Aprilia RSV4 X: Italian perfection

Bruno Gomes

March 24, 2019

While we were all paying attention to the arrival of the new RSV4 1100 Factory, Aprilia has been hard at work in Noale preparing a very special project for their special race-derived program called Aprilia Factory Works. Their latest creation, the RSV4 X, was revealed to the world during the Aprilia All-Stars Day at the Mugello racetrack, and we are completely stunned at what the Noale factory has done in this bike!

This RSV4 X was born as a way for Aprilia to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of their superbike, the iconic RSV4. Launched in 2009 and with the goal to dominate the World Superbike championship, the RSV4 did, in fact, give Aprilia three World SBK titles by the hands of Max Biaggi and Sylvain Guintoli.

The RSV4 X is the latest weapon to join the Factory Works program, and it comes fitted with some of the best components a rider can get on a track only bike, while it also features exotic components and many of those being used for the very first time outside the world of MotoGP and World Superbike.

The base bike is essentially the standard RSV4 1100 Factory we all know, but Aprilia asked Aprilia Racing technicians to develop the performance of this bike to a whole new level.

The result is that the 1078 cc V4 engine gets a power boost from the standard 217 hp up to 225 hp. This is possible because Aprilia Racing used different intake camshafts, with more aggressive lobe profiles, new valve seats, new valve springs, and above all, the RSV4 X gets a Magneti Marelli 7SM EC ECU complete with special track mappings. On top of all this, the exhaust system is sourced from Akrapovic, the full titanium system with carbon silencer, while the airfilter is the same as Aprilia Racing uses in their MotoGP bike, the RS-GP, allowing the V4 engine on the RSV4 X to breathe much better.

But if the engine is, and with all the merits, the start of this bike, there are also other components that deserve our attention.

For example, Aprilia Racing fitted the engine with their race-special Aprilia No Neutral gearbox. This gearbox has the Neutral below the first gear and the second gear seats directly above the first gear. This way the rider won’t lose any time while going from first to second gear, and at the same time, the ANN gearbox eliminates false neutrals while upshifting.

Another first on the Aprilia RSV4 X is the brake calipers. Aprilia Racing asked for something special to Brembo, and the Italian brake specialists answered with one of the best brake calipers money can buy. The GP4-MS are monoblock calipers made of a single block of aluminum, being both lightweight and resistant to high temperatures.

Another special characteristic on the Aprilia RSV4 X is the weight. Aprilia Racing announces that the dry weight of this track only bike tips the scales at just 165 kg! That’s almost the same as we find on MotoGP bikes. This weight reduction comes courtesy of full carbon fiber bodywork, lighter aluminum components like rearsets and levers, and above all from the gorgeous Marchesini forged magnesium wheels.

But as good as all this might sound to you, there’s always a catch to the story!

Aprilia says they will only build 10 units of the RSV4 X, making this bike very rare and a collector’s item. Of course, the price to pay to get one of these in your garage to enjoy later on track is a bit higher than normal, and according to the Aprilia press release, the RSV4 X will cost 39.900 euros, which translates to around RM183.215 at current exchange rates.

If you’re interested in buying one of the ten RSV4 X, Aprilia says you’ll need to pay attention to www.factoryworks.aprilia.com because the bikes will only be sold online, starting the second half of April.