There is just something special and exciting about a limited edition race replica motorcycle. The sense of connection to the manufacture’s on track performance is obvious, but the sense of occasion and over all fun factor are harder to put your finger on. This Aprilia RSV1000R Bol D’Or might not have much more then superficial…
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…
Pug-ugly and well-endowed, the Aprilia Tuono has always been a bike for those who favor performance over looks. Sort of like the motorcycling equivalent of Ron Jeremy… I’ve never ridden a second-generation Tuono like this one, but I’ve ridden the less scantily-clad RSV1000R with which it shared its major components, and I’d assume it also…
By all accounts, Japanese superstar Noriyuki Haga has had an interesting career. Starting out in home market racing – including Japanese Superbike – Haga made the jump into WSBK in the late 1990s, initially as a wildcard entry. One of his earliest opportunities was substituting for an injured Colin Edwards, who would later become his…
I never really understood “new in the box” type of people. As I kid I did not hang out with the action figure collectors who liked to look at their as-new packaged Star Wars figures. I prefered to use my toys, breaking them occasionally. As I grew up, little changed (except maybe the frequency of…
After years of road and track success with their smaller-displacement machines, most notably the sleek, Suzuki-powered RS250, Aprilia decided to move up to the big leagues and take a piece of the big-bike pie away from Ducati with their RSV1000. An intentional move away from Ducati’s sleek but utterly impractical 916, the RSV combined styling…
Update 10.18.2015: For sale by a new seller after being listed for $10.5k buy-it-now and eBay reported a sale at $8,600 in June 2014. Now showing a $9,500 buy-it-now. New pictures at eBay listing. Thanks for the spot Marty! -dc While not everyone agrees on the value that the Haga replicas represent, they keep finding…
Up for grabs today is a RSV1000R produced as a tribute to the venerable Colin Edwards. Aside from being one of the most like-able personalities in recent racing history, Colin was also explosively fast and competitive. It is a shame that the last few seasons in MotoGP did not showcase his true talent, yet his…