When Aprilia launched the first of its litre-engined v-twins, they were aimed squarely at Ducati’s dominance of the class. Shortly after, an RSV ridden by Australia’s Troy Corser won a World Superbike Championship race and the reputation of the motorcycle was well and truly established. In the market place competitive pricing won the bike many friends and on race tracks around the world it has been a worthy and formidable competitor. For 2005 the model has undergone some significant upgrades but not all of them are obvious at first glance. Their combination however, has made this year’s bike the best RSV yet.

The Mechanicals

The heart of the RSV is a 998cc liquid-cooled v-twin with compression ratio of 11.8 : 1 and four valves per cylinder. Maximum power and torque are 138hp (102kW) @ 9,500rpm and 107Nm @ 7,500rpm. The engine has had modifications to the cylinder head but the most important work has been done to the mapping of the fuel injection for increased output and greater flexibility. The engine is significantly improved as a result. The gearbox is a six-speeder which is smooth to use and positive in operation. The clutch is hydraulically operated with a radial master cylinder (like the brakes) and the Aprilia patented pneumatic system to reduce rear wheel lockup during rapid downchanges.

The frame is aluminium alloy with castings and extrusions welded together to make a superbly crafted sculpture: for styling the castings are left as cast but the extrusions are highly polished, adding to the visual attraction of the bike.

The front brakes are Gold Brembo with a new radial master cylinder operating on twin 320mm floating discs through a radially mounted four-piston caliper; at the rear is a single 220mm disc with twin-piston caliper.

Front suspension is Showa 43mm USD fork adjustable for preload, compression and rebound while at the rear there is a Sachs monoshock operating through a progressive linkage with adjustment for preload, compression, rebound and ride height.

Styling and Equipment

There are some aspects of the RSV which are visually stunning and there are some which are not. On the credit side of the ledger: the superb polished swingarm and the small detail touches like the deeply serrated footpegs which ensure that your boot stays put when the pegs are wet; the etched “tiger” graphic on the fairing side – so subtle yet so effective; the small but very efficient screen and aerodynamic body panels – they look good and at the same time make the RSV’s shape very slippery.

On the debit side: the air intake in the front of the nose cone – no doubt it has been wind tunnel tested and is very efficient at getting air into the airbox but it looks like an afterthought in an otherwise integrated styling. Practical touches include ocky strap anchors which are neat little turned aluminium pins; a small amount of luggage can be strapped to the pillion seat but the rear bodywork will need to be protected by tape to avoid damage to the paint. The pillion perch is adequate for short trips. The mirrors give a reasonable view of following traffic and the four headlights – two for low beam, two for high – are excellent with a wide spread and good penetration.

On the Road

Certain Italian manufacturers still hold the view that to have “soul”, a sportsbike needs to be a superb weapon when ridden hard but it must be tedious, even painful to use for everyday riding. Such a philosophy evidently has no place in the minds of the engineers at Aprilia because their recent work on remapping the engine management system of the RSV 1000 R has resulted in a bike which has few equals when howling through the mountain bends or at the track, yet is docile and tractable to a fault when used in stop-start traffic. All bikes should be this good because like it or not, we can’t ride flat-out all of the time (damn!).

The only negative aspect of the bike’s traffic manners – and it really is a trivial one – is the pull required for the clutch; if you have strong fingers, fine, but if your grip is not so good you’ll find it a bit of a chore in long traffic queues. But on the RSV you can use the narrow width and light steering to thread your way through most snarls so you won’t spend too much time on the clutch anyway.

One thing you’ll definitely enjoy in traffic is the bike’s spectacular low-speed grunt: off the lights all you need is a little clutch slip and a small throttle twist and the traffic is instantly absent. Parking is simple with more than adequate steering lock so there’s no danger of parking lot embarrassment.

But all of those features are additional to the real forté of the RSV which is sports riding. Once you get this motorcycle out onto your favourite set of twisties, I can guarantee that you’ll never want to leave.

In its element, the bike is incredibly good and it has two features which I find especially endearing: first, the big v-twin engine gives it a lazy, loping gait which not only covers ground quickly, but also means you are always travelling faster than you think and second, when you get into a corner too hot, (as you will) the bike’s handling, balance and steering allow you to make corrections to your line and save the error. Those characteristics mean that you can safely travel rapidly over difficult terrain, confident that the bike will not let you down and they also mean that if you know the road well and the conditions are right, you can confidently carry very high corner speeds. The same engine which happily delivers heaps of low and mid range grunt also has a top end in the same league – as the revs rise the RSV delivers an endless rush of power which makes it superb to ride.

When hurling it into corners which were bumpy and less than forgiving, I found the suspension compliant enough to absorb the road shock and keep the wheels well planted. The bike possesses a very confidence-inspiring front end and you can push it hard secure in the knowledge that wherever you put the front wheel, the rest of the bike will happily follow. Traction and feedback from both wheels was excellent.

Rider ergonomics are of a very high order and the more you throw the bike around in corners, the better it feels; the tank/seat/frame relationship gives unobstructed movement and makes knee-dragging a joy. The footpegs are set high and I found that the bike had unlimited ground clearance for road use; on the track, the bike will be sliding before it touches anything down.

Braking power and control are superb; the brakes bite instantly and with incredible power but I suspect that part of that comes from the setup of the radial master cylinder: there is extra mechanical advantage provided by the new lever compared to the conventional setup.

The Last Word

The 2005 RSV 1000 R is a significant improvement over the previous model. It is everything a sportsbike should be and it is also refined and well-mannered in traffic. At $24,790 plus on road costs it is excellent value ?