Type: Box section sloping twin-spar aluminium alloy frame
Two-chamber adjustable Ohlins Racing steering damper with one-piece
mounting.
Front Suspension
Öhlins
43 mm diameter upside-down fork with adjustable compression rebound and
preload
Front Wheel Travel
120 mm / 4.7 in
Rear Suspension
Aluminium alloy double banana swing arm, APS progressive system linkage.
Sachs hydraulic shock-absorber with adjustable rebound, compression, preload
and length
Rear Wheel Travel
133 mm / 5.2 in
Front Brakes
2 x 320mm discs, 4 piston calipers
Rear Brakes
Single 220 mm disc, 2 piston caliper
Front Tyre
120/70ZR17
Rear Tyre
190/50ZR17
Rake
25°
Trail
102mm / 4.0 in
Dimensions
Length 2035 mm / 80.1 in
Width 730 mm / 28.7 in
Height 1130 mm / 44.5 in
Wheelbase
1415 mm / 55.7 in
Seat Height
810 mm / 31.9 in
Dry Weight
189 Kg / 417 lbs
Fuel Capacity
18 Litres / 4.8 US gal
Reserve
4 Litres / 1.1 US gal
Standing
¼ Mile
10.7 sec
Acceleration
60-140 km/h
10.2 sec
Top Speed
278.0 km/h / 172.74 mph
.
Since its introduction in 1998, the Mille has always been a
good track bike, overshadowed perhaps by the success of Ducati in competitive
racing but, to their credit has consistently remained one step ahead of the
Bolognese firm in terms of outright sales over the last few years, making the
Mille the best selling 1000cc sports twin in the UK. And with good reason too.
While the Mille has never been one of my favourite road bikes, its ability on
the racetrack never fails to impress.
The first session out on the 'R' and I'm quickly reminded why I'm such a fan of
Aprilia's big twin. On a circuit where confidence in the front end counts for so
much, I honestly can't think of a single production bike in the same price
bracket that would instil more confidence to push harder on.
The years the Noale-based firm have spent winning 250cc World
Championships clearly haven't gone to waste, and even on the stock settings the
front tyre can be buried into the tarmac going into the turn with the kind of
feedback that serves only to make you try harder and brake deeper into each of
Losail's sixteen corners. Even the 'lower-spec' 'R' model gets
Öhlins front
forks as standard, which goes some way to explaining that sublime front end
feel, while the rear end gets a Sachs monoshock in place of the Factory's
Öhlins unit.
The damping from the Sachs shock can feel a little uncontrolled under hard
acceleration out of corners though, with a vague, floating feel from the rear as
it bobs up and down on its stroke, never really feeling settled. Two clicks of
rebound and compression damping and half a turn of preload and its pretty much
sorted, so I wouldn't be too gutted if your budget won't stretch to the
Öhlins-equipped Factory as the Sachs shock appears to be more than up to the
job. Other than those initial rear end wobbles, stability under hard acceleration
out of the turns is surprisingly good, especially considering the less expensive
bike doesn't come with a steering damper. Replace the smooth Tarmac of Losail
with the bumpy asphalt of Croft though, and I'm not so sure the same could be
said. Luckily the bottom yoke is pre-tapped to take a damper, so retro fitting
one really couldn't be simpler.
Much of this stability and feedback is thanks in no small part to the slightly
lazier steering angle, but some credit has to go to a riding position which
spreads the weight evenly between feet, wrists and arse and seems to fit
everyone. From five-foot-nothing Japanese tester, Toshi to six-foot-two former
Gladiator (and soon to be ITV's BSB presenter), Janie Omorogbe, the post-test
conversation didn't once mention any aches or pains caused by being too
stretched or too cramped.
For the next session, I'm out on the pricier Factory variant, and to be honest,
I'm not so sure there's such a massive difference. Sure it handles and goes as
well as the 'R', it's hardly likely not to, it just seems that Aprilia has
almost shot itself in the foot by speccing up the 'R' to almost the same level.
I say almost, because while they may have made the decision to opt for the
top-of-the-ranger that little bit harder, they have just opened themselves up to
a new market that might not have even considered a Mille before now. An exotic
Italian bike loaded with trick components and graced with such delights as
Öhlins forks and Brembo brakes for four-cylinder Jap money?
The sixty-degree V-twin motor common to both bikes has received a few tweaks
for '06. There may be only four more bee-aitch-pees on tap, but outright
performance figures don't really tell the whole story. The delivery has been
refined and a hole in the midrange has been filled with creamy smooth torque,
keeping gear changes to a minimum. The same PPC (Pneumatic Power Clutch) system
(slipper clutch to the rest of us) remains, and does work exceptionally well at
keeping the rear end in line on corner entry, though if 'backing it in' is more
important to you than a decent lap time, it'll slide in nice and smooth, with
just a little provocation.
Going back to the gearing for a second, Aprilia's technicians had quite
thoughtfully changed the front sprocket from 16 down to 15 teeth to help gear
the bike for the track, but on many of the corners I still find myself either
bogging down on the way out in third, or simply unable to carry enough corner
speed in second. The answer to this comes straight after lunch, when we're
treated to testing the bikes with road legal end cans and the full Akrapovic Evo
6 race system.
Now this is where Aprilia really have done something quite clever. The Flash
memory in the bike's CPU comes pre-programmed with two maps, so should you want
to fit an Akrapovic system or end can, it's merely a case of getting your
nearest Aprilia dealer to plug a machine in and switch the map over to suit,
which should save a few quid on Power Commanders and dyno time.
The first test of the afternoon was on the bikes equipped with just the road
legal end cans and what a difference even that makes. Shot of the catalysers,
the bike breathes more freely and where it felt a little flat off the turns, it
now drives cleanly and picks up with far more enthusiasm. It now actually sounds
like a twin too, but the piece de resistance is the bike equipped with the full
race system.
Loud enough to let everyone know it's a gutsy twin but not so loud as to be
offensive, the direct comparison between suffocated, castrated standard machine
and testosterone charged, fire-breathing race-piped machine is incredible. Best
of all, fit the Aprilia approved Akrapovic system to your bike and it won't even
affect your four year warranty.
Did I say four year warranty? Yep, it's a brave move but Aprilia are so keen to
get the ball rolling again with RSV sales that they'll be offering a full
warranty to the same level as the Japs, but for twice as long. Blimey. Let's
just hope that it's not two years warranty and two years waiting for the parts
to turn up, though I'm assured (well I would be wouldn't I?) that that's not
going to be an issue with Piaggio's backing.
Overall, it has to be said that while the changes Aprilia has made to the RSV
are relatively small, it is a better bike than before. Only slightly mind, so if
you're looking at a two-year-old Factory with low mileage, then you shouldn't be
too put off by the hype surrounding the new model. In fact, if anything this
press test served as something of a reminder to us all. With the big four
constantly battling it out and coming up with new models every two years, it's
often all too easy to forget some of the great bikes that are already out there.
And the RSV is one of them.
Engine
The sixty-degree V-twin motor is now in its eighth year. The improvements made
year-on-year have resulted in an engine that now pokes out a claimed 143bhp -
interestingly the same as Ducati claim for their fourteen grand 999S.
The changes Aprilia have made for 2006 include larger valves and a reworked
cylinder head to improve gas flow, while the catalytic converters have been
altered to meet strict Euro3 emissions regulations. The new catalysts have been
fitted closer to the collector pipes to speed up the length of time it takes the
converters to start working, while the secondary exhaust section has been
lengthened by 200mm to boost torque at lower revs.
The engine mapping has also been improved, with two maps built-into the CPU
memory to allow swift changes between greenie-pleasing emissions limits and
rider-pleasing performance.
The air intake has also been enlarged to increase airbox pressure at high
speeds.
Chassis
The most obvious change for 2006 is the standard fitment of
Öhlins forks to the
'R' model. It also gets lightweight (but not forged) OZ wheels taking it
ever-closer to the high-specification Factory.
Both bikes share the same revised aluminium-silicone cast, 'Peraluman pressed'
frame, which features a new, lighter steering stem with revised geometry that
gives a 2 mm increase in trail (up from 100mm to 102mm) and a slight increase in
rake which together add up to improved stability. The total weight of the frame
is a fairly impressive 9.6kgs, with the swing arm weighing in at a shade under
5kgs. The Factory gets an
Öhlins rear shock while the 'R' gets a Sachs unit.
Both are fully adjustable including ride height.
Radial Brembo calipers and discs grace the
Öhlins forks and come complete with
braided lines for improved feel.
Bodywork
The bodywork has been completely redesigned to improve aerodynamics as well as
styling. The main fairing is now just two separate parts, designed for easier
removal for maintenance with larger air vents to improve engine cooling.
The 'Starship Enterprise' tail unit has also been redesigned, and is now much
sleeker, slightly higher and comes fitted with a 16 LED rear light and built in
indicators. All in all the changes save a few grams and have improved
aerodynamics, giving a CX (drag factor) of just 0.3.