Aprilia is producing a special edition RSV4 for the U.S. and Canada to celebrate Max Biaggi‘s World Superbike Championship-winning 2012 season. The special edition model will only be available in North America, though we’d prefer if Piaggio could come up with a less awkward name than the 2013 Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC ABS SBK SE.

If you can get over its cumbersome name, the special edition receives the same updates as the 2013 Aprilia RSV4 Factory offered elsewhere around the world announced at Intermot. That includes the addition of a three-mode Bosch ABS and an upgraded engine that now claims 181.5 hp and 86.3 ft-lb. at the crank (compared to 177 hp and 84.8 ft-lb. on the 2012 model).

The 2013 version also has a revised fuel tank derived from Aprilia‘s WSBK program that now offers a capacity of 4.8 gallons compared to 4.5 gallons on the previous version. Bearing the Aprilia Performance Ride Control (APRC) designation, the special edition RSV4 also gets three selectable engine maps, traction control, wheelie control, launch control and a quickshifter. Continue Reading »

At October’s Intermot show in Cologne, Germany, Aprilia announced a number of upgrades to its RSV4 Factory, giving the sportbike more power, anti-lock brakes and a number of other updates. This week at the 2012 EICMA Show, Aprilia extended those updates to it’s slightly less upscale but still pretty damn good base model, the RSV4 R.

The production versions of Max Biaggi‘s World Superbike Championship-winning racebike, the Aprilia RSV4 R (all-black in these pictures) and the RSV4 Factory (pictured with red trim)  receive an engine upgrade to reduce internal friction and casing ventilation. Combined with a redesigned exhaust system, the result is a claimed output of 181.5 hp and 86.3 ft-lb. at the crank, compared to the previous year’s claims of 177 hp and 84.8 ft-lb. Continue Reading »

A prototype of the 2013 Aprilia Caponord 1200 was one of the headliners of Piaggio Americas’ dealer meeting earlier this month, alongside the Moto Guzzi California 1400. We’ve already heard about Piaggio designer Miguel Galluzzi discuss plans to produce a number of variations of the California, and today we’ve learned further details about the Caponord.

We already surmised the Caponord is derived from the Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200, with a similar chassis and engine. We have also learned the Caponord 1200 will be available Aprilia’s full APRC electronics suite, including traction control, wheelie control, launch control and quick shifter. Also expected are ABS and electronically controlled suspension.

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Aprilia U.K. will offer a quick shifter as an optional add-on to the Aprilia RS4 125 entry-level sportbike.

Inherited from the Aprilia RSV4 R APRC, the quick shifter allows for clutchless upshifts without needing to close the throttle. While the racing and trackday applications for the quick shifter on the RSV4 R APRC are clear, on a beginner-level model like the RS4 125, it helps ease the learning curve for new riders.

There’s no word yet whether the quick shifter option will be offered in the U.S. when the Aprilia RS4 125 arrives later this year as a 2012 model. In the U.K., the quick shifter adds an extra 99 pounds (US$160) to the Aprilia RS4 125′s 3,999 pound (US$6,500) price tag.

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EICMA 2010: Aprilia RS4 125 Coming to US

Press release after the jump.

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