Ducati Superleggera vs Aprilia X 250TH: Limited-edition superbike showdown

If you thought Ducati’s Superleggera V4 Centenario was the peak of road-going absurdity, Aprilia’s new X 250TH might make you reconsider. Both are limited-edition, track-focused superbikes that blur the line between MotoGP prototype and customer machine. Each represents its factory’s pinnacle of engineering, aero wizardry, and brake and suspension technology, but the way they go about it is very different.

The Superleggera V4 Centenario is the ultimate evolution of the Panigale line, a bike that seems to exist solely to show what Ducati can do when the rev limiter is removed. Its 1,103cc Desmosedici Stradale R engine produces 228bhp at 14,500rpm in road-going trim and 247bhp at 14,750rpm when the race exhaust is bolted on. Peak torque for the Ducati is 117.6Nm (86lb ft) at 10,500rpm in road-going trim, and 126.3Nm (93.1lb ft) at 12,500rpm with the race kit bolted on.

The X 250TH may come in a tad smaller in outright engine capacity, but its power and torque figures are just as insane – and of course, as this bike is track-only, all the usual Euro regulation equipment is deleted. Noale is claiming a peak power figure of 240bhp, which arrives at 13,750rpm, while peak torque is 131Nm (96lb ft) at 11,750rpm.

In short, the Ducati revs higher with the race kit and makes more peak power, but what might matter more, on some tracks at least, is that the Aprilia makes marginally more torque and at a slightly lower point in the rev range.

On the weight front, both bikes are featherweights compared to the current crop of road-going sports bikes. The Ducati is claimed to tip the scales at 173kg wet without fuel, which can be reduced to 167kg once the race kit exhaust is bolted on.

Aprilia confirms the X 250TH has a dry weight of 165 kg, meaning the bike is without any of the fuel and fluids required to make it run. The RSV4, on which this bike is based, carries around 2.5 litres of coolant, and around four litres of oil – so we can assume around 6kg of both coolant and oil will take it up to, as near as makes no difference, the same weight as the Ducati in road-going trim – or around 171kg to 172kg.

One rather interesting aspect of each bike is the braking system, with both relying on MotoGP-spec stoppers. Aprilia claimed its X 250TH was the first publicly available bike to be fitted with carbon-carbon Brembo brakes. And while it still is, technically speaking, Ducati announcing the new Centenario, which uses 340mm carbon-ceramic discs, just a couple of hours earlier, probably still stings just a little bit!

The braking system on the Aprilia comprises Brembo 340mm carbon discs and Brembo MotoGP-spec calipers – which also run carbon pads. The Ducati gets Brembo Hyction 340mm carbon-ceramic discs and GP4-HY billet monoblock calipers.

Aerodynamics come directly from the RS-GP prototype, with seat wings, tail wings, under wing, and cornering wings, along with a carbon structural saddle support. All are said to combine to give grip, stability, and feedback closer than ever to a race bike. From looking at the two bikes, the Aprilia is the much more aggressive on the aero front, with all the appendages and winglets that you’d expect to find on a bike sitting on the MotoGP grid.

Where Ducati leans into theatrical engineering and heritage cues, with the Rosso Centenario or Tricolore livery, Aprilia celebrates the spectacle with that eye-catching Stars and Stripes paint job.

Was the timing of the two announcements purely coincidental? Probably not. Aprilia has a habit of rolling out a new ‘X’ model at the US MotoGP round – our guess is Ducati was out to gazump Noale from the off!

So, which is better? We’ll leave you to decide, but with the Ducati coming in at €150,000 (around £130,000) and the Aprilia at €115,000 (around £99,500) + VAT, it’s going to be one seriously expensive head-to-head test!

Spec wars: Ducati Superleggera V4 Centenario vs Aprilia X 250TH