Aprilia’s 2017 updates

Aprilia’s 2017 range has gained a raft of updates to keep the bikes legal under next year’s Euro4 emissions rules.

The range-topping RSV4 RF’s power stays at 201bhp despite the emission limits, but a new electronics suite should make it more controllable. There’s a new ATC traction control system that can be adjusted without even having to let off the throttle, and three-level wheelie control with revised operation.

Similarly, the launch control system has been refined with new settings to improve its operation.

More notably, the quickshifter now includes a downshift function that allows clutchless down-changes even with the throttle open.

The final two systems show the breadth of the bike’s ambitions. First is a pit lane speed limiter, adjustable to suit the rules at particular circuits, although it can also be used on the road to ensure you stay under a particular speed limit. The second system is a far cry from such circuit-oriented ideas, although it uses the same components, as it’s a cruise control of the sort you’d normally expect to see on touring bikes.

Finally, the ABS has been updated to the Bosch 9.1 MP set up.

In terms of mechanical updates, the RSV4 RF gains new Ohlins NIX forks and a TTX rear shock.

Changes to the Tuono V4 are largely identical to the updates to the RSV4, although the naked bike’s power remains lower at 175bhp. Its suspension is slightly lower-spec, with the TTX shock only available as an optional extra, but the electronics are the same as the faired bike.

Further down the Aprilia range, the RS4 125 has been renamed ‘RS125’ – marking the 25^th anniversary of that model – and been updated to meet Euro4 limits. It’s also been stripped of its  bodywork to become a new Tuono 125, reviving an idea that was last seen in 2005. Mechanically identical to the RS125, the Tuono 125 apes the appearance of the larger Tuono.