Fast Bikes Magazine 343 - August 2018 Back Issue

Gabrielle sang a song about dreams coming true, and do you know what, she wasn’t fibbing. After way too many hours, days and years of dreaming, I finally got that golden ticket to sample the delights of Italy’s finest race track: Mugello. And not on some battered C90 with spokes missing, I’ll have you know. Parked up in a pristine garage, packed with factory technicians and enough fresh rubber to keep a porn star happy, stood an audacious-looking winged wonder. Yep, this was my chance to try out Aprilia’ s112bhp Factory Works RSV4 on a circuit crafted by the gods. Let’s just say neither the bike nor the track disappointed, as you’ll know after you’ve read this issue’s report.

The Aprilia’s the latest in a succession of new and exciting propositions that have made an appearance of late, squaring up to the likes of BMW’ sHP4 Race, Honda’s RC213V -S and Ducati’s 1299 Superleggera. And there will undoubtedly be more such steeds on the way, as rival brands flex their engineering muscles and throw everything they’ve got into topping the charts for the lightest, fastest and most innovative of motorcycles . But there’s also plenty of good news for financially humble mortals such as myself, as it looks like we’re going to be treated to some far more attainable metal in 2019.