IN OUR litre superbike test over the summer, Ducati’s new Panigale V4 swept the board, thanks to its amazing handling, braking and styling. But it was the incredible engine that really marked it out – a 214bhp nuclear powerplant of an engine, brought back into line by superb electronic rider aids.
There was a tiny cheat going on of course – Ducati had given the Panigale V4 an 1100 engine – 1,103cc to be precise. That 10 per cent capacity advantage obviously let them have a ten per cent power boost, putting it ahead of the competition, by about ten per cent… In the same way as Kawasaki did with its ZX-636R back in the day, the bigger engine might have been a cheat on paper, but the man in the Box Hill car park didn’t care too much about that.
Now, it was only a matter of time before someone else joined in, and Aprilia is first to jump. The Noale firm had a bit of an advantage of course – it already had an 1100 engine ready to go – the 1,078cc unit from the Tuono 1100 hypernaked. It has the same basic 65 degree V-4 layout as the RSV4 1000 lump, just with an 81mm bore and the same 52.3mm stroke. Aprilia claims it’s got 217bhp out of the engine in this installation – a massive figure, and more even than the Panigale V4.
That performance is held in check by the fabulous Aprilia electronic rider aids package – it’s got the lot, including wheelie, launch and traction control, all accessed via an amazing colour TFT LCD dashboard, and usable switchgear.
On the chassis front, the RSV4 Factory 1100 gets the new Brembo Stylema brake calipers first seen on the Panigale V4, as well as top-spec Öhlins shock, forks and steering damper. Most wackily of all, it comes with a set of MotoGP-style fairing wings. These produce downforce at speed to improve stability in a straight line, preventing wheelies, and assisting with braking too.
No word yet on the price and or availability on the new RSV4 1100 Factory – but we’ll report it as soon as we get it!
Aprilia will also still be producing a 1000cc RSV4, to keep the race homologation bods happy for WSB and BSB. How long before the race regs expand a little to let these 1100cc weapons in the door? We’re wondering just that…
