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Aprilia Motorcycles

About Aprilia

Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle company, one of the marques owned by Piaggio.

Aprilia was founded after the Second World War by Cavaliere Alberto Beggio, as a bicycle production factory at Noale, Italy in the province of Venice. Alberto’s son, Ivano Beggio, took over the helm of the company in 1968 and constructed a 50 cc "motorcycle" with a dozen or so collaborators. The first production Aprilia mopeds were named Colibrì, Daniela and Packi. Aprilia later produced a motocross bike in 1970 called the Scarabeo. Produced until the end of the 1970s, the Scarabeo came in 50 and 125 cc versions.

In the 1980s Aprilia added enduro, trials and road bikes of between 50 and 600 cc. In 1981 Aprilia introduced the TL320 trials machine. In 1983 Aprilia launched to St 125 road bike. In 1984 Aprilia launched an improved model called STX, and an enduro, called the ET 50.

In 1985, Aprilia started outsourcing engines for some models to the Austrian company Rotax. In 1985 Aprilia launched a 125 STX and 350 STX. In 1986 Aprilia launched the AF1; a small sports model, and the Tuareg; a large tanked bike for African rallies like the Dakar Rally.

Aprilia has 124 times won 125 and 250 cc class Grand Prix, 15 Road Racing World Championship titles, and 16 European speed titles. Many world champions started on Aprilia such as Biaggi, Capirossi, Gramigni, Locatelli, Sakata and Rossi.

Also in the 1990s, Aprilia entered the scooter market starting in 1990 with Italy’s first all-plastic scooter, the Amico. In 1992, Aprilia introduced the Amico LK and the two stroke Pegaso 125, both with catalytic converters. In 1993 Aprilia launched a large diameter wheel scooter reusing the name Scarabeo with a four-stroke, four-valve engine. Later Aprilia launched more scooters such as the Leonardo, the SR and the Gulliver.

In 1995, Aprilia commissioned Philippe Starck to design the Motò which was shown in New York’s Modern Art Museum. Also in 1995 Aprilia launched the two stroke RS 125 and RS 250 sports bikes. In 1998 Aprilia launched what is its current flagship model the RSV Mille, a 1000cc V-Twin Superbike, and the Falco, a 1000cc V-Twin sport tourer with emphasis on sport. Both bikes used a variation of a Rotax 1000cc engine.

During 2000, Aprilia acquired Moto-Guzzi and Laverda, both historic heritage Italian marques. In 2000 Aprilia launched the 50 cc DiTech (Direct Injection Technology) two stroke engine for scooters which provides high mileage and low emissions, and also the RST Futura, a sport tourer, and the ETV 1000 Caponord; an adventure touring motorcycle. Both of these latter two motorcycles used a variation of the Rotax 1000 cc V-Twin.

Most recently, in 2003, Aprilia launched the RSV Mille Tuono which was essentially an RSV Mille with motorcross-style high handlebars and only a small headlight fairing. Most of the major motorcycle magazines picked it for the best bike of the year. In 2004 Aprilia was acquired by Piaggio & C. SpA, to form the world’s fourth largest motorcycle group with 1.5 billion Euro in sales, an annual production capacity of over 600,000 vehicles, and a presence in 50 countries.

Despite being a relatively small company by global motorcycling standards, Aprilia is very active in motorcycle sports. It contests many Road Racing formulae, including the FIM 125 cc World Championship, the FIM 250 cc World Championship, and the now-defunct FIM 500 cc World Championship.

Moto blog

Dall’Igna Out, Albesiano In At Aprilia

Thu, 10 Oct 2013

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s rumored defection of Luigi Dall’lgna‘s from Aprilia to Ducati comes this morning’s press release from Piaggio. “The Piaggio Group has accepted, with immediate effect, the resignation of Luigi Dall’Igna – wishing him of course all the best for the future.” Replacing Dall’lgna is Romano Albesiano. Albesiano joined the Piaggio Group in 2005 as Aprilia Product Development Manager and currently manages Piaggio’s Motorbike Technical Center.

Ducati Targeting Aprilia Racing Manager Gigi Dall’Igna

Wed, 09 Oct 2013

Ducati has reportedly signed Aprilia Racing manager Gigi Dall’Igna to take control of its struggling MotoGP program. Neither Ducati Corse or Aprilia Racing have confirmed the reports, but several sources in the European motorsports press such as Motociclismo.it, not to mention a tweet from retired World Superbike Champion Max Biaggi, claim the deal is done. Dall’Igna has been an instrumental figure in Aprilia’s racing success since the manufacturer’s return to WSBK racing with the RSV4 in 2009, helping guide Biaggi to two championships and, pending the result of the 2013 season finale at Jerez, likely three manufacturers titles.

WSBK 2013: Magny-Cours Race Report

Mon, 07 Oct 2013

Tom Sykes snapped up a pair of wins at Magny-Cours, setting himself up in good position to capture his first World Superbike Championship at the season finale in Jerez in two weeks. The Kawasaki rider scored his series-leading eight and ninth victories of the season, giving him a commanding 37-point cushion over Eugene Laverty and 38 points ahead of Sylvain Guintoli. Sykes needs only score at least 13 points in total over the final two races at Jerez to secure the championship.

WSBK 2013: Laguna Seca Race Report

Mon, 30 Sep 2013

Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty each came away with a victory as the World Superbike Championship made its return to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The first race featured two red flags, ironically caused by AMA Superbike regulars Danny Eslick and Roger Hayden, the two men with the most recent experience at the famed track. The second race was a much cleaner affair, with a dramatic finish, setting up the final two rounds of the championship.

Guintoli/Aprilia Appeal Denied, WSBK Monza Results Stand

Fri, 13 Sep 2013

International Motorcycling Federation officials have rejected an appeal from Aprilia and rider Sylvain Guintoli over the controversial finish to the second race of the Monza round of the 2013 World Superbike Championship. The official race finish for Race 2 at Monza stands, with Kawasaki‘s Tom Sykes in third place and Guintoli fourth. More importantly, Sykes hangs on to the 16 championship points he was awarded for the finish while Guintoli receives 13 for finishing fourth.

WSBK 2013: Nurburgring Race Report

Tue, 03 Sep 2013

Tom Sykes has taken over the lead in the 2013 World Superbike Championship standings after splitting race victories with Chaz Davies at Germany’s Nurburgring circuit. Both races ended prematurely however with red flags during the final laps. Pata Honda‘s Jonathan Rea and FIXI Crescent Suzuki‘s Leon Camier both crashed on the 18th lap of Race One after running into oil spilled on the track from Pedercini Kawasaki racer Federico Sandi‘s ZX-10R.

Piaggio Reports Q2 2013 Results

Fri, 26 Jul 2013

The Piaggio Group reported a 12.1% decrease in net sales over the opening six months of 2013, the company’s worst first half showing since 2004. Net sales totaled 671.5 million euros (US$891.9 million) over the first six months, compared to 764.1 million euros reported in the same period of 2012. Piaggio still earned a net profit of 25 million euros (US$33.2 million ) in the first half, but that’s a 26.1% drop from last year’s 33.8 million euros.

WSBK 2013: Moscow Race Report

Mon, 22 Jul 2013

Marco Melandri captured his third win of the season, the Ducati 1199 Panigale scored its first podium while Sylvain Guintoli regained the championship lead despite dislocating his collarbone days before the race. But the big news at Moscow Raceway of course was the tragic death of Andrea Antonelli in the World Supersport race. The opening-lap crash in severely wet conditions naturally led to the cancellation of the rest of the events as the World Superbike community mourns the loss of the 25-year-old Antonelli.

Get $50 To Test Ride An Aprilia Or Moto Guzzi At Laguna Seca MotoGP

Tue, 16 Jul 2013

If you’re going to be at Laguna Seca for this weekend’s MotoGP race, be sure to stop by the Aprilia and Moto Guzzi booths, as both manufacturers are handing out $50 gift cards if you take a model from either manufacturer for a test ride. To qualify for the gift card, simply visit the Aprilia or Moto Guzzi booths during the weekend. There, you’ll receive a postcard encouraging you to test ride an Aprilia or Moto Guzzi at a participating US dealership.

2014 Aprilia Tuono V4 R Gets ABS and Horsepower Upgrade

Thu, 11 Jul 2013

Aprilia has updated its Tuono V4 R for 2014, equipping the naked sportbike with anti-lock brakes, enlarging the fuel tank and pumping more horses from its 1000cc V4 engine. The Aprilia Tuono was already a favorite here at Motorcycle.com, and the latest updates should only reinforce that opinion. The Bosch 9MP ABS adds a degree of safety while only adding 4.4 pounds to the Tuono’s weight.