Do you want further proof that the supersport segment isn’t dead? I mean, besides the fact that both Suzuki and Kawasaki have plans to released new 600cc sport bikes later this year, for 2019?
Our Bothan spies have been hard at work in Noale, and they bring us word of a project brewing at Aprilia: a two-cylinder supersport model, that should debut for the 2020 model year.
The concept for this new model is pretty simple: take the class-leading Aprilia RSV4 superbike (which is also set for an update in 2019), lop off the rear cylinders, thus making it a parallel-twin engine. Boom goes the dynamite.
Married to a unique lightweight chassis, this “RSV2” (technically, it should be call the RS2 since the “V” denotes a V4/V2 engine configuration) would be at least 500cc in displacement, and could be bigger, depending on how many modifications Aprilia makes in the transformation.
Said to take a visual cue from the current RSV4 model, it is not unreasonable to think that Aprilia would include the robust electronics that come on the superbike, perhaps even following MV Agusta in bringing IMUs to the supersport segment.
Of course, the idea of a middleweight sport bike from Aprilia has been around for a long time, especially after the Italian brand debuted the Aprilia SXV 550, which featured a 70hp v-twin engine that weighed next to nothing.
Talk of a 550-powered sport bike have been going since 2009, though the reliability of the SXV engine perhaps dashed the hopes of it being using the power plant in a street bike.
Perhaps now finding the sweet spot with a dedicated two-cylinder platform, that will be based off a popular four-cylinder engine, Aprilia is finally ready to fill-in an obvious hole in its motorcycle lineup.
It is doubtful that we will see this new model teased later this year at the INTERMOT and EICMA shows, but it is certainly possible. More likely will be a 2019 debut for the 2020 model year, as 2020 is when the new Euro5 regulations start affecting new motorcycle models.
More news on this exciting new bike as we get it. Stay tuned.
Source: Bothan Spies
