Aprilia RSV4 Track Bike Project (the start)

Aprilia_ RSV4_logoAnother track bike has entered this fleet. This time it’s a 2010 Aprilia RSV4.

Also hailing from Italy, the RSV4 continues my preference for V-engine configurations, but this time with 4 cylinders instead of two. The last time I owned a V4 bike, it was the hefty Honda VRF 800fi (RC46).


Specifications for the RSV4 are impressive:
01-2010-aprilia-rsv4-r

General information
Model: Aprilia RSV4 R
Year: 2010
Category: Sport
Engine and transmission
Displacement: 999.60 ccm (61.00 cubic inches)
Engine type: V4, four-stroke
Power: 180 HP @ 12500 RPM
Torque: 84.8 ft.lbs @ 10000 RPM
Compression: 13.0:1
Bore x stroke: 78.0 x 52.3 mm (3.1 x 2.1 inches)
Valves per cylinder: 4
Ignition: Magneti Marelli digital electronic ignition system integrated in engine control system, with one spark plug per cylinder and stick-coil-type coils
Gearbox: 6-speed
Clutch: Multiplate wet clutch with mechanical slipper system
Exhaust system: 4 into 2 into 1 layout, single oxygen sensor, lateral single silencer with engine control unit-controlled butterfly valve and integrated trivalent catalytic converter (Euro 3)
Chassis, suspension, brakes and wheels
Frame type: Front suspension:
Front suspension: Upside-down Showa fork with 43 mm stanchions. Forged aluminium radial calliper mounting brackets. Completely adjustable spring preload and hydraulic compression and rebound damping.
Rear suspension: Twin sided aluminium swingarm
Front tire: 120/70-17
Rear tire: 190/55-17
Front brakes: Double disc
Front brakes diameter: 320 mm
Rear brakes: Single disc
Rear brakes diameter: 220 mm (8.7 inches)
Mass and Capacity
Dry weight: 405.7 pounds
Power/weight ratio: 1.3118 HP/kg
Seat height: 33.3 inches
Fuel capacity: 4.49 gallons

My Bike:

The bike I picked up in Lancaster CA:
RSV4_01_04
It was already setup for racing, thus perfect for the track-duty I envisioned. Although in great condition, the livery is a little confusing (being Kawaski Green that is).

In the next few days I’ll have more to share about this new Italian machine.

May at Laguna Seca

The Ducati 749 wore a new suit to the track this time around. Although it looked great, it’s mechanical state was not quite up to to the image. It was more show than go for Sunday’s track day.

The weekend started rough and it went a little downhill from there. While finishing the dress-up on the bike (the red gas tank arrived late on Friday), Saturday, the fuel tank o-ring was damaged and required a fast trip to San Jose to get a $25 replacement o-ring. At least the dealer had it in stock and I was able to get the bike back together in time to pull into Monterey for our pre-track-day dinner.

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The first break in my routing was not unloading my truck on arrival. Once back from dinner it was 10:15 PM, I found that someone had pulled up next to me in the space I’d planned to setup my gear. There didn’t seem to be much point in unloading in the paddock at that point, so.. off to sleep I went:
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Dawn comes early in Monterey, and despite my original setup plans foiled, equipment was unloaded and the bike was plugged into the generator to start warming up the tires:
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With the rest of the crew arriving, we got the bikes into tech.
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Dr. Johnny debut his newly refurbished track bike. He’s a happy camper, as you can tell!
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Unfortunately, when unloading my 749, I noticed that the bike seemed difficult to move around. After some fiddling around we discovered that one of the front brakes was dragging pretty badly. My first session was going to be spent taking apart the left front caliper.

My pal Isaac was able to score a ride on the damn fine SuperLeggera owned by the track organizer. He was very impressed at the handling.. I guess light

I was eventually able to get the brakes handled and the bike on the track for the last couple of sessions of the day. Things went OK, but it seemed the brake was starting to drag again, so I packed it in; we all loaded up and headed for home.

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