Aprilia RSV4 racers.....

Whats the skinny??

Are they competitive in club racer form??

do the engines need to come apart often?

Reliability?

I sell them and have a couple staring me in the face and Aprilia has some CRAZY fucking deals now and I have not had the thrill of a literbike in a while....

What say thee BBS??

Anyone had their doors sucked of one on the straights??

I know there is no comparison to WSBK.

 

Who cares, they sound so f'ing sweet at full gallop with a nice open exhaust.




WORTH IT!

 

OEM parts are hard to come by.
Aftermarket parts are expensive.
Setup data just isn't out there.
They are heavier than they look and it shows at tighter tracks.
They are down 20-25hp to the ZX and BMW.
As a race bike, you really need the Factory model...and you can have a race prepped ZX with almost 200hp for $5k less than a Factory model.
An exhaust requires an ECU and a dealer throttle learning sequence performed. But since you sell them, I assume you can do that yourself.

In summation, they are kickass bikes...but you can get an equal or better bike for $10k less and less headache.

 

Interestingly I don't recall a single one at the R.O.C. Several Panigales were on hand... Prolly says more about Ducati prize money but the v4 was conspicuously absent.

 

......and with all of that shit said, ima prolly get one too.

 

Hmm I also sell Panigale hmmmm......

 

One of the CO guys who races AMA ran one that was in SS trim, said his SB R6 was faster everywhere including the straight. As mentioned it would seem the bike needs a lot of work to keep up with the S1000 and ZX. Seems a similar story to the R1 really.

 

I supposed they could be. Just not with me on it at this point. I'm taking my time getting used to it since most of my time is spent on an SV.


I wouldn't take mine apart unless it needed it.

The electrical system is screwy as hell. As long as you have a spare ECU or Navigator/Axone you can deal with it. And heading on to the straight before T7 at VIR and the esses leading to the straight at NJMP the damn thing doesn't want to shift into 4th on a too often basis.

It keeps up alright on the straights. I don't know what all everyone else has or hasn't done to their bikes. Mine is good for 10.0 @ 153 in the 1/4 mile with a slip-on, race mapping and -1 countershaft sprocket.


I don't care about having the fastest bike out there. I just love V-4s.

 

Buy it so I can hear it race. They sound so bad ass. On that note....build a 955I and have a buddy race with you. Sweet music.

 

Likely a more capable platform off the showroom floor (especially when compared to the non-Factory RSV4). Same size, but much lighter, more power and better brakes. Not to mention legal for more classes.

 

oem parts are very easy to come by from a good dealer like af1 who has never had any problems

aftermarket parts are no more expensive than anything else, if you want rizoma rear sets yes they will cost more than woodcraft

actually why would you get a factory to race, your still going to do cartridges and a ttx so buying the factory for its ohlins is a waste if your doing suspension anyway

the biggest hp doesn't always equal a good race bike think more "usable" hp

 

you have had issues with your bike, and its not the norm, not even close, never heard of anyone except you needing another ecu and what dealer told you to carry a spare???

biggest problem with the bike is the fuel tank and ethanol fuel, ducati has the same problem (warping), i run 100LL to stay away from the ethanol problem

 

Here is a NICE vid (02:31) of the RSV4 at the Barber GNF! :up:

Posted in the GNF Thread.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkHyNKUANzc&feature=share&list=UU02FVzuIRN1cj0URvh9gZ3w

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Duca...otorcycles&hash=item19d6748485#ht_2871wt_1006

 

I agree, AF1 is great and definitely the go-to place for Aprilia support. But I have heard/read many issues trying to get OEM parts. Many places in the U.S. don't stock them; it is simply too rare of a bike. There are only a few hundred in the USA and you really can't even find much on eBay for them. Not to mention the lack of dealers that really know anything about them other than how to sell them (outside of AF1 and Honda East and maybe a couple of others).

Aftermarket parts (exhausts, race bodywork, spare wheels, etc) are definitely more expensive for the RSV4.

There is a lot more to getting a Factory to race vs the R other than just the Ohlins. Actually, the Ohlins suspension isn't even part of the equation/reasoning for getting the Factory as a race bike. The forks would be re-valved and resprung and the OEM shock would be sold for an aftermarket TTX.

A Factory is a better race platform due to...
Lighter Forged Aluminum wheels (they are lighter than most aftermarket forged aluminum wheels). The lighter wheels help mask the power deficit and extra weight.
Full adjustable Frame (steering head, swingarm pivot and engine position).
Variable Velocity Stacks
Magnesium case covers, valve covers and oil pan..,and carbon body pieces that further reduce the weight vs the R model.
The Stock Factory Bodywork and Ohlins rear shock can bring some good money on eBay, which will offset almost half of the cost difference between the R and Factory.

BTW - That information/suggestion is coming straight from Ed Cook at AF1, whom I have been communicating with for several months regarding the Aprilia.

I completely agree, useable power means A LOT. That is why in most 1000cc shootouts, the riders put down faster laps on the APE, even though it is down on power. With a gearing change and a SS build, it would be very capable. Especially on the shorter tracks in the Southeast. And BTW, motor builds are more expensive also. You can figure $4-5k for a SS engine build on an RSV4.

Trust me, i am not doubting the capabilities of the bike. Like i said, i plan on getting one in the near future. My only point is that if cost is an issue, there are cheaper ways to get a kickass bike. The RSV4 is very capable for sure, but that is assuming you have good support (parts and setup help) and dont have an issue spending money.

The APE is a bike people would race simply because they want to race one for the cool factor. Not because it is the best bang-for-the-buck.

 

Just Curious....how Crazy?

 

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/26/13...rilia-RSV4-Factory-APRC-Track-Comparison.aspx

good article on the bike


ask ed at af1, getting oem parts isn't a problem

most aftermarket parts i have seen are on par pricewise with any other bike

race bodywork for the rsv4 from catalyst composite is cheaper than ones they offier for the R6, ktm rc8, honda cbr1000rr

marchesini's typically are the same for most bikes, brembo master etc
(my full leo vince exhaust was stupid cheap, but that was when they were blowing out those end of the year deals) (btw, it is a pain in the ass to change out the rear headers)

if you want to spend the extra on a factory its great, but the R will work fine if your going racing, your going to have a spare set of wheels anyway, keep rains on the stock ones and you can pick up a set of factory wheels from the accessory catalog or marchesini's, your going to change the suspension anyway, the cases save a little weight but not that much, street stuff is getting removed which will also save weight

i think the perception about any italian bike is they cost so much to own, modify and maintain, i was asked by someone a few weeks ago if my oil changes cost $300.00? i said no, i buy a 10.00 oem filter and a gallon of motul

 

I know Toye loved the bike during the testing RRW always does. I also know no one races it successfully anywhere other than WSBK.

Personally, my opinion on a bike is based almost entirely on it's success in superstock form. I can't remember what it was JU said sometime, but it stuck with me. Every bike needs some dumbing down for the street or mass production. The first 10K can get all that fixed, now what do you have afterwards? I think that must be where the Aprilia falls flat on its face.

I lost interest in the RSV4 when I saw how little power it made. The Desmosedici RR was 180 or so on pump gas stock, but that was with an artificially low red-line and crap fuel mapping. Swapping the ECU resulted in a massive bump, but the power curve was also very beautiful and it was a joy to ride.

The RSv4 arrived soon after, also with a V4 but made way less power. I like the story about "usable power," but then why not give it 200 usable power? Ducati guys always have a stack of excuses about why their bike has no usable power, and like Aprilia they always point at the zero-percent-similar WSBK and say "see!"

When I saw the RSV4 was using gear driven cams in WSBK, it started to make sense, stock on the desmo. The street bike is just so far off.

Didn't they make a 50K factory special at one point though?

 

mine is low 170's at the wheel, its not bad, enough people race cbr's with less than that, also ask a couple of the guys who raced the big hp bmw after a year and why they got rid of them, hp doesn't mean everything, obviously you need it to be powerfull, but the hp king hasn't panned out so well

 

What's the torque like on those things? Is the delivery more like a twin or a I4.