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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

Exclusive SBK Special Edition 2013 Aprilia RSV4 Factory Announced for North America

Thu, 24 Jan 2013

  Aprilia is producing a special edition RSV4 for the U.S. and Canada to celebrate Max Biaggi‘s World Superbike Championship-winning 2012 season. The special edition model will only be available in North America, though we’d prefer if Piaggio could come up with a less awkward name than the 2013 Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC ABS SBK SE.

Tuner Vilner Studio Transforms Aprilia Tuono 1000 into the Aprilia Stingray

Tue, 22 Jan 2013

Bulgarian firm Vilner Studio is best known for creating one-of-a-kind designs for car interiors but the tuner has also dabbled in motorcycle design. In its latest two-wheeled project, Vilner gives the 2010 Aprilia Tuono 1000 a makeover, producing what it calls the Aprilia Stingray. The Tuono has always had a slightly insect-like quality to its design, particularly with its headlight and cowl fairing which resembles a wasp’s head.

Piaggio Secures €60 Million Loan to Fund Research and Development

Wed, 28 Nov 2012

The Piaggio Group announced it has secured a €60 million (US$77.6 million) financing deal with the European Investment Bank to fund the development of new products. The seven-year loan will fund research and development projects at Piaggio’s Italian facilities. The loan is in addition to investments Piaggio already budgeted for the period from 2013 to 2015 to develop new products.

EICMA 2012: Aprilia RSV4 R Updated with ABS and Power Increase

Thu, 15 Nov 2012

At October’s Intermot show in Cologne, Germany, Aprilia announced a number of upgrades to its RSV4 Factory, giving the sportbike more power, anti-lock brakes and a number of other updates. This week at the 2012 EICMA Show, Aprilia extended those updates to it’s slightly less upscale but still pretty damn good base model, the RSV4 R. The production versions of Max Biaggi‘s World Superbike Championship-winning racebike, the Aprilia RSV4 R (all-black in these pictures) and the RSV4 Factory (pictured with red trim)  receive an engine upgrade to reduce internal friction and casing ventilation.

EICMA 2012: 2013 Aprilia Caponord 1200 Officially Introduced in Milan

Tue, 13 Nov 2012

The first images of the Aprilia Caponord 1200 broke last week but Piaggio has released new details and photographs of the adventure-tourer at the 2012 EICMA Show in Milan, Italy. Sharing its engine and frame with the Dorsoduro 1200, the Aprilia Caponord 1200 is the latest competitor in the adventure-touring segment, albeit with limited off-road aspirations. The closest competitor to the Caponord 1200 is probably the Ducati Multistrada 1200.

EICMA 2012: Vespa 946 Unveiled at Milan Show

Tue, 13 Nov 2012

We got a peak at the new Vespa 946 late last week but Piaggio has now released more pictures and information on the bold new scooter. Presented at the 2012 EICMA Show a year after its original concept was unveiled. The new Vespa 946 is a mix of both the past and the future.

2013 Aprilia Caponord 1200 Revealed

Fri, 09 Nov 2012

Aprilia has a new entrant in the highly-competitive adventure-bike market with the new Caponord 1200. Revealed ahead of its official presentation at the 2012 EICMA show, the Caponord will go up against competitors such as the Ducati Multistrada, Triumph Tiger Explorer, KTM 1190 Adventure and the segment’s benchmark, the BMW R1200GS. The 2013 Aprilia Caponord 1200 shares its engine and frame with the Dorsoduro 1200.

2013 Vespa 946 Revealed Ahead of 2012 EICMA Show

Fri, 09 Nov 2012

Piaggio surprised many at last year’s EICMA show with its Vespa Quarantasei concept, blending the company’s iconic styling with a futuristic new look. Judging by the feedback we’ve seen in our coverage of the Quarantasei – since renamed the Vespa 946 – scooter fans have been eagerly awaiting news of the final production version of the new Vespa. Nearly a year later, the final production version of the Vespa 946 has been revealed, just days ahead of the 2012 EICMA show.

Max Biaggi Announces Retirement

Wed, 07 Nov 2012

Max Biaggi will retire as a champion, announcing his decision to step away from the sport after winning his second World Superbike Championship by just half a point. The man known as the Corsair and the Roman Emperor announced his retirement this morning at a press conference at the Vallelunga circuit near Rome, Italy. Biaggi ends his 21-year international racing career with six world championships, with four consecutive 250cc Grand Prix titles from 1994 to 1997 to go along with his 2010 and 2012 WSBK titles.

Piaggio Reports Q3 2012 Results

Thu, 01 Nov 2012

The Piaggio Group reported a 9.1% decrease in net sales over the first nine months of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, thanks in large part to a strong decline in the European market for two-wheelers. According to Piaggio‘s third quarter 2012 report, the Italian manufacturer recorded 706.3 million euros (US$913.8 million) in motorcycle and scooter sales, compared to 777.2 million in sales over the same period of 2011. The Piaggio Group, which also includes the brands Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Vespa and other brands, sold 321,300 motorcycles and scooters in the first nine months of 2012, a year-on-year decrease of 3.5% from 2011.