Aprilia built trials motorcycles from the early 1980s. The company added trials, enduro and road bikes of 50 to 600 cc to its range in that decade, introduced the TL320 trials machine in 1981 and won the 1992 World Trials Championship with Tommy Ahvala on an Aprilia Climber.
Aprilia trials bikes at a glance
| TL320 | trials machine introduced in 1981 |
|---|---|
| World Trials Championship | Aprilia entered in 1985 (Italian Wikipedia) |
| Philippe Berlatier | factory rider who finished fifth in the trials world championship in the mid-1980s (English Wikipedia places it in 1986) |
| World title | Tommy Ahvala, 1992, on an Aprilia Climber |
| Models in our archive | Climber, TX and TXR |
There is no separate Wikipedia article for these bikes in English, Italian or German, so the facts come from the company history pages only; model specifications are not given here because we found no reliable source for them.
History of the Aprilia trials bikes
In the 1980s Aprilia widened its range beyond mopeds and motocross, adding trials, enduro and road motorcycles of between 50 and 600 cc. In 1981 it introduced the TL320 trials machine. Italian Wikipedia says the company started its racing activity in 1974 in the motocross world championship and moved in 1985 into the World Trials Championship, as well as the 250 class of the road-racing world championship.
English Wikipedia notes that Aprilia factory rider Philippe Berlatier contended for the trials world championship and reached fifth place, in the same period as the Tuareg and AF1 were launched in 1986.
The 1992 title
In 1992, the same year as Alessandro Gramigni won the world 125 road racing title, Tommy Ahvala won the World Trials Championship on an Aprilia Climber. Both pages mention it as one of Aprilia’s early world titles.
Design and features
- Climber: the trials bike on which Tommy Ahvala won the 1992 world title.
- TX and TXR: later Aprilia trials models; the video of a TXR 240 in our archive shows one ridden in a practice session in Crondall Woods, England.
Aprilia trials bikes versions
- TL320 (1981): the first Aprilia trials machine named in our sources.
- Climber: the 1992 world-title bike, in a 280 version shown in our video.
- TX and TXR 240.
More Aprilia motorcycles are in our Aprilia collection, for example the Tuareg, the ETX and the AF1.
Aprilia trials bikes questions and answers
Did Aprilia make trials bikes?
Yes, from the early 1980s; the TL320 of 1981 was an early model.
Who won a trials world title on an Aprilia?
Tommy Ahvala, in 1992, on an Aprilia Climber.
When did Aprilia enter the World Trials Championship?
In 1985, according to Italian Wikipedia.
Who was Philippe Berlatier?
An Aprilia factory rider who reached fifth place in the trials world championship.
Video: aprilia climber 280 trial teszt
Video by Zoltán Takács on YouTube.
Sources
- Aprilia, English Wikipedia: TL320, Berlatier, Ahvala and the Climber
- Aprilia (azienda), Italian Wikipedia: start of racing activity, 1985 trials entry, 1992 title
