Courtesy of Aprilia

The 2018 Aprilia RSV4 RF LE Has The Winglets You Want

Ten beautiful photos of Aprilia’s MotoGP look-alike for the street

April 24, 2018

At the third round of the MotoGP World Championship at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, Aprilia unveiled a special version of its flagship superbike, dubbed the RSV4 RF Limited Edition. In this case "limited" means 125 units total (100 for the US and 25 for Canada) and an MSRP of $24,499. That's a $1,000 premium over the standard RSV4 RF, which was up to this point the highest-spec RSV4 legal for the street. For that cool grand the marquee features on the LE are the MotoGP-inspired carbon-fiber winglets and the retro graphics.

Aprilia’s 2018 RSV4 RF Limited Edition. Now with winglets.Courtesy of Aprilia

Mimicking Aprilia’s MotoGP aerodynamic experiments, the LE’s winglets are unlike the RS-GP’s in that they’re removable. No word on any potential performance gains, but the intimidation factor at any track event is sure to be high. Even though the graphic treatment will strike as a variation of any other Italian tricolor scheme, the colors are a throwback to the livery of Loris Reggiani’s 250 Grand Prix machine of 1987. That was the first of what has become 294 wins for Aprilia at the Grand Prix level.

Each of the 125 units will have an individually engraved triple clamp.Courtesy of Aprilia

The 2018 Aprilia RSV4 RF LE maintains the rakish looks that first debuted nearly a decade ago.Courtesy of Aprilia

Up close and personal with the carbon winglets. They’re removable, in case you only want to use them on the track, or to impress certain people.Courtesy of Aprilia

Other tidbits that set the LE apart from a standard RF are the black wheels (red on the RF) and the laser-inscribed top triple clamp which signifies which of the 125 units you have. Aside from that, it’s an RSV4 RF to the bones, meaning the same 1,000cc V-4 with a claimed 201 hp, Öhlins suspension front and rear, massive Brembo brakes, a full-color TFT dash, cruise control, and forged wheels.

Aprilia’s RSV4 is narrow, always has been. It’s a result (in part) of the V-4 engine, which is the heart of the bike and a gem of an engine.Courtesy of Aprilia

The throwback-to-1987 graphics have an Alitalia Airlines vibe, don’t you think? The large A sits on the tank and on the fairing.Courtesy of Aprilia

Aprilia’s MotoGP riders, Aleix Espargaró (left) and Scott Redding (right), were on hand at Circuit of The Americas to unveil the RSV4 RF LE.Courtesy of Aprilia

See the specs for Aprilia’s RSV4 RF

Passengers not invited on the 2018 Aprilia RSV4 RF LE.Courtesy of Aprilia

2018 Aprilia RSV4 RF Limited EditionCourtesy of Aprilia

Bottom line: Winglets or not, it remains a staggeringly good motorcycle, capable of turning heads and low lap times alike. Availability in the US is scheduled for May of 2018, while Canadians will wait until June and see a slight bump in MSRP to $25,495.

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