck
Philippe Starck
Philippe Patrick Starck is a French product designer and probably the best known designer in the New Design style...

 to design the Motò which was shown in New York’s Modern Art Museum. Also in 1995 Aprilia launched the two stroke RS 125 and RS 250 sports bikes.

In 1998 Aprilia launched what is its current flagship model the RSV Mille
Aprilia RSV Mille
The Aprilia RSV Mille was a sport motorcycle manufactured by Aprilia from 1998 to 2003. It was offered in three versions, RSV Mille, RSV Mille R, and RSV Mille SP....

, a 1000cc V-Twin Superbike, and the Falco
Aprilia SL1000 Falco
The Aprilia SL1000 Falco , is a sports motorcycle powered by a liquid-cooled 996 cc 60° V-twin engine, manufactured from 1999 to 2003 by Aprilia in Noale, Italy...

, a 1000cc V-Twin sport tourer
Sport touring
A Sport touring motorcycle is a type of motorcycle that blends the performance of a sport bike with the long-distance capabilities of a touring motorcycle, while providing comfort and relative safety to the rider....

 with emphasis on sport. Both bikes used a variation of a Rotax
Rotax
BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co KG , commonly known simply as Rotax, is an Austrian engine manufacturer. It develops and produces four-stroke and advanced two-stroke engines for Bombardier Recreational Products products as well as for motorcycles, karts,...

 1000cc engine.

In 1999 Aprilia entered World Superbike Championship racing with its RSV Mille, and during 2000, Aprilia acquired Moto-Guzzi and Laverda, both historic heritage Italian marques.

In 2000 Aprilia launched the 50cc DiTech (Direct Injection Technology) two stroke engine for scooters which provides high milage and low emissions, and also the RST Futura; true sport tourer, and the ETV 1000 Caponord; an "Adventure Touring Motorcycle" (also known by some as a "Trailie.") Both of these latter two motorcycles used a variation of the Rotax a 1000cc V-Twin.

Most recently, in 2003, Aprilia launched the RSV Mille Tuono
Aprilia Tuono
The Aprilia Tuono was a naked bike motorcycle manufactured by Aprilia from 2002 through 2011. It was based heavily upon the Aprilia RSV Mille and its successor, the Aprilia RSV1000R superbike with which is shares its engine, gearbox, frame and, partly, its suspension...

 which was essentially an RSV Mille with motorcross-style high handlebars and only a small headlight fairing. Most of the major motorcycle magazines picked it for the best bike of the year.

As of 2004 Aprilia was acquired by Piaggio & C. SpA, to form the world’s fourth largest motorcycle group with 1.5 billion Euro in sales, an annual production capacity of over 600,000 vehicles, and a presence in 50 countries.

With the acquisition by Piaggio, the newly nominated President of Aprilia is Roberto Colaninno (President of Piaggio & C.), and the Managing Director is Rocco Sabelli. The founder, Ivano Beggio, is the Honorary President.

On 15 August 2010, Aprilia became the most successful motorcycle racing brand in history, surpassing fellow Italian MV Agusta
MV Agusta
MV Agusta is a motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1945 near Milan in Cascina Costa, Italy. The company began as an offshoot of the Agusta aviation company formed by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923. The Count died in 1927, leaving the company in the hands of his wife and sons, Domenico, Vincenzo,...

 with a record 276th victory.

Racing

Despite being a relatively small company by global motorcycling standards, Aprilia is very active in motorcycle sports. It contests many Road Racing formulae, including the FIM
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....

 125 cc World Championship, the FIM 250 cc World Championship, and the now-defunct FIM 500 cc World Championship. From 2002 to 2004 they participated in the FIM MotoGP World Championship, and from 1999 to 2003 they participated in the FIM Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...

. Aprilia has now returned to World Superbike for the 2009 season with Max Biaggi and Shinya Nakano as their factory riders both piloting the RSV4.

Aprilia Racing has seen varying successes. They were extremely successful in the smaller displacement categories, winning numerous races & championships in the 125 cc Grand Prix
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...

 and 250 cc Grand Prix classes. However, their 500 cc Grand Prix bike was less competitive, and their MotoGP effort, dubbed the RS3 Cube
Aprilia RS3 Cube
The RS3 Cube is a prototype race motorcycle that was developed by Aprilia to compete in the 2002 until 2004 MotoGP seasons. It was unveiled at the Bologna Motor Show in December 2001 by Aprilia's president, Ivano Beggio, and their race boss, Jan Witteveen...

, was technically advanced but difficult to ride and performed poorly in the championship. The Cube did, however, feature many advanced technologies either not seen or only being seen now in other MotoGP bikes – technologies including fly by wire throttle and pneumatic valve actuation systems.
In the Superbike World Championship they were third in rider's championship in season 2000 with pilot Troy Corser
Troy Corser
Troy Gordon Corser is a professional motorcycle road racer, the and Superbike World champion....

, and third in manufacturers points and fourth in rider points both in season 2001 with Troy Corser
Troy Corser
Troy Gordon Corser is a professional motorcycle road racer, the and Superbike World champion....

 and in 2002 with Noriyuki Haga
Noriyuki Haga
, is a Japanese professional motorcycle racer. Haga has been runner-up in the Superbike World Championship three times, and has finished 3rd in the series four times....

.
These were their highest water marks for that series. They used a homologation special version of their road bike the RSVR Mille. The motor for the racebike was specially built by Cosworth.

In 2006 and 2007, they dominated the 250 class of MotoGP, partly due to the ability of Jorge Lorenzo
Jorge Lorenzo
Jorge Lorenzo Guerrero , is a Spanish professional motorcycle road racer. He is the 2006 and 2007 250cc World Champion, and the MotoGP World Champion...

, partly to the excellent quality of the 250 motorcycle.

Aprilia also feature in the off-road racing world, with their 450 cc V-2 motocrosser producing respectable results (including race wins) in both off-road (Motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...

) and on-road (Supermoto
Supermoto
Supermoto is motorcycle racing on a circuit that alternates between three types of track: flat track, motocross and road racing, using motorcycles designed for that purpose...

) categories.

The company is also notable for choosing somewhat atypical engine configurations. For example, they progressed with development of a V-2 500 cc Grand Prix bike when other teams were moving to V-4
V4 engine
A V4 engine is a V form engine with four cylinders and three main bearings.-Automobile use:Lancia produced several narrow-angle V4 engines from the 1920s through 1960s for cars like the Lambda, Augusta, Artena, Aprilia, Ardea, Appia, and Fulvia....

 configurations for what some believed was better and more usable power outputs. Aprilia continued this trend, taking advantage of lighter minimum weights with the introduction of their RS3 MotoGP bike – featuring three cylinders in an inline triple
Straight-3
A straight-three engine, also known as inline-three engine, or a triple, is a reciprocating piston internal combustion engine with three cylinders arranged in a straight line or plane, side by side....

 layout, the bike had the least number of cylinders on the Grand Prix paddock. Yamaha had gone ahead with an inline four
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....

 layout, whilst Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...

 and Ducati went for (differently-designed)V-Four layouts. Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...

 took the idea even further, producing the championship-winning RC211V
Honda RC211V
The Honda RC211V was developed in 2001 by HRC to replace the Honda NSR500 because regulations for the World Championship motorcycle road racing class were changed drastically for the 2002 season. Two-stroke engines were as before limited to and 4 cylinders, but four-stroke engines were allowed...

, powered by a V-5
V5 engine
The V5 engine is a V form engine with five cylinders.- Volkswagen :Volkswagen introduced the first V5 engine, though this engine is not a true twin-bank V engine, but rather a VR5, or staggered bank straight-5 engine, and therefore not a true V5. It does not have one cylinder bank with 2 cylinders...

 engine.

In February 2008, Aprilia debuted a V-4 superbike the RSV4 for the 2009 Superbike World Championship season
2009 Superbike World Championship season
The 2009 Superbike World Championship season was the 22nd season of the Superbike World Championship. It was the second season in which HANNspree had been the title sponsor of the championship...

.

On 15 August 2010, Aprilia became the most successful motorcycle racing brand in history, surpassing fellow Italian MvAgusta with a record 276th victory.

On 26 September 2010, Aprilia won with Max Biaggi the 2010 SBK
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...

 world championship.

Max's winning WSBK bike is now available to factory racers.


The Aprillia RSA 125 also set the record for the most points earned by a constructor in a single season from the 125cc class with 410 points in 2007
2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 59th F.I.M Road Racing World Championship season. The 2007 season was significant as it introduced a new regulation which specifies that competitors in the MotoGP class can use up to 800 cc motorcycles; between 2002 and 2006, competitors had...

.It is also the highest points earned by a constructor in Grand Prix motorcycle racing's history.

2009–2010 models

Aprilia models for 2009 and 2010 are:
Road
  • RSV4 Factory
  • RSV4
  • Tuono 1000R Factory
  • Tuono 1000R
  • Shiver 750
    Aprilia SL 750 Shiver
    The Aprilia Shiver 750 is a naked bike manufactured by Italian motorcycle manufacturer Aprilia. The motorcycle incorporates Ride by Wire Technology and a 90° V-twin engine....

  • MANA 850
    Aprilia Mana 850
    The Aprilia Mana 850 is a naked bike manufactured by Italian motorcycle manufacturer Aprilia. The motorcycle incorporates a 90° V-twin engine and an automatic transmission...

  • RS125
    Aprilia RS125
    The Aprilia RS125 is a GP derived replica sport production motorcycle. It is powered by a single cylinder 2-stroke, Nikasil coated aluminium cylinder block, liquid cooled 124.8 cc Rotax engine....

  • RS50
    Aprilia RS50
    The RS50 is a GP derived replica sport production motorcycle made by Aprilia. It is powered by a single cylinder 2-stroke aluminium cylinder block, liquid cooled Motori-Minarelli AM6 engine. The bike is popular in countries that have restrictions on motorcycle engine size...

  • Dorsoduro
    Aprilia Dorsoduro
    The Aprilia SMV750 Dorsoduro is the latest in a small number of road-legal motorcycles taking their inspiration from the supermoto form of motorcycle racing - essentially motocross, or dirt, bikes fitted with slick road racing tyres and raced over a half-tarmac/half-dirt circuit.This exciting but...

  • SXV 4.5 – 5.5
  • Aprilia RX/SX 50
    Aprilia RX/SX 50
    The 2006 Aprilia RX/SX 50 is a street/off-road motorcycle widely produced by Aprilia. It is powered by a six-speed, carburetor-fuelled, nikasil-lined and cast iron single-cylinder two-stroke engine manufactured by Derbi/Piaggio.- Styling and concept :...

  • Aprilia SX 125

Adventure
  • ETV 1000 Caponord
  • Pegaso 650
  • Pegaso 650 Factory
  • Pegaso 650 Trail

Off road
  • RXV 4.5 – 5.5
  • MX 50
  • SX 125

Scooters
  • Atlantic 500/400 Sprint
  • Atlantic 250/125
  • Leonardo 125/150
  • Leonardo 250
  • Aprilia mojito/habana 50 custom & retro
  • Aprilia mojito/habana 125 custom & retro
  • SR 50 R Factory
    Aprilia SR50
    The Aprilia SR50 is a scooter built by Aprilia. Introduced in 1992, more than 800,000 units have been sold, bucking the trend for less use of two-stroke engines...

  • SR 50 R
    Aprilia SR50
    The Aprilia SR50 is a scooter built by Aprilia. Introduced in 1992, more than 800,000 units have been sold, bucking the trend for less use of two-stroke engines...

  • SR 50 Street
    Aprilia SR50
    The Aprilia SR50 is a scooter built by Aprilia. Introduced in 1992, more than 800,000 units have been sold, bucking the trend for less use of two-stroke engines...

  • Sportcity 250 200 125
  • Scarabeo 50 Street
  • Scarabeo 50/100
  • Scarabeo 125/200
  • Scarabeo 250/400/500

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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