A keen-eyed Instagram user might just have bagged the scoop of 2021, as they have shared images of what could be the 2021 Aprilia RSV4 undergoing testing!
The images, taken by blogger Motomaniaci shared the images last night and they spread shared across forums and groups like wildfire!
Will the 2021 Aprilia RSV4 be able to match the lap times of the previous bike?
What is clear from the photos is that the new 2021 Aprilia RSV4 is in the late stages of testing and that the design language of the all-conquering sports bike is changing!
We can see that the bike in the pictures is fitted with a small, stainless steel case mounted on the tail unit. The box will likely contain diagnostic equipment that’ll be logging what’s going on with the bike via an array of sensors. If the development timeline of this bike is running to the same course as the RS660, we are probably going to be seeing a more completed machine doing the rounds before Christmas.
The other thing that is clear is that the new RSV4 is going to have a very different look to it. It seems that the bike is going to be sharing the styling ethos of the newly released RS660, either that or Aprilia is throwing us a massive red herring by fitting the RS660 front fairing to the machine.
The frame of the 2021 bike looks pretty much identical to that of the previous machine, with this bike sporting the same adjustable swingarm pivot and casting marks as before.
One part of the new bike that looks to be changing is the swingarm, which in the photos is blanked out with duct-tape. It looks as though Aprilia is ditching its ‘banana-shaped’ swingarm in favour of a more racy-looking underslung item.
One part of the bike that is a bit of an unknown is the nose, as it seems in the pictures to be covered in tape. It is unlikely to be covering up a new ram-air intake – the bike would need to be using that after all. To find out for sure, we’ll have to wait and see.
