2003 Aprilia Atlantic 500 on 2040-motos

Moto blog

De Puniet, Espargaro to Ride Aprilia-powered Aspar CRT MotoGP Racebike

The Aspar racing team announced the signing of Randy de Puniet and Aleix Espargaró to compete in the 2012 MotoGP World Championship on a CRT racebike powered by Aprilia engines. De Puniet (pictured above with his Playboy model girlfriend Lauren Vickers) rode a mystery race bike for Aspar this week at a MotoGP test, believed to be a modified version of Aprilia‘s WSBK-spec RSV4 with MotoGP-issue Bridgestone tires and carbon brakes. CRT rules require the use of a prototype chassis, so the Aspar machine cannot use the RSV4′s chassis.

Henry Kissinger, Chinese Police and the Aprilia Mana 850

Okay, the headline sounds like the setup to a bad joke, but it pretty much describes the scene in the picture above released by the Piaggio Group. Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is in China this month to mark the 40th anniversary of his secret diplomatic visit in 1971 which paved the way for formalized relations between China and the United States.

Piaggio Announces 2011-2014 Business Plan – More Hybrids and Electric Models In the Pipeline

The Piaggio Group revealed its business plans for the next three years with a focus on developing fuel efficient engines and introducing new electric motors and hybrid powertrains. Beginning in 2012, Piaggio plans to introduce a new generation of engines with lower emissions and improved fuel economy. Examples include the new 350cc engine introduced in the Piaggio Beverly SportTouring and the fuel-injected 125cc four-stroke, three-valve engine equipped in the Vespa Quarantasei concept (which the company has apparently, and quietly, renamed as the much easier-to-pronounce Vespa 946).