Aprilia will release an up-spec RSV4 Factory in 2011, featuring a whole heap of electronic advancements.

Aprilia has revealed a Special Edition version of the RSV4 Factory, the APRC (Aprilia Performance Ride Control) SE unveiled in Europe late last month and again at EICMA in Milan, Italy, this week.

Created with the single-minded goal of being simply the best on the track and on the road, since its inception the Aprilia RSV4 has astonished the world with its looks, technology and performance.

The first 65° V4 engine ever in a sports production bike, a chassis worthy of a 250GP, Ride By Wire, and multimap engine management – the end result was the 2010 Superbike World Championship.

The RSV4 Factory APRC Special Edition is a milestone in the history of supersport bikes. All of the racing expertise and indications gathered during the successful 2010 season of world champion Max Biaggi were brought together in a bike that sets a new standard for future road bike development.

Unique adjustable traction control capable of self-adjusting to suit different types of tyres, wheelie control, launch control, quick shift – these are the RSV4 Factory APRC SE’s new features that raise the bar in track performance even further up.

Aprilia’s technological supremacy meant that every aspect of the electronic management system for the RSV4 Factory SBK, with which Biaggi dominated WSBK 2010, could be developed in house.

As a result of the innovative know how developed on the circuit and the close collaboration between the team, the racing division and the manufacturing division, the transfer of this technology from the track to production was practically instantaneous.

This new technology is brought together in the APRC package, basically the state of the art in dynamic performance control, a multi-patented system that makes Superbike winning technology available to professional racing riders and hobby riders alike. All this comes in an easy to use, intuitive package.

Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE’s improvements are not limited to the electronic management system. The 65° V4 engine offers improved lubrication and closer spaced gears for better acceleration. The new, lighter exhaust features an advanced butterfly valve management system to suit the Ride By Wire mapping for improved breathing and efficiency throughout the RPM range.

In addition, the Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE is the first supersport bike sporting the homologated new-generation extra performance dual blend 200/55 tyres developed in collaboration with Pirelli based on the expertise gathered on World Superbike racing circuits.

With its livery, based on Aprilia’s battle colours (red and black) and with an unmistakable racing character underscored by the Italian tricolour, the RSV4 Factory APRC SE is even more exclusive and is evocative of Aprilia’s triumphant victory in the 2010 SBK World Championship.

New features introduced in the Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE:

• APRC Aprilia Performance Ride Control, the electronic management package including –

ATC: Aprilia Traction Control automatically adjusts to different types of tyres, with eight settings conveniently selectable while racing from a joystick on the left handlebar without turning down the throttle
AWC: Aprilia Wheelie Control with three settings
ALC: Aprilia Launch Control, for use on the track only, with 3 settings
AQS: Aprilia Quick Shift, for ultra-fast shifting without closing the throttle or using the clutch

• Dual display mode for instrument panel display: ROAD and RACE

• New exhaust is lighter and offers improved performance

• Optimised gear ratios for the utmost track performance

• Improved engine lubrication (the countershaft runs in ball bearings rather than plain bushings and the head cooling circuit has been reviewed for optimal operating temperatures and long-term reliability)

• Combustion chambers and cylinder-piston fits revised for optimal engine performance

• New, exclusive 200/55 dual blend rear tyre

The APRC Aprilia Performance Ride Control will take the RSV4 to an entirely new level.

APRC Aprilia Performance Ride Control in detail:
This is the most significant among the new features of the Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE, a technology platform that is one step above any other systems available in the market, not yet available on all racing bikes. The transfer of know-how from racing to production has resulted in an electronic management system that is extremely sophisticated but also intuitive and very user friendly.

The APRC package uses an automotive inertial sensor platform with two gyrometers and two accelerometers allowing the ECU to recognize the dynamic conditions of the bike and adapt the engine management parameters accordingly. The rider can adjust any component of the APRC system independently at will.

ATC: the traction control system of the future
The ATC- Aprilia Traction Control undoubtedly is one of the greatest strengths of the APRC package. This is a fully innovative traction control system developed from an Aprilia patent, mainly focused on helping the rider improve his lap times. Thanks to the inertial platform and the Ride By Wire pioneered by Aprilia, the ATC not only reduces torque when the rear wheel slips but lets the rider control tail sliding when exiting a bend, giving him a better feel for throttle control, depending on lean angle.

Aprilia ATC is quickly, easily activated from the instrument panel menu and offers 8 settings. When the ATC is enabled, the rider can change setting in an instant at any time using a joystick on the left handlebar to suit track, pavement or tyre conditions, without closing the throttle and keeping his hands on the handlebar, as in professional motorcycle racing. This way, the system can adjust to every single bend of any track so as to meet the specific requirements of any rider, including the most expert ones.

The other incredible achievement of Aprilia technology is the system’s “learning capacity”. Current traction control systems are designed and optimized for a single size and type of tyre. This limit frequently cancels the benefits of traction control. Aprilia Traction Control (ATC) has overcome this limit: a procedure activated by the rider enables the system to learn the tyre radius and final ratio adopted on the bike to obtain fine-tuned traction control.

AWC: stability at top acceleration
Exploiting the full power of modern superbikes down to the very last HP is every rider’s dream. Aprilia’s AWC (Aprilia Wheelie Control) has achieved extraordinary results. Thanks to the exclusive Aprilia patented Wheelie Detection System, the AWC is able to “tell” when a wheelie begins and ends and kicks in to smoothen wheel contact with the road. Smooth, soft wheelie management avoid harsh power cuts or pick-up, providing perfect acceleration control. Again, the AWC system is activated from the instrument panel and can be adjusted independently from other control systems choosing from three settings to better meet rider requirements.

ALC: the best holeshot
The perfect start is yet another racer’s dream, because a good start frequently means you’re half way towards a victory. When the lights go out, handling the huge power of modern superbikes is no easy task. Unless the bike handles it itself to offer its best starting performance. The ALC (Aprilia Launch Control) system ensures an instant start as the lights go out, applying full power to the road to assist the rider in this critical moment of the race. All the rider needs to do is give full throttle and release the clutch as he normally would and shift gears. The ALC has three settings that can be selected from the instrument panel menu, then it must be “armed” at standstill, by squeezing both traction control buttons on the left handlebar joystick at the same time.

AQS: record-breaking shifting
When you’re after the utmost lap performance, you can’t afford to waste even one thousandth of a second in an apparently simple operation like shifting. RSV4 Factory APRC SE is the first Aprilia bike that comes with the Aprilia Quick Shift as standard. Basically, the quick shift shortens spark advance for an instant and then gradually restores it, making for super-fast shifting with no need to close the throttle or use the clutch. The system works hand in hand with the new closer spaced gearbox to limit RPM drop during shifting for faster lap times. To optimize AQS performance, Aprilia engineers have fine-tuned power cut timing based on shifting RPM.

RSV4 Factory APRC Special Edition highlights:
• APRC fitted as standard
• Fuel system with variable length intake ducts
• Advanced exhaust butterfly valve management
• Three-point adjustable chassis
• Öhlins fully adjustable front fork
• Öhlins fully adjustable shock absorber
• Öhlins adjustable steering damper
• Wheel rims in forged aluminium
• Carbon parts
• Special Tricolour livery