Skip to main content
search
Tag

Aprilia

Dec 29
Love0

Aprilia 250 to 350cc motorcycles planned – To take on Royal Enfield

By General Posts

by Abhinand Venugopal from https://www.rushlane.com/

Seeing the success of Royal Enfield in the 250-350cc segment, many motorcycle brands are planning entry with new products.

Royal Enfield is arguably one of the most demanded names in the 350cc category in the Indian motorcycle market. For the same reason, many brands have come forward with their own range of compelling products to take on the Chennai-based motorcycle manufacturer. Now, the Italian automotive brand, Piaggio has revealed its plans to enter the same segment through its Aprilia sub-brand.

Diego Graffi, MD of Piaggio, shares that the company has a lot of interesting in the Indian motorcycle market and sees untapped potential in the 250-350cc market. With Aprilia — the winner of multiple racing championships in the world — under its belt, Piaggio is confident that it can make a strong presence in the market, especially against the likes of Royal Enfield products.

As per data, Indian two-wheeler sales have dropped by 15.74% to 1,28,64,936 units between April to November of the current fiscal year. In turn, Piaggio sales (predominantly, Aprilia and Vespa range of scooters) declined by 16.86% to 48,471 units.

Out of the 7,73,855 motorcycles sold in the 250-350cc segment in the country within the same period, Royal Enfield contributed to almost 99% of the sales, at 7,64,012 units. For the same reason, it makes sense for Piaggio to introduce something that would be much more desirable than the market leader. Mr Graffi commented that this would take time, but is definitely in the plans.

Royal Enfield products have a cult following in the country and some folks even see it as ‘the motorcycle’ over anything else on the market. The charm of a Royal Enfield is its classic styling that can simply overshadow its relatively poor output characteristics and chassis dynamics.

The new Jawa motorcycles and Benelli Imperiale 400 are the only other products that have made an impact on Royal Enfield’s market. Hence, Piaggio’s upcoming 250-350cc products should have an edge over these motorcycles as well — if it is a cruiser or classic.

If it is any other type of motorcycle, the competition will be even tougher due to the presence of main players such as KTM, Yamaha, Bajaj, TVS and even the upcoming Husqvarna.

Aprilia currently sells only the SR and Storm range of 125-150cc scooters in the country. About two years back, the company thrilled motorcycle enthusiasts across the country with the showcase of the Aprilia RS 150 and Tuono 150 motorcycles at Auto Expo 2018. Many awaited for its launch for quite a long time, but only to be disappointed in the end. We hope this won’t be the case with the newly-proposed Aprilia motorcycles.

Nov 17
Love0

Piaggio Group unveils products for 2020

By General Posts

from https://timesofmalta.com

The Piaggio Group has presented a number of exceptional new motorcycles and scooters from its exclusive brands. The highly anticipated new Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Vespa and Piaggio models were unveiled in preparation for next year.

It’s a new era for Aprilia. Created around a totally new technical base, defined by the 660 parallel twin, comes a new generation of lightweight, high-performance bikes that are sophisticated in design. A return to the mid-sized engine, supported by the electronics and technology of the Aprilia Racing department, to rediscover the pleasure and joy of everyday riding.

The first born in this brand-new generation is RS 660 – premium technical content and advanced but unvarnished performance to rediscover the pleasure of dynamic riding on the road. A sportbike to suit all motorcyclists and that requires no particular experience level or ability. The innovative concept behind the RS 660 project can be summed up by its excellent weight/power ratio that makes for enjoyable riding, whether relaxed or more sports-orientated: 169 kg plus 100hp is the perfect formula for enjoyment on the road.

The Tuono 660 Concept best expresses the new concept of sports versatility introduced by Aprilia with the new family of motorcycles designed around the new 660 cc twin-cylinder that, with the Tuono 660 Concept, is able to deliver 95hp. Thanks to highly sophisticated semi-active suspension, the fastest, most powerful and lightweight RSV4 becomes even more efficient on track and enjoyable on the road. The control unit that governs the Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 suspension has access to all the bike’s electronic systems, meaning it is able to recognise all riding phases and therefore adapt calibration of the fork, shock absorber and steering damper hydraulics thanks to the development of an algorithm, the fruit of collaboration between Öhlins and Aprilia.

Tuono V4 1100 Factory is the most exclusive version in the Tuono range, dedicated to an extremely demanding public and equipped with components that largely derive from the Aprilia RSV4 superbike. The front mudguard, engine cover and side panels of the Factory are now in carbon fibre, a prestigious material that, as well as being lightweight and resistant, is able to boost the level of construction quality, now at a peak. The Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory offers, as standard, the most advanced and efficient electronic suspension system currently available.

Following the critical and public acclaim achieved by the V85 TT, Moto Guzzi presents the Travel version, ready to take to the road with its complete dedicated range of equipment. Featuring, as standard, a higher Touring windshield, a pair of very spacious panniers, a set of heated hand grips, a pair of additional LED lights, and the Moto Guzzi MIA multimedia platform that allows a smartphone to be connected to the vehicle, extending the instrument cluster functions. The Sabbia Namib colour is exclusively dedicated to V85 TT Travel. Making its debut is Moto Guzzi V7 III Stone S, a sportier and more sophisticated interpretation of the Mandello best-seller.

There are also various new models from Piaggio. Piaggio Medley combines the agility of an urban vehicle with the dynamic performance of a high wheel model and the comfort and loading capacity of a big GT scooter. The new design puts the emphasis on sportiness, with a totally redesigned front end, at the centre of which the new vertical element stands out, characterised by a 3D honeycomb grille. Making its debut on the Piaggio Medley is the latest evolution in the family of Piaggio i-get engines, with 125 and 150 cc engine capacity: both are liquid-cooled, with four-valve distribution and electronic injection, and deliver 11 and 12.1kW respectively.

Piaggio Beverly, a leader in the high wheel scooter segment, presents its new 2020 range, available with 300 and 350 cc engines. The latter is the innovative engine with record performance introduced for the first time in 2011 with the top-of-range SportTouring version and now extended to the entire Beverly family, composed of Beverly, Beverly S and the brand-new Beverly Tourer.

Vespa Primavera Sean Wotherspoon is a special edition that expresses all the creative energy linking Vespa and Sean Wotherspoon, one of the most creative and influential designers on the American landscape. Sean takes the steel body of Vespa Primavera and creates a new style dedicated to young urban tribes, but one that can also appeal to a wider audience.

Nov 12
Love0

Ducati Streetfighter V4 Declared Most Beautiful Bike At EICMA 2019

By General Posts

by Janaki Jitchotvisut from https://www.rideapart.com

Ducati does it again!

Which of the many bikes unveiled at EICMA 2019 has haunted your dreams?? If you said “Ducati Streetfighter V4, obviously,” you’re not alone. Venerable Italian motorcycle publication Motociclismo conducted its fifteenth annual poll, both of EICMA attendees and its readers at home. Guess which bike won?

According to both EICMA attendees and readers who sadly couldn’t attend the show in person, the Ducati Streetfighter V4 was voted the most beautiful motorcycle of EICMA 2019. Motociclismo took to the MotoLive stage at EICMA to present the awards. Ducati design director Andrea Ferraresi and Streetfighter V4 designer Jeremy Faraud were both on hand to accept the official award.

When all the numbers were tallied, the winner stood out by a mile. Not only did the Ducati Streetfighter V4 top the charts; it commanded a solid 36.7 percent of the vote. Second place went to the Aprilia RS 660 which received less than half the votes of the Streetfighter V4— just 14.9 percent.

Third place was the MV Agusta Superveloce 800, with 11.23 percent of the vote. Fourth was the Honda CBR1000RR-R SP, with 9.43 percent, and fifth was the Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel, with just 4.76 percent of the vote. That makes Honda the only non-Italian manufacturer to crack the top five.

Interestingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, Motociclismo also reported that there was a difference in rankings for some bikes between voters who saw them in person, and voters who participated from home.

The top four bikes among both groups of voters were the same, but from number five down, results are markedly different between those who saw these models only on screens, vs. those who saw them live. For example, a lot more people who saw the BMW F 900 R in person seemed to appreciate it than those who simply saw it at home.

You can check out the full results of the poll—including the EICMA/home voter breakdown—over at Motociclismo.