Interesting read....id say there is no clear winner (got an RSV4 factory myself). I hope most would agree but, they (premium sports bikes) are at such a level now (and as Michael Neeves said) youre really just nit picking. Case in point would be the amount of people that buy s1000rr's then hand them back because "they were too easy to go fast on" - indicating that some people prefer more "engagement" with what theyre riding. Personally my z1000 is way to easy to go fast on, the RSV4 factory moreso but requires more "alot more concentration" when things get twisty. And, at the other end of the scale my hyper 1100 evo sp which "requires an amount of concentration pretty well all of the time" and, the one i like to use the most because of that fact. It's engaging. Maybe the rsv4rf falls more into that category than the panigale. It will be interesting to see what the next s1000rr brings....maybe building on that statement i made.."even...easier to go fast on"
i seen the vid, thought it was ok..... i hate use this term, but the mid corner in the aprilia is probably testament to their racing "dna" and 2 stroke bikes. the RSV does look a little dated ( not a lot ! ) without all the major farkles, so its probably more of an involving / harder ride like they say to get the best out of it, you have to be good. the duck does bring the element of all the elecs to go faster and harder too at a track. depends what you want really.....id have another 1199s myself and this time put the effort into sorting the back end out.
I had a 2011 RSV4 Factory APRC and now have a base model V4, both are great bikes, the handling on the Aprilia was one of the best I’ve ever experienced but at the same time the V4 is just as good, I’ve not really noticed it getting loose or twitchy through corners but then I’ve not had it on a track yet, I have gone through some quick corners on the road but that’s never going to be pushing the bike anywhere near like you would on a track, or maybe the base model is more stable due to the lack of electronics who knows.
It's mainly the electronic suspension I believe it misses, having said that there's a lot of track style reviews done recently that suggests the panigale v4 is more unstable which 'could' be down to the electronic suspension, so would the aprilia sat on manual ohlins give it some of the stability edge? Possibly, but then again this latest track review seems to point at the chassis 5th place starts from 13 minutes in with the R1M
Something I noticed straight away even with the very first reviews at the press launch in Valencia was that the V4 still looks quite wayward on the edge when pushing hard on track. All the reviews talk about it being easier to handle than the V2 Pani but the the vids show it doing big weaves and head shaking out of the corners in a similar way to the V2. It definitely felt more solid when I rode my mates on the road but thats very different to on the track.
I think that's a valid point, anyone who's ridden a decent L4 or V4 will know that road manners are far easier to handle than a thumping great twin, well to a degree. My lump in the Superduke is buttery smooth buts it's a different configuration to Ducati. Ducati chose a specific track with factory setup for the launch, more recently journos are struggling with the chassis or maybe suspension (who knows) at other tracks and that's where the speed advantage isn't ringing true. Mcn's Neeves flippantly commented on a Facebook reply to someone that it struggles with stability, everything else I've seen since (44 teeth / fastbike) seems to suggest the same. I'm sure they're a wonderful bike when all running sweet, but I have to admit that I simply don't trust ducati to have done proper due diligence in component testing prior to launch, they've proven time and time again that they launch gen 1's with the most basic of issues. They'll sort it, but at £25k surely they've got to supply perfection given the cost vs the competition
I don't think there's any hiding if you choose a track like Valencia. It's very demanding and the bike needs to be the real deal to deal with it. The recent Fast Bikes review was at a tight track (and wrote by (or for?)) a bunch of teenage wideboyz so it's not something I'm taking too seriously. It looks to me like its a step in the right direction but still a but overwhelmed by the crazy power still? It'll be interesting to see what the R is like!!
Having seen a couple up close now, I think the V4 is the best looking bike Ducati have produced since the 916.
I've never ever known Fast Bikes cut any Ducati flagship bike any slack. They seem hung up on the extra cost of the Ducati. They've been hyper focused on the Aprilia for years and before that their darling bike was the Suzuki GSX-R1000 with a smattering of R1M... Each year I can pretty much guess their order before I open the article.
I'm a Performance Bikes mag fan and bought it just because of the V4 review. I just thought it was very poor quality writing, it reminded me of a bunch of very amateur riders reviewing the bikes after a couple of pints down the pub.
Must admit im not a fan of the v4 style, the 1299 looks far better, but then the 1198 looks better than them all.
Nelsons drunk if he thinks this fat lass with its blobby profile is pretty. Its a ten pinter all day long.
Dealer-wise, the Aprilia network is thin. I'm lucky that Bikersworld in East Grinstead are run by a guy that has raced an RSV4 for years and is super helpful, and not too far from me. Luckily, spares have been fine, either Fowlers mail order for the odd service item, or via John @ Bikersworld. Without wanting to be too controversial, there are some Ducati dealers that would definitely not be my first choice for working on even a new(ish) Ducati, let alone my older ones, but dealer backup is an important factor when deciding to drop a fair bit of wedge on one of Italy's finest.
Looking at the bikes pictures side by side for looks the Ducati has it. Albeit I do not thinks the V4 is as good looking at the 1299. With regards to the Fast Bikes article why don't they try all the bikes on different tracks. One track for speed and one for handling. Having read the article it does make you wonder why they changed tracks. Think we all know the answer. If you have the money no doubt you would go for the Ducati. If not most the other 1000's are good bikes one way or another.
Nah, it looks ok. Break up the sea of red paintwork and it looks good. The lights on it are beautiful in detail, which is a shame because the first thing I do is rip them all off. I'm fairly certain mine will look pretty ding dong when I've finished prepping it...
