APRILIA RSV4 RF
THIS MONTH I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN… “Making memories...”
Some thieving parasites broke into my van and nabbed a load of stuff, among which was my phone and that really pissed me off because it had pics on it from a recent blast I had on the Aprilia around Croft circuit. I love that place. It’s always been one of my favourite tracks to race, and I was gagging to see how the RSV4 cut it around the fast and flowing track. I kind of anticipated it’d be a right weapon around there, and I wasn’t wrong. The motor’s torque was mint out of the tighter sections, and I can’t help but smile broadly when thinking about the way the V4 picked up the pace and rocketed down the straights.
I’ve ridden a lot of bikes over the years, but there’s nothing comparable with the driveability of the Aprilia. Or its soundtrack. Fitting that Austin Racing can was one of the best things I could have done to the RSV4. It already sounded a treat but, as my missus put it, it now sounds like ‘I’m unleashing hell’. I like that. Amazingly, it got through the noise test, but I had to keep the baffle screwed in tight at all times. Being honest, it’s too noisy with it out, in my opinion, so I never really feel chastised by the regs.
The rider aids are growing on me all the time and I’m getting more familiar with what they do, and what settings I want. The same goes for the Öhlins suspension, which makes absolute sense on the track. It makes the bike so agile and planted, you really can’t fault it, especially when you factor in how informative it is at all times. Nothing comes as a surprise with the Aprilia; you know what it’s doing and when it’s doing it. That’s great for rider confidence.
I bloody love this bike. So much so that I’ve spent a fair bit of time checking over it and keeping it in tip top condition. It’s not due a service for a good few thousand miles, but what with taking it out on track and generally beasting it around on the roads, I figured it was deserving of a freshen up. The brakes on this bike are awesome and I was keen to make sure I hadn’t been using them that much that the pads were about knackered, so a caliper inspection was a must. They’ve got proper Brembo pads in as stock, and thankfully mine still had plenty of meat on them. The pistons were covered in dust and crap though, so they got a good cleaning. The brake fluid was also changed, just for good measure, and I adjusted and lubed the chain. Well, after giving it a proper clean first. The sideplates of the links were lathered in crap, so I got stuck in with some cleaner and got them looking a million dollars. I’ve always looked after my stuff and I don’t intend to treat the Aprilia any differently. The last thing you want is a bike that starts failing on you because of poor maintenance. With that in mind, the tyres are looking a bit worse for wear, so maybe a change is on the cards in the not too distant future. The OE fitment Pirelli Supercorsa SPs have been absolutely awesome on road and track, so I’m reluctant to move away from them. As they say up north, ‘I like what I know, and I know what I like’.