First ride: 2015 Aprilia RSV4 RR

54 is written on the tank of the 2015 RSV4 RR, reflecting the number of world championships that Aprilia has won in grand prix and world superbike competition. It's not just an ornament, either: it's there to help grab the attention of the consumer who is in the market for a new sports bike.

Most of those titles are from the glory days of GP racing when the Japanese were only interested in winning 500cc class races and Aprilia was left to pretty much have it all its own way in the 125 and 250cc categories. Nevertheless, a championship is a championship and just about all of the young Spanish or Italian superstars came through the Noale-based factory, including Valentino Rossi.

But I digress. I still remember early in 2007 having dinner with the 'Hoff'. No, not David Hasselhoff but Aprilia long-term test rider, German Alex Hoffman. At the time, I was involved with BMW on the S 1000 RR project. The RSV was being secretly tested by Alex and I was doing the same with the more conventional BMW. We were grilling each other for information and I liked what I was hearing about the Aprilia: a 1000cc V4 slotted into a completely adjustable MotoGP-inspired frame.

I instantly thought that was the bike Honda needed to make, as a V4 is complex and I wasn’t sure if the Italians could pull it off. There was no need to worry, as it was clear that Aprilia was building a street-legal racer to win the Superbike World Championship. When it was finally released Max Biaggi came along and won a couple of championships, and Sylvain Guintoli did the same in 2014 to make it three in total.

Aprilia achieved its four-stroke glory with the factory built racers — but the company sort of forgot about the customer, giving us a road version that had the looks but not the go. Unless, of course, you opted for one of the special race-replica versions…

I’m happy to say Aprilia has finally put that right with all three 2015 models (the RSV4 RR, RSV4 RR Race Pack and RSV4 RF Limited Edition) adorned with the new engine, which delivers a claimed 201hp — and it's been 'hp' that has really let this bike down in years gone by. But it's even more than that in 2015, as the bikes have gone on a diet and had the engine repositioned in the frame to improve handling.

My test bike on a beautiful day at Sydney Motorsport was the base $25K rideaway RR version, and even that is a weapon. As I exited pit lane, the engine kept building and building and building. I have always loved the sound and power delivery of the 65-degree V4, but there’s a bucket load more power without sacrificing rideability.

That sweet engine pulses through the seat and really lets you feel the grip level available, even on the standard OEM rubber. I rode the new Yamaha YZF-R1 at Sydney Motorsport Park earlier this year, and that engine felt a bit stronger off the bottom — but it was also fitted with stickier tyres to help flatter its performance in front of the world’s press.

In the end there wouldn’t be much if anything in it, and in the real world the beauty about motorcycles is that all aspects of the engine, chassis and brakes have to be on their game to go fast.  The lower positioning of the engine really helps the RSV to turn, and the bike finishes off bends better than the standard R1 and more like the up-spec $30K Yamaha R1M model.

The Aprilia felt light and nimble, especially on corners with a high-speed change of direction. I just felt instantly comfortable on the RSV — and comfort normally equates to confidence. Even though the RSV4 R is fitted with base Sachs suspension, it’s still very high quality and comes standard with better spring rates compared to the base model R1.

It’s a very flat handling bike, which means you can move all over it without really disturbing your line or upsetting the stability of the machine.

The bike's ride-by-wire allows the twist grip to alter the front and rear bank of cylinders independently, which gives the rider just the right amount of torque at the twist grip to maximize feel as the power is wound on.

The traction control works really well and, unlike a lot of bikes, it’s very easy to adjust through the opposed buttons on the left switch block. The real beauty is that even at full throttle you can change the traction settings with your thumb or forefinger with ease. It means you don’t have to take your eyes off the track or road, which improves safety.

As far as the actuation of the traction itself, this Magneti Marelli built system is among the best. It’s nearly ready to use on the race track, compared to most other bikes where you need to turn the traction off to go fast. There’s also launch control and three-way adjustable wheelie control.

There's a quickshifter, but just on upshift compared to the S 1000 RR which works both ways through the gearbox. It might only be  a one-way affair but it works perfectly.

The brakes are very strong, as is the norm on all modern superbikes. There is anti-lock braking fitted and it is of a very high standard as you would expect from a bike fitted with Magneti Marelli.

The RSV4 RR evokes emotion. It’s not clinically smooth, but that suits me just fine. Now if only I could get my hands on the race version for a long-term test...

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 198hp (148kW) at 13,000rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 115Nm at 10,500rpm

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Aluminum twin spar
Front suspension: 43mm upside-down forks, fully adjustable
Rear suspension: Sachs shock with double-braced alloy swingarm, fully adjustable
Front brakes: Dual 320mm discs with four-piston Brembo monobloc calipers
Rear brake: 220mm disc
Tyres: 120/70-17 front, 200/55-17 rear

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed dry weight: 180kg
Seat height: 847mm
Trail: 104mm
Fuel capacity: 18.5 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $25,000 rideaway
Colours:  Silver or black
Bike supplied by: John Sample Automotive, aprilia.com.au
Warranty: 24 months unlimited kilometers