While more known for its race-purposed V-fours,
Italian motorcycle maker might be expanding its sports bike range with the
showing of the Aprilia RS 660 Concept at the EICMA show in Italy. The RS 660
was developed with close attention to aerodynamics, premium components and
electronics as well as a new engine.
According to Aprilia, the RS 660 Concept is the
result of research into aerodynamics including design cues taken from the
racing world to produce a bike that is compact and fun to ride. The RS 660 is
sculpted to optimise airflow and and produce differing levels of down force
according to user needs.
For the chassis, lessons learned by Aprilia is
translated into the RS 660 and results in a lightweight aluminium chassis and
swingarm. This includes a special mount for the rear suspension that provides
optimum response without use of any additional suspension linkage.
Motive power comes from a new two-cylinder engine
displacing 660 cc that uses the 1,100 cc V-four mill as a basis, developed
in-house by Aprilia. This engine configuration was chosen for being compact,
efficient and with lower heat emission as well as giving Aprilia designers a
free hand in developing the frame.
Looking toward the future, Aprilia says the RS 660
Concept will form the foundation of a range of middleweight sports machines. It
hopes this lead to Aprilia becoming a major player in the motorcycle market not
only in Europe, but also in America and Asia.
