When it first appeared in 1998,
Aprilia's RSV Mille surprised many with its futuristic styling and design.
The firm was known to have been working on a V-twin sportsbike for several
years, but the refinement of the design impressed many observers.
The engine is a narrow-angle 60°
V-twin, with four valves per cylinder. A pair of balance shafts reduce
vibration from the motor, and a combination of gears and chains drive the
double overhead camshafts in each cylinder head. Twin spark plugs give fast,
efficient combustion, and an advanced fuel-injection system uses large 51mm
(2in) throttle bodies to help produce the 97kW (130bhp) peak power.
The narrow angle of the engine
allows the aluminium twin-spar frame to be compact and stiff, for dynamic
handling. It also made for a shorter engine design than a 90° V-twin,
allowing a sporty, short wheelbase. High-set footpegs and the slim profile
of the bike give excellent ground clearance, allowing the extreme cornering
angles necessary for race success. The track-spec, fully adjustable
suspension at both ends, gives smooth wheel response, while the steering
geometry combines quick steering with good straight line stability. Early
designs wore red-painted Brembo four-piston brake calipers, but later models
reverted to standard gold-finished calipers. Whatever colour they were,
these calipers supplied class-leading performance.
The RSV Mille was immediately
compared with Ducati's 916, another distinctive
Italian 1000cc V-twin sportsbike.
While the RSV does not have the classic beauty of the red Ducati, its
handling is equal to the older bike, and the RSV engine is more modern and
stronger everywhere. Indeed, Ducati soon replaced the 916 with the 996,
complete with a much more powerful 996cc engine.
The importance of the RSV to
Aprilia cannot be overstated. Its engine has proven to be a strong, reliable
unit, and the firm has been able to build a whole range of large-capacity
bikes around it, well repaying the care and time taken during its
development.
It's amazing how having a good product can
establish a manufacturer in the market place. Prior to 1998 Aprilia was
virtually unknown in the world motorcycle market
When it finally unleashed its range it comprised the now legendary RS250 and
RS125 race replicas, the Pegaso 650 single cylinder adventure tourer and the RSV
Mille 1000.
All four models have established themselves as high-end, high performance
motorcycles and have firmly cemented the name Aprilia in the highly desirable
category.
Having some big names like Troy Corser, Noriyuki Haga and Colin Edwards
achieving spectacular results on the racetrack didn't hurt either! In the five
short years since launching, the range has grown with the now well established
997cc 60-degree V-twin forming the platform for a range of sports, adventure
sports, sports touring and sports fighter models. Notice a trend here? In this
hindsight we're going to have a look at the one that started the ball rolling in
the big bore class, the RSV Mille 1000.
What are we looking at?
This is a modern sports road bike with a heart of solid gold. As we've said the
real heart of the matter is the dry sump 997cc liquid cooled, four valves per
cylinder, fuel injected engine.
The choice of a 60-degree layout that sticks two fingers up to the long
venerated 90-degree layout is the result of needing a shorter engine to suit the
chassis geometry. However, the 60-degree option is not without inherent problems
of vibration and size. Aprilia's solution is both effective and innovative. A
balance shaft is located next to, and geared to, the crankshaft in order to
smooth the out of balance primary forces. This also has its problems in that it
results in a torque reaction. The company sited a second balance weight in the
rear cylinder head geared to one camshaft and turning at the same rate as the
crankshaft. Sounds complicated? Maybe it is, but Aprilia patented the design and
it works.
The six-speed gearbox is relatively conventional, but features a mechanism to
reduce the possibility of the rear wheel locking on the over-run. When the
throttle gets snapped shut, the pressure in the inlet tracts drops and the
resultant low pressure gets fed to an air powered servo, which in turn takes
some of the pressure off the clutch plates allowing a fraction of slip.
An engine management system that measures everything from throttle position to
manifold pressure controls the 51mm throttle bodies, which are fed by cool air
taken from the front of the bike and crammed into a large capacity air box.
As far as the chassis goes, we're talking real eye candy here. There's an
achingly beautiful twin spar aluminium confection mated to a just as gorgeous
swinging arm. Suspension is by 43mm Showa forks up front adjustable for preload,
compression and rebound. At the rear there's a ride height adjustable Sachs
monoshock that also features preload, compression, and rebound damping
adjustment.
In terms of progress over the last five years, 2001 saw a major revision of some
200 changes, mostly cosmetic but enough tech ones to make a difference. The
engine position was moved to improve handling, while airbox volume was increased
and the fuel injection system updated. In addition the head stock angle was
opened up half a degree to 25, which increased stability so that the steering
damper could be dispensed with.
A new rear shock found its way in to improve ride quality on the road and track,
and the brakes scored braided lines and the new 'pad per piston' gold series
Brembos.
On the road
Despite being quite tall with a seat height of 825mm, unlike a lot of other
sports bikes the riding position isn't too bad, although a long ride at our
brain draining speed limits will have the back and wrists screaming and the
rider glad to get off. The fact is that, just like all sports bikes, the RSV is
not built for dragging its sorry self around and needs to get up into its
performance envelope to start to work well.
Once there it all comes together superbly. A combination of light-weight wheels
and fairly wide bars makes dropping into bends or tightening line mid corner
simplicity itself. Once over at whatever angle you feel like, it feels stuck to
the bitumen. The chassis and suspension have a nice integrated and harmonious
feel about them that communicates well and makes the rider feel confident in
what the bike is capable of.
Honda has realised the importance of chassis communication and engineered flex
into the latest CBR600RR. In the same spirit, the RSV talks like a raceday
commentator letting you know exactly what's happening at all points of contact.
Although from factory fresh the suspension hardens up very quickly over back
road bumps, a fiddle with the adjusters makes a difference and easing off the
compression allows the suspension to use the wheel travel to ride the humps and
bumps without pitching the rider into a genital retrieval unit.
Viewed on paper, the engine isn't making huge numbers by the standards of the
latest tackle from Japan. The truth is that 130PS is more than enough for some
serious hi-jinks and probably more than enough for most people if they're really
honest with themselves.
Where the RSV really shines is in its ability to drive hard out of corners and
the power delivery is smooth. Despite being fuel injected, it doesn't translate
as being sudden and snatchy like some others, and feels willing to rev out
without giving any indication of stress. This is a good thing as it allows the
rider to work the chassis and tyres, with the net result being you can jump on
the gas with impunity before jumping on the brakes to lay it over yet again.
Talking of brakes, the Mille comes fitted with a pair of 320mm discs gripped by
four piston differential bore calipers up front, and a 220mm unit with twin
piston caliper at the back. This combination does a fine job of arresting the
bike and has excellent feel and power.
In the workshop
In terms of warranty work performed on new models, Aprilia has a smaller dollar
per unit spend than the big Japanese manufacturers. Surprised? I was too, but
Aprilia claims that it's true and that when it comes to build quality and
reliability an Aprilia warranty claim form seldom sees the light of day.
Certainly in the research carried out for this Hindsight, there were no
supportable instances of any problems with the Mille associated with mechanics
or finish. This being the case, when buying a used Aprilia V twin the usual
advice applies.
Make sure it hasn't been crashed. The nature of the beast means that it will
probably have done a track day or two, so check the bike over for any signs of
damage. Note down any parts that show witness marks or damage, as like all high
end products, parts can be expensive and replacing even small parts will quickly
add to the cost.
Make sure that the bike has a service history. Once again from the research it
would appear that just about all Aprilia owners pay to have the servicing done.
That's not to say that basic changes of oils and filters can't be done by the
average owner/rider but it bodes well for future buyers of second-hand machines.
Servicing periods are every 7500km. Every second being a major that takes about
four hours. Average costs are about $350 for minor and $450 for a major,
including parts.
Check the front end for play in the steering head and wheel bearings. Also check
that the front wheel runs true and doesn't have any signs of damage. The wheels
on the RSV are very, very light and, given the bike's propensity to stand up on
its back wheel, it might have a had a hard landing or two in its life. If it was
me, I'd be having a careful look at the type of rider selling the bike and
getting a feel for whether or not he or she would be the sort to abuse it.
Check the wheel alignment and make sure you have a good test ride to get a feel
for whether the bike turns easily in both directions. If it steers one way
easier than the other, it may be bent.
Lastly, before putting your hard earned wedge into the hand of someone else,
make sure you get any standard parts that may have been changed over at some
point.
Modifications
Despite the RSV having plenty of power as standard, most owners will look to
improve the performance by adding aftermarket exhausts and a new remapped chip.
Aprilia does its own kit, which is supposedly for track use only. Fitting will
allegedly see an increase of up to 10PS. Because the initial purchase price is
quite high, the kinds of buyers are often the sort to spend up on higher spec
suspension components like Ohlins forks or steering damper. This can be great
news for second-hand buyers but can mean that values jump around a bit. Frankly
I'd be looking for a standard RSV as, disregarding tyres, in all truth I can't
think of anything I'd do to improve it.
Summary
The Aprilia RSV Mille is a brilliant sports motorcycle with enough exclusivity
to make it special. It is arguably a more practical buy than a Ducati but still
costs a lot to buy whether new or second-hand. However, if you have to have an
exotic Italian thoroughbred and you just can't stand red, you need an Aprilia.
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