Aprilia presents the RSV4.

It's a handsome looking beast. Makes the 1098 look a bit sick (mind you, I still prefer the 999 over the 1098 so what do I know!!)

Nice to see Biaggi ending his career with the company he began his world championship campaign back in 250 GP. I hope he can keep his head together and give the bike a good run over the next couple of years (develop next year and go for the championship in 2010)

Excellent!

All the best for 2009 Max and for the rest of the season. Hope you aren't feeling too sore after Corser knocked you off!

Go BIAGGI!

Let's hope it goes as good as it looks!

I just hope with all the time and effort they've spent on developing the bike, they've remembered its supposed to have a back brake that works!

Lets hope we see Biaggi putting the frighteners on Ducati

I might be totally wide of the mark here in engineering terms, but isn't this bike going to wipe the floor with everything else currently in the championship? Won't a V4 produce more power than an inline 4 and a v twin, so isn't this going to have a massive advantage? I appreciate that they wont have track/tyre data, but even so….early reports was that in stock trim it was going to have nearly 200bhp….

Suppose fans are never happy – we want more teams, different bikes – but obviously all the while close racing…..

Speaking of which motogp single tyre – DUNLOP…!!

Delboy - a V4 does'nt make more power than an inline 4, the Ducati desmosedici does but that is due to the desmo valves allowing high revs rather than the configuration.
The Suzuki GP bike is a V4 and that is probably the slowest or very nearly the slowest in GP's.

Aprilia talk the talk but can they walk the walk?
We saw the same type of hype with the cube in MotoGP - what a disaster that was.
No real success in WSB with the twin.
The comment about Europe's most successful race manufacturer is a bit of a joke - yes, in smaller class 2-strokes where none of the big boys want to play, but compared to what Ducati has achieved over the years, in superbike, supersport, and MotoGP, they are nowhere.
Always good to have a few more manufacturers making up the field though.

Thanks Tim Bo - but the Suzuki motogp bike would beat Haga's R1 or Bayliss' 1098? Though I appreciate very different rules and regulations. And here's a question, would a Desmo run well in WSBK?

Also its more than just outright power, the Ducati developers slightly less power but its the way it gets it down, and I presuming (perhaps wrongly) that a V4 will be better than a Vtwin?

All these features (variable geometry frame, engine position, multiple engine maps, cassette gearbox, etc) are great ideas, but they'll need to figure it all out. So many variables, I'm not sure they can do that right away. Time will tell, but it seems super complicated to me.

Zack you say the comment about aprilia being europe's most successful race manufacturer is bit of a joke. Yes in gp's they have the majority of their wins (304) but the company did start out as a scooter/ small bike manufacturer. Up till now the RSV100R was their only superbike and I seem to remember it did quite well with Troy Corser sitting on it. Remember they are still only a small company compared to Ducati

hope they are more reliable than the f@?k'n road bike is, many thousands of groats spent and the bloody thing still make you walk, not cool for The Darkside.

I think this bike going to ruin WSB. Its straight out of the Moto gp crate and really should belong there, its going raise the level of performance in WSB to the same level of performance of Moto gp bikes. The private teams just don't stand a chance against bikes like this . On that note: i've not seen any of these bikes on the road or am l missing something? Its suppose to be production bike championship is'nt it .

Chris. The road bike is due for release around April time (although a number have already been sold) It replaces the RSV100R (the milli) which if you look closely at does bear a lot of resemblance to the "cube" gp bike. Aprilia are the only maunfacturer who design a race bike then have to work out how to put it on the road. Which explains a (why my missus has to sit on a button of a pillon seat!)

Chris, do you mean a production bike like the Foggy Petronas. ??? I think its brilliant, the more the merrier. I hope Max can promote the Italian brand to the top, and get the recognition he deserves in his own country.

I'm glad Aprilia's back in the WSBK, Corser had made us proud back in the day and I feel that Biaggi can give it a decent go. Even though none of the "big boys" are currently with Aprilia, but all the big names got their starts and built their foundations there (Max, Capirex, Rossi, Melandri, etc). Curious to see who his teammate'll be, and this'll definitely help US sales pick up and grow

papi - agree with you there, the 999 was my favourite superbike, the 1098 just looks a bit big and clunky to me! The Jap fours look average, though quite like the Yam R1.

Hope the KTM makes it to the grid, like that crazy lookin thing!

But damn that RSV4 looks good in black in this pic:

uk.aprilia.com/magazine_dettaglio.asp?id=373

biaggi has real race winning potential
hope this machine can help him
rsv4 looks mad
now or never for haga next season
and i want him to take it, but,
hope biaggi makes it difficult for him

Good luck to Aprilia it looks and sounds good - hear it on youtube. I don't think it's a MotoGP bike on the road - if it was the engine would only last a few miles. The engine must contain all the usual production compromises and I am sure it will be very good - However I expect the BMW will be more successful as a racer. BMW are entering WSB with only one thing in mind - wins so that they can build a sporting name. I am sure they will have the biggest budget for the next few years

Re power I doubt it will be any more powerful than the other fours. the power delivery will be slightly friendlier. The new R1 will have the same firing intervals - its crank is designed to mimic a four.

Delboy- "And here's a question, would a Desmo run well in WSBK?" what do you think the 1098 and 999 and earlier Duc's were?

Farmer Giles - erm the Desmo (sic) is the production, ie road going, motogp bike, the 999 and 1098 aren't.