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An instant winner. The RSV4 Superbike ridden by Max Biaggi, Shinya Nakano and – for one spectacular foray – by Marco Simoncelli, was an unstoppable phenomenon in the 2009 world championship reserved for production derived machines, with an incredible debut season that culminated in one win, eight podium finishes and a fourth placing in the world championship for Max Biaggi before the final round in Portugal. These superlative results demonstrate - in no uncertain terms - the technological supremacy of a machine that has proved to be competitive right from the first incredible outing of the V4 engine. A project conceived not just to create a motorcycle that delivers the utmost in performance, but one that also allows the rider to make full use of every last iota of its competitive potential. The excellent results achieved by all the champions who have raced the bike have not come by chance.
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Aprilia RSV4 R is the latest product of this winning project, a no-compromise hypersports motorcycle: Ultra-technological and innovative, a machine that gives riders the means to constantly raise the bar of their own personal limits. Aprilia RSV4 has brought a wind of change into the world of hypersports bikes; just one look and you know that its genes are made up of the same winning DNA as the bikes that have earned the marque from Noale 35 world championship titles on the racetrack.
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RSV4 R is a true Aprilia, above all because it is so incredibly easy to ride, bringing superlative performance within the reach of any rider.
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Aprilia RSV4 R represents the beginning of a new generation of hypersports motorcycles: With its essential concept and pure design, it eschews an overfaired look in favor of body elements pared down to the bare minimum necessary for aerodynamic efficiency. The breathtaking beauty of the mechanicals reveals a bike that achieves levels of compactness which, until now, had only been possible in much smaller engined machines and GP prototypes. State of the art technology for the engine and chassis, coupled with extraordinary usability, make this the perfect companion for the rider who wants to reach and redefine his limits with unparalleled feeling and ease.
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These aspects of the project not only give the bike such incredible performance but are also what make it so easy to put every last horsepower to good use. Nothing about this bike is commonplace, and this is even true about the technical solutions adopted - this is the world's first full scale production motorcycle with a high performance narrow V4 engine, the most revolutionary and powerful engine ever built by Aprilia. Together with the fully integrated electronics, record breaking lightness and extreme compactness, this engine gives the bike its unique, unmistakable character.
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World class components: The fully adjustable upside down Showa front fork and Sachs rear shock, manufactured to Aprilia specifications, ensure superlative performance and offer the rider incredible feedback for absolute control in any situation. The Brembo brakes with radial monobloc calipers, ultralight alloy wheel rims featuring an exclusive design and the Sachs steering damper ensure the utmost in safety in all riding conditions.
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With these attributes, it is clear that the RSV4 R is the new benchmark for the full scale production superbike segment. The unique characteristics of the bike are listed as follows:
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Class beating compactness
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999.6 cubic centimeter, 65° V4 cylinder engine
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Latest generation triple-map Integrated Ride-by-Wire
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Cassette type gearbox
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Slipper clutch
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Frame and swingarm in anodized aluminum, as used on MotoGP machines
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Fully adjustable suspension
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Usually, when talking about a sports bike, design plays a minimal role as it has always been dictated by set rules demanding large faired surfaces.
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This has all changed now, because the Aprilia RSV4 R rewrites the rule book with its incredible, revolutionary looks. Its minimal fairing showcases instead of hides the technological superiority of the bikes chassis and mechanicals. In doing so, the frame and engine cross over from being purely technical or functional elements to become integral parts of the design. Aprilia RSV4 R is clad in an incredibly close fitting skin that emphasizes its forms while also being extremely functional and instrumental in maximizing performance.
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Just look at the top fairing, a brilliant example of how form and function can be fused to perfection. The quest for ideal breathing conditions for the V4 engine gave rise to the bike's uniquely distinctive face. The gaping dynamic air intakes not only generate optimum overpressure in the airbox, but also visually separate the headlights completely from the rest of the top fairing.
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The tail fairing is another distinguishing trait of the RSV4 R: Outrageously compact and swept upward, its seems to trail away from the rest of the bike.
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Smaller, lower and narrower than any other 4 cylinder bike has ever been or could be, extreme compactness is the greatest strength of the RSV4 R. On top of all this is the almost obsessive pursuit of perfect ergonomics (crucial for perfect control) which has always distinguished Aprilia's sports machines.
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For years, Aprilia has known that the narrow V configuration is the ideal engine solution for maximum performance, mass centralization and dynamic bike balance. Used in the past for the marque's sports twins and revived for the RSV4 Superbike project, this engine architecture immediately proved to be competitive on the track.
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The 65° V4 engine in the Aprilia RSV4 R is very closely related to the powerplant which, with Max Biaggi at the helm, has proven to be mind-bendingly quick on the track. An engine delivering incredible performance which also allows a remarkable degree of freedom in the design of the chassis. Thanks to this engine, the chassis engineers have been able to create a superlative chassis architecture worthy of the reputation of Aprilia's finest hypersports machines.
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In addition to the engineering exclusiveness of a configuration that is without par anywhere in the world, the technical advantages of Aprilia's 65° V4 are:
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The engine sits perfectly within the frame for optimized mass centralization
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The possibility of creating an ideal chassis layout, with the pinion shifted far forward and a long swingarm
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Absolute slimness; with overall width comparable to that of a twin cylinder bike
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Minimized frontal area, translating to huge benefits in terms of aerodynamic efficiency
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The possibility of very large bores; the slimness of the engine means that the engineers can define very oversquare combustion chamber layouts, increasing the valve diameter and improving efficiency
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Optimum fluid dynamics with an angle between cylinders greater than the industry standard of 60°, leaving more space for straight intake ducts.
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The engine was entirely developed by Aprilia's in-house R & D division, a center of technological excellence and one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in Europe, which benefits from the invaluable support of the highly successful Aprilia Race Division. The goal of the engineers was not just to achieve class beating performance but also to make the engine much more usable than any of its rivals, because horsepower alone means nothing if the rider cannot make full use of every last ounce of power. The narrow V architecture has resulted in an engine that is incredibly compact in length, offering advantages in terms of mass centralization and minimizing the inertia ellipse, which in turn made it possible to define an extremely high performance chassis.
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The innovative timing system (with the chain driving only the intake camshaft, which in turn drives the exhaust camshaft via a gear) has made extremely compact heads (just 250 mm at the rear of the engine) especially in the area beneath the frame spars, which are thus much narrower than would otherwise be possible.
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A countershaft dampens first and second order vibrations, making the engine even smoother than a 90° V-twin.
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The monobloc crankcase with integrated cylinder liners ensures maximum rigidity and consistent performance.
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The electronic management system is another example of the V4 engine's technological supremacy. Full Ride-by-Wire technology eliminates any direct connection between the throttle grip and the throttle valves, which are entirely controlled by a latest Marelli control unit that also controls the ignition and the 8 injectors (the 4 secondary fan pattern injectors come into play at high loads).
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Each bank has a dedicated servo unit actuating its own two throttle bodies only. This means that the aperture of the four throttle valves and, as a consequence, the quantity of fuel injected, can be controlled independently. This solution, applied here for the first time ever in a production bike, opens up practically infinite possibilities for power delivery control. This technology offers immediately tangible benefits to the rider, with triple mapping (adjusting power delivery and maximum power) selectable directly from the handlebar allowing the character of the bike to be modified to suit the rider's personal riding style or the track conditions at any time.
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T - TRACK: No-compromise performance for track use
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Unleashes the full 180 boiler horsepower of fury at the slightest twist of the grip. Recommended for expert riders in ideal track and weather conditions.
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S - SPORT: For exciting road use
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Smooth power delivery. Torque limited in the first 3 gears for greater control. For an exciting but less challenging ride.
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R - ROAD: Total usability in all conditions
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Power reined in to 140 horsepower in all gears. Greater usability in all conditions.
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A butterfly valve in the exhaust optimizes power delivery.
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The transmission has also been designed to the meet most advanced criteria to offer the maximum performance possible. To underscore the racing soul of the V4 engine, it is mated to a cassette gearbox with a wet sump lubrication system (with oil in the crankcase). The wet clutch features a mechanical slipper system for optimized engine braking torque control and stability under hard braking.
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Engine capacity: 999.6 cubic centimeters
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Architecture: 65° V4
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Crankcase: Monobloc with integrated cylinder liners
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Timing system: 4-valves per cylinder (titanium and nymonic) operated directly by a camshaft driven by a mixed chain / gear system, lateral timing chain, central gear train.
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Fuel system: Electronic injection with 2 injectors per cylinder and integrated independent Ride by Wire system for each bank. Three mappings selectable from handlebar.
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Anti-vibration countershaft
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Maximum RPM: 14,000
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Compression ratio: 13:1
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Transmission: Six speed cassette gearbox
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Clutch: Multi-plate wet clutch with slipper system
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Electronic management: Magneti Marelli control unit managing ignition, injection and Ride by Wire system
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Aprilia bikes have always been world famous for the superiority of these chassis. RSV4 R raises the bar even higher with a totally state of the art chassis architecture which, drawing from the expertise accumulated by Aprilia in years of racing and victories, tames the explosive power of the V4 engine to offer the rider absolute control over the bike.
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Quite simply, the RSV4 R is the best package available today for the rider demanding the utmost in performance in a bike that is as exciting as a track day machine as it is fun to ride on the open road.
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Perfectly centralized masses is just one of the strengths of the RSV4 R chassis. To achieve this result, every single aspect has been optimized down to the tiniest detail. As on a racing machine, the fuel tank is positioned so that the majority of the fuel sits under the saddle optimizing bike balance and cancelling out handling differences between full and empty tank conditions.
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In keeping with consolidated Aprilia traditions, the aluminum frame of the RSV4 R exploits the strength and flexibility of cast and pressed elements, which are welded together in a structure setting new benchmarks in terms of balance and dynamic efficiency. The result is maximum torsional stiffness and flexional stiffness optimized for total bike control. This means that the Aprilia RSV4 R is not just a bike with devastating performance, but one whose greatest strength is precisely the incredible ease with which any rider can access its full potential. The swingarm also uses the same constructional technology as the frame and offers the same perfect balance between flexional and torsional stiffness to contribute to the extraordinary handling capabilities of the RSV4 R.
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The unique construction technology of the frame and swingarm allows them both to proudly flaunt the naturally gleaming color of aluminum, yet another feature that is increasingly rarer in production bikes that contributes to pure racing look of the RSV4 R.
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Completing the chassis is a superlative suspension layout - the upside down Showa fork has 43 mm diameter stanchions and features adjustable spring preload and hydraulic compression and rebound damping.
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The Sachs rear shock was developed from experience learned directly on the track. This sock absorber boasts a piggyback nitrogen canister (separate and mounted on the body of the unit) and adjustable spring preload, compression and rebound damping and length, allowing the height of the rear end of the bike to be altered to modify the set-up to suit different riding styles and tracks.
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Completing the package is a steering damper, also by Sachs, which ensures impeccable high speed stability and millimeter precision in setting the bike up for turns.
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The brake system is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best conventional motorcycle system currently offered anywhere on the market. The monobloc radial front calipers by Brembo currently represent the state of the art in racing brake systems. Literally the best you could possibly desire.
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The dual 320 mm floating steel discs employ low profile rotors and asymmetric cross-drilling, shaving approximately 500 g from the front wheel and reducing unsprung mass. The floating retainer is fastened to the flange with 6 pins only in order to minimize inertia and weight.
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The brake pump is the radial type to improve lever feel and response accuracy.
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The Brembo rear brake system uses a 220 mm stainless steel disc with a two piston caliper mounted directly onto the swingarm
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A real Superbike is special not only as far as performance is concerned but also for the care it is built with. The details on the RSV4 R speak volumes of a bike built with an obsessive attention to every single aspect, both technical and otherwise.
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The following are just some of the most significant class leading components used:
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Instrument panel: The mixed type (digital-analog), it receives all the information from the CAN line and becomes an integral and crucial part of the self-diagnosis system as it is fitted with memory.This is a fully fledged on-board computer, with a dot matrix display set against a minimalist, ultramodern and compact design. Its functions have been improved and are all accessible from three easy to use buttons.
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Headlight: The triple headlamp layout is not just a reference to the legendary original RSVMille, but designed to offer total night time visibility.
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Electrical system: Designed from the outset to offer maximum functionality and rationality with minimum weight. The result is an extremely clean and compact layout that makes for easier maintenance and is ready for track use, as all components relative to the lights and turn indicators are easily removable.
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