Aprilia MANA GT 850 Motorcycles, page #13

Moto blog

Max Biaggi Announces Retirement

Max Biaggi will retire as a champion, announcing his decision to step away from the sport after winning his second World Superbike Championship by just half a point. The man known as the Corsair and the Roman Emperor announced his retirement this morning at a press conference at the Vallelunga circuit near Rome, Italy. Biaggi ends his 21-year international racing career with six world championships, with four consecutive 250cc Grand Prix titles from 1994 to 1997 to go along with his 2010 and 2012 WSBK titles.

Piaggio Reports Q3 2012 Results

The Piaggio Group reported a 9.1% decrease in net sales over the first nine months of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, thanks in large part to a strong decline in the European market for two-wheelers. According to Piaggio‘s third quarter 2012 report, the Italian manufacturer recorded 706.3 million euros (US$913.8 million) in motorcycle and scooter sales, compared to 777.2 million in sales over the same period of 2011. The Piaggio Group, which also includes the brands Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Vespa and other brands, sold 321,300 motorcycles and scooters in the first nine months of 2012, a year-on-year decrease of 3.5% from 2011.

Death of a sailsman

Former Apple head honcho Steve Jobs liked his bikes, so when he fancied a great big yacht, it's probably not too surprising he asked French design guru Philippe Starck to pen it. You may recall that Starck, who has designed everything from juicers to hotels, also drew up the Aprilia 6.5 Moto (pictured, right) back in the 90s - a motorcycle whose main achievement has been polarising opinion ever since. (You say minimalist icon, I say F650 wearing a blanket. An orange blanket.) Anyway, when Jobs met Starck, minimal, yacht-shaped sparks evidently flew and the result - after six years of hard work at Dutch builders Feadship and Mr Jobs' passing into the Great Docking Port in the Sky - is this sleek, 80-metre superyacht named Venus. The interiors that are all flat teak decks and walls of glass, with a bridge sporting an array of iMacs.

Will the road-going RCV look like this?

Honda announced in a dry-as-you-like press release that a new bike was coming.  Not another motorcycle-cum-medical aid like the DN-01 or Integra, this is going to be a proper bike. A bike in a similar vein to previous bikes in the RC series, the RC30, RC45 and RC51, aimed squarely at winning races. So what's it going to look like?

Jeff Koons-style RSV4

Spotted this Aprilia RSV4 showing off its fancy new paintjob. I'm guessing it's based on the Jeff Koons M3 GTS that raced at Le Mans in 2010, pictured right. I love the car, the paint makes it look like it's going at 150mph even when it's standing still.

WSBK: 2012 Magny-Cours Results – Championship Decided by Half a Point

You would think carrying a 30.5 point lead into the final round of the 2012 World Superbike Championship would be a safe enough margin to win the title. Aprilia‘s Max Biaggi made it interesting, inexplicably crashing out of the first race at the finale in Magny-C0urs before scoring a fifth place finish in Race Two to give him a 0.5 point margin over Kawasaki‘s Tom Sykes to win the title. The 358 to 357.5 point difference is the narrowest finish ever in WSBK.

Intermot 2012: More Power and ABS for 2013 Aprilia RSV4 Factory

Current World Superbike points leader Max Biaggi was on hand as Aprilia announced a number of updates to its RSV4 flagship sportbike at the 2012 Intermot show in Cologne, Germany. The Aprilia RSV4 Factory returns with its impressive APRC electronics package and 1000cc V4 engine, but adds anti-lock brakes, and a larger fuel tank. Aprilia also gave the RSV4 a performance boost, claiming 181.5 hp and 86.3 ft-lb.

WSBK: 2012 Moscow Results

The historic race first-ever World Superbike Championship round in Russia provided plenty of drama with several top riders crashing out of both races and a new leader emerge in the chase for the 2012 WSBK Championship. Superpole qualifying made for four different manufacturers lining up in the first row of the grid, with Carlos Checa taking pole position for Althea Ducati ahead of Kawasaki‘s Tom Sykes, Aprilia‘s Eugene Laverty and BMW rider Leon Haslam. A slightly damp and unfamiliar track likely contributed to a number of crashes and collisions.

Piaggio Reports Q2 2012 Results

The Piaggio Group reported a 4.8% drop in motorcycle and scooter sales over the first half of 2012 thanks to the continuing struggles of the European economy. The Piaggio Group includes the brands Aprilia, Moto Guzzi and Vespa. According to the company’s second quarter report, the Piaggio Group sold 216,700 motorcycles and scooters in the first half of 2012, compared to 227,700 units in 2011.

2013 Aprilia SR50 Biaggi Race Replica Scooter Arrives in US Dealerships

Aprilia USA announced the arrival of a new Max Biaggi race replica version of its two-stroke SR 50 scooter as a new 2013 model. The Aprilia SR50 Race Replica is dressed to match the livery of Biaggi’s RSV4 World Superbike racer. Aprilia had previously produced a race replica SR50, but that was with the white Aprilia Alitalia livery from 2009.