Update 3.20.2017: Back on eBay after first being on RSBFS in August 2014 for $11k. Current bid is just under $7k reserve not met. Links updated. -dc I’ve always loved the look of the Aprilia RS 250, but I’m only a recent convert to the stink and rattle of two-strokes. Well, technically, I’m a hypothetical…
A mix of sleek styling and proven Japanese power, the Aprilia RS250 was the Italian company’s entry into the hotly-contested quarter-liter sportbike class battles and intended to take the fight to Honda’s NSR250, Yamaha’s TZR250, and Suzuki’s RGV250. The monochromatic style was a far cry from the vivid speedblock and tiger-stripe designs of the Japanese…
Aprilia took an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it mentality” when motivating their RS250 two-stroke race replica, and packed Suzuki’s proven RGV250Γ “Gamma” engine and six-speed gearbox into their machine, albeit with extra tuning for a claimed 70hp. While that number may be theoretically possible, it seems pretty optimistic and might make for a short-lived…
Unlike modern, small-displacement machines like the Ninja 300, the Suzuki RGV250Γ “Gamma” is a high-performance machine in miniature, not a sporty-looking commuter based on a very basic platform. Emissions legislation meant we never officially got any of these little rippers here in the US, but the 250cc class really took off in the mid-to-late 1980s and saw absolutely fierce…
Fresh off the boat from Japan, this Suzuki RGV250 Γ “Gamma” is the higher-spec SP model that featured fully-adjustable suspension, along with a close-ratio gearbox and a dry clutch. 1988 was the first year of the RGV that replaced the parallel-twin of the RG250 with a new, 90° 249cc v-twin engine that also found its way…
Although for many, the second-generation Aprilia RS250 captures the essence of lightweight, two-stroke performance, I prefer the earlier versions, like this Chesterfield replica: the later bikes are just a little bit bulbous in the tail, and that techno-futuristic dash just look a little bit too “1980s Dodge Daytona” for me. Not that I’d pass up…
Unfortunately, today’s tasty little two-stroke Suzuki RGV250Γ SP is short on photographs. It’s another of the raft of recent imports from Japan, and details are scarce, but the price may have you reaching for your mouse anyway. The RGV250Γ replaced the RG250 in 1988, swapping out that bike’s parallel-twin for a more modern v-twin that…
Bike’s like Aprilia’s high-strung RS250 two-stroke is really this website’s raison d’être: specifications that speak to an almost single-minded pursuit of speed, race-bred bodywork, rarity, and an exotic nameplate. The icing on the cake is that the RS250 is relatively attainable, if you are willing to accept the compromises inherent in such a focused design.…