The Aprilia RSV4 is a superbike made by the Italian company Aprilia and the maker’s flagship model. It is powered by a V4 engine, the first four-cylinder engine Aprilia put into production, and it replaced the RSV 1000 as the top sports bike of the range.
Aprilia RSV4 at a glance
| Unveiled | 22 February 2008 at the Piaggio Group convention in Milan (English Wikipedia); in production from 2008 or 2009 depending on the source |
|---|---|
| Engine (first generation) | 65-degree V4, 999.6 cc, bore 78 mm and stroke 52.2 mm |
| Power, first bike | 180 hp, 115 Nm, dry weight 179 kg (Italian Wikipedia) |
| Power, 2015 update | 201 hp at 13,000 rpm, 115 Nm at 10,500 rpm |
| Power, RSV4 1100 | 217 hp at 13,200 rpm; 1,099 cc according to English Wikipedia, 1,078 cc according to the Italian page |
| Electronics | APRC package: engine maps, engine brake, traction, wheelie and launch control, cruise control, speed limiter |
| Versions | Factory and R (2009–2014), RF and RR (from 2015), RSV4 1100 and 1100 Factory (from 2019–2021) |
| Racing | World Superbike champion in 2010 and 2012 (Max Biaggi) and 2014 (Sylvain Guintoli) |
English and Italian Wikipedia agree on the main figures but differ in the 1100 version: the Italian page puts it in 2019 with 1,078 cc and 122 Nm, English Wikipedia says 1,099 cc and 125 Nm since 2021.
History of the Aprilia RSV4
Aprilia’s first large sports bike with a four-stroke engine was the RSV 1000, which had decent results in World Superbike in the early 2000s. In 2003 the company showed the RS Cube MotoGP prototype, which was soon withdrawn from racing, and from 2005 Aprilia decided to restart research and development on a high-displacement bike. The result was the RSV4, first conceived to race in World Superbike.
The Piaggio Group, which controls Aprilia, invested 25 million euros in the project over three and a half years and hired engineers such as Claudio Lombardi, known for the world-champion Lancia Delta rally cars and for Ferrari Formula 1 engines of the early 1990s. The key was the engine: earlier Aprilia superbikes used Austrian Rotax engines, while the RSV4 engine is entirely Italian.
Updates
At the end of 2012 a technical restyling was shown for 2013: power rose to 184 hp and 117 Nm, the V4 and the seat were lowered by 5 mm, the APRC electronics gained sports ABS and the tank grew to 18.5 litres. For 2015 the engine was reworked (new injectors, variable-length intake trumpets, a new cylinder head) to give 201 hp at 13,000 rpm; the Factory became RF and the R became RR. For 2017 the bike got cornering ABS, an auto-blipper and a TFT dash, and the engine met Euro 4.
From 2019 the RSV4 1100 Factory replaced the RF, and a third generation followed in 2021 to meet Euro 5. In 2025 Aprilia Racing introduced the RSV4 X-GP, a limited edition of 30 units celebrating the tenth anniversary of the RS-GP in MotoGP, with a 1,099 cc V4 of 238 hp and 131 Nm.
Racing
Aprilia launched the bike in the 2009 World Superbike season: Max Biaggi reached the podium nine times and won one race, at Brno. Biaggi won the championship in 2010 and again in 2012, and Sylvain Guintoli won it in 2014. Lorenzo Savadori won the 2015 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup on an RSV4, and RSV4-based bikes were used by Aspar and Paul Bird Motorsports in the 2012 and 2013 Grand Prix seasons.
Design and features
- Engine: a 65-degree V4, the company’s first production four-cylinder, designed specifically for superbike racing according to Aprilia.
- Electronics: ride-by-wire throttle from the start; traction and wheelie control arrived in 2011 in the APRC package, later extended with sports ABS and cornering ABS.
- Factory trim: electronically managed Öhlins NIX fork and TTX shock and forged five-spoke aluminium wheels on the 1100 Factory.
- Brakes (2017): 300 mm front discs and Brembo M50 monobloc calipers.
Aprilia RSV4 versions
- RSV4 R and Factory (2009): the R is the cheaper road version; the Factory is the bike the World Superbike machine is derived from.
- RSV4 RR and RF (from 2015): the renamed R and Factory, with the 201 hp engine.
- RSV4 1100 and 1100 Factory (from 2019–2021): the larger-engined bikes with 217 hp.
- RSV4 R limited edition: English Wikipedia mentions a limited edition of 350 units.
- RSV4 X-GP (2025): a 30-unit limited edition.
More Aprilia motorcycles are in our Aprilia collection, for example the RSV Mille and RSV 1000 R, the Tuono and the RS4 125.
Aprilia RSV4 questions and answers
When was the Aprilia RSV4 introduced?
It was unveiled on 22 February 2008 in Milan; Italian Wikipedia says it has been produced since 2009.
What engine does the RSV4 have?
A 65-degree V4 of 999.6 cc in the first generation, enlarged to about 1,100 cc in the RSV4 1100.
How much power does it make?
180 hp at first, 201 hp from 2015 and 217 hp in the RSV4 1100.
Did the RSV4 win World Superbike titles?
Yes: Max Biaggi in 2010 and 2012, and Sylvain Guintoli in 2014.
What does APRC stand for?
Aprilia Performance Ride Control, the electronics package with engine maps, traction, wheelie and launch control.
Video: 2012 APRILIA RSV4 APRC WITH AUSTIN RACING GP2R EXHAUST SOUND!!!
Video by west end mike on YouTube.
Sources
- Aprilia RSV4, English Wikipedia: history, versions, racing, 2025 X-GP
- Aprilia RSV4, Italian Wikipedia: development, updates and figures by year
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