Fanciful Friday: the Aprilia RSV4 XTrenta
When one says ‘Italian super bikes’ one often thinks of Ducati. But let’s not forget about that smaller brand from Italy, which is making big steps in MotoGP and has always had a fanatic following of fans for their superb road bike. Of course, I’m talking about Aprilia. And they came up with the dreamiest of dreamiest RSV4’s; the Aprilia RSV4 XTrenta.
Frequent followers of REDRIDINGBOOTS will know I’m a huge fan of Aprilia. The RSV4 has been my dream bike from the very start. I fell madly in love when I saw one standing on our local town square. It stood there – shining in the sun – with all its charm and greatness. Gosh, the looks of that thing. Yep, I had to ride one. And own one, one day.
THE APRILIA RSV4 XTRENTA
A 230 HP SUPERBIKE
So what is this Aprilia RSV4 XTrenta all about? It is a celebration for their 30 years anniversary of their first victory in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The timing could not be better, since they make big steps in MotoGP at the moment with their ‘Capitan’ Aleix Esparagaro and the glorious bad boy Maverick Viñales. To celebrate their first victory in Grand Prix racing 30 years ago, they have combined MotoGP technology with their famous super bike, the RSV4. Which makes it the most exclusive RSV ever.
THE MOST EXCLUSIVE APRLIA RSV4 EVER
ONLY FOR A FEW LUCKY BIRDS
To add to its exclusive charm, only 100 units were made. And from those 100, a few will probably go to their factory riders. Or famous ex-riders and current ambassadors like Max Biaggi. The ones that are left are up for grabs for €50.000 excluding VAT. Which means most of us will only ride the Aprilia XTrenta only in our dreams.
THE APRLIA RSV4 XTRENTA SPECS
WHAT DO YOU GET FOR 50K?
What do you get for that 50K? Well, basically an almost MotoGP ready RSV4. The RSV4 has been around for quite some time now. It was first introduced in 2009. Until 2021, it barely changed. It did in technology and engine, but the looks have stayed most of the same. In 2021, Aprilia came with a fully redesigned V4. It had to be your thing I guess. Personally, I’m not sold on the looks of the 2021 and onwards version of the RSV. I think it looks fabulous in race livery, but not so much in road fairings. But that’s just my opinion. Don’t think too much of that.
And that’s why I do drool over this Aprilia XTrenta. It seems a perfect combination of the old looks combined with the newer ones and state of the art technology. For that fat, heavy price tag you get 230 hp. Yep, 230 ponies that can’t wait to blast you off to the sky. You might even reach the moon, since it only weighs 160 kilos. With the proper race bike set-up, that guarantees you lots of fun and probably some ‘holy shit’ moments on track.
CARBON FEVER
AND LOTS OF WINGS
The carbon fairing is made by PAN Composite, using the same process used in MotoGP. So that’s some very lightweight and aerodynamic carbon. To help you all the way to the moon, you also get wings. Lots of wings. Think of nose wings, tail wings, and – for the first time on a normal track bike – an ‘under wing’ on the swingarm. Which is the lower wing part that was first equipped on the RS-GP bikes in the 2019 MotoGP World Championship. What all those wings do? Increase the aerodynamic load (by 25% to be exact) and reduce drag (by 4%).
SC-PROJECT EXHAUST
HEAVY-DUTY TRACK USE
The 230 furious ponies work together with a titanium and carbon exhaust system, made by SC-Project. The latter is responsible for all exhausts for Aprilia’s Racing department. To be able to deal with the heavy-duty track use, the RSV4 XTrenta come equipped with water and oil radiators from Taleo Tecnoracing.
THE APRILIA RSV4 XTRENTA
IS PACKED WITH HIGH CLASS TECH
To push it all forward, the XTrenta exclusively features a PBR-branded titanium sprocket. All the top-notch performance is managed by a Magneti Marelli control unit that was specially calibrated and an electronic suite controlled by a JetPrime racing panel.
Of course, Öhlins takes the suspension for its account. Like it has done for many, many years. It was ‘just’ modified in collaborations with Aprilia MotoGP engineers. Ones who are familiar with Aprilia and their high end race bikes, knows there is only one brand that can be responsible for stopping all that V4 power; Brembo. So no surprise there. The Aprilia RSV4 XTrenta hosts a high quality Brembo braking system with GP4-MS monobloc calipers and 330mm T-drive discs.
Yes, we are getting there. To the end of this impressive list. Just don’t forget the forged magnesium rims. The Sprint Filter – an air filter that uses specifications used in both MotoGP and Formula 1 – completes this tech-packed superbike. Want to make it even more racy? Then a full-titanium silencer is available as an option. Which comes in a designs that’s directly derived from the one that is used in MotoGP.
NOT THE FIRST APRILIA X
SPECIAL EDITION
The Aprilia RSV4 XTrenta is not the first X version to see the light. In 2019, the brand already presented the Aprilia RSV4 X and the Tuono X – claiming to be the most powerful and the lightest hypernaked ever – to the world. All those special X-bikes are made by the Noale Racing Department, which also designs and creates Aprilia’s MotoGP bikes. You know, that famous Aprilia RS-GP that made bold moves in the championship of 2022.
CONCLUSION
The Aprilia RSV4 XTrenta is a special edition of their populair road bike. Or better said, track bike made road legal. Only this XTrenta edition is not road legal at all. It is a proper track weapon, build to true superbike specs. It hosts a decent amount of nearly MotoGP-worthy equipment and technology. Think of all the winglets, superb suspension, a copy of the MotoGP exhaust and a fully packet electronic system.
With only 100 units produced, it will be a rare sight on track. If it even hits the race track at all, since it will be a real collectors item. Secretly, I hope the lucky birds who are able to get their hands on one of these will take them to track. And release the beast to do what she was made for; racing.
Want to know more about the Aprilia RSV4? We’ve compared it to the Yamaha R1 during a road test. Read all about our experiences on the RSV4!
