Aprilia has been a major player in the superbike class with their RSV4, but it all started right here, with their Rotax-powered RSV Mille. Wisely eschewing the costs and development headaches associated with a proprietary engine, Aprilia turned to the Austrian specialists to produce a powerful, robust, and very compact powerplant.
It was designed to go head-to-head with v-twin superbikes, specifically the Ducati 998, but the RSV Mille wasn’t afraid to innovate. A vacuum-actuated “Pneumatic Power Clutch” mimicked the function of a slipper clutch to keep the rear wheel from skipping across the pavement during downshifts, and the v-twin’s unusual 60° configuration meant a more compact design for a longer swingarm within a shorter wheelbase for improved traction. And the new Aprilia even featured a new innovation for an Italian superbike, something called “ergonomics…”
The bodywork obviously wasn’t as elegant or as pretty as the 998, but it looked strikingly modern and the components were absolutely gorgeous: Öhlins suspension, an Öhlins steering damper, and forged aluminum wheels combined with tasty carbon bits all over the bike. And that frame, the gorgeous aluminum beam frame and swingarm combo that manages to make most other efforts look crude and industrial.
From the original eBay listing: 2002 Aprilia RSV Mille for Sale
2002 Aprilia RSV 1000 R Mille Troy Corser 2001 World Championship edition Race replica. Condition is “Used.” It was keep on a shelf for 18 years. In 2019 it registered and was rode 298 miles. Bike is super clean and very rare. Please contact with any questions.
You are probably wondering: what’s the asking price for this basically showroom condition example of the original Aprilia superbike? Well hold onto your hats, because it’s $10,995. That’s the priciest Mille I can remember seeing, and pretty much spoils what I love about them: their status as low-cost exotica. I think that these will someday be legitimately collectible, but this seller is jumping the gun a bit.
-tad
With the craziest asset price inflation ive seen in my lifetime happening now, why is the owner jumping the gun? Everything that was seemingly undervalued is now on par or overvalued. Right now, this doesnt seem that crazy if he can prove the ODO has not been reset. OK, OK, maybe its a little crazy.
Looks good! I’m not a fan of the dirty fluids though.
What do you do with an ultra low superbike? It just seems silly.
Why have something to not ride.
I agree, I’m seeing a lot of crap, especially cars, going for ridiculous money these days. I almost bought one of these RSV’s back in 2002, but opted instead for a VTR. Always been sorry about that.
This is a maybe $4500 bike. 11K is nuts but I guess you can’t blame the owner for trying to jump into the “everything” bubble. Funny thing is the bubble has included everything BUT Aprilia. I am an Aprilia owner and part of their appeal is their terrible resale, great bargains to be had on used Aprilias.
As for collector value they are Perennial dogs (with the exception of 2 strokes) which is a huge part of the appeal. This bike will not sell for anything close to the asking price but at $4500 is a great value.
@ WhyzeeF you are referring to the clutch fluid? I had a 2002 Falco and this was standard, within a day or 2 of changing the clutch fluid turned black. Didn’t affect anything.
An 03 R with 7k miles appears to have sold for over $8k back in October on Ebay. The days of a clean low mile R at $4500 may be gone. Again, if he can show original tire date codes and perfect rims it would help out the mileage claim.
No need to panic fellas. There are still bargains aplenty in the Aprilia universe. This here may just be an anomaly. The Ape may be sitting for a long time at this asking but hey it sat for 17 years before even being ridden. So what’s another few years? I can’t recall off the top of my head which RSV had a propensity to reset odometers every time battery went completely dead so mileage verification would be the order of the day.
If everything checks out I’d peg the price somewhere around $7k. Gen 1 RSV bikes have been holding steady and the Factory with track kits in mint condition are approaching outlet digits albeit slowly.
“An 03 R with 7k miles appears to have sold for over $8k back in October on Ebay. The days of a clean low mile R at $4500 may be gone. Again, if he can show original tire date codes and perfect rims it would help out the mileage claim.”
Maybe but I seriously doubt it. Rotax Aprilias are solid bikes but have never had any real collector value. This one sat for 18 years so I imagine it will need a lot of work. I will never understand why people buy vehicles to not drive them. Mileage is not really a factor with Rotax V-Twins, my 2002 Falco had over 33K miles when I sold it and it was strong as ever (with regular maint. of course)
Ducati has all the collector cache, Aprilia is a has been in the collector market though the everything bubble seems to be making ALL used vehicles more expensive.
I would love to see Aprilia’s take off like Ducati but I doubt that will happen.
Viva Mickey (Mouse)!
I agree clutch fluid is a questionable aspect!!!! Thats got more than 300 miles on it!!! Rotors looked seasond??
Crack is a hell of a drug.
This site is a good historic reference to price so ill update. This action was ended early so no idea on actual price. The other R I referenced is back up so that was probably a shill shooting himself or deadbest buyer. Still no real reference for a basically new mille R in 2021.