OFFICIAL: Aprilia RS660 is coming for EICMA 2019

The eagerly anticipated production version of the Aprilia RS660 is officially confirmed to be making its debut at the 2019 EICMA show in Milan on 5 November.

A concept version of the Supersport machine was branded one of the stars of the 2018 event, not least because it appeared to be close to production form in design at least.

Since then, there hasn’t been too much news coming from Noale – compared to rivals Ducati, which is going on a model offensive for 2020  – but leaked patent images that surfaced in June purporting to show a showroom-ready version of the Aprilia RS660 revealed the machine was definitely on its way.

Now, a year after the Aprilia RS660 was first unleashed on the world, the full specification roadgoing model is ready for public consumption.

What can we expect from the 2020 Aprilia RS660?

Grainy though they are, the patent images show Aprilia has retained the concept’s sporty aesthetic, which in turn draws plenty of inspiration from its much-celebrated RSV4 superbike range with its poised stance and compact packaging.

If the RS660 doesn’t look outwardly different to the concept, Aprilia has more than likely spent the 12 months tweaking and perfecting the machine’s engine and handling to live up to Italian marque’s outstanding reputation for producing well-sorted sportsbikes. 

Powered by a 660cc parallel twin derived from the RSV4 – more specifically, the front two cylinders from the V4 – the RS660 is set to be targeted at the Kawasaki ZX-6R, MV Agusta F3 and the Yamaha R6.

With this in mind, it’s possible the machine could be made available for on track competition too in global Supersport categories, especially now the three-time WorldSBK winning RSV4 has fallen out of favour amongst teams. 

EICMA 2019 starts on November 5 with two days of press launches before opening to the wider public on November 7