Description
Update 5/17: The seller is including the original exhaust, foot pegs, shop manual, replacement decal kit and more with the sale. Please see below and the SmugMug album for photos.
Additional photos are available here for your perusal.
Founded by Alberto Beggio in post-World War II Italy, Aprilia started out as a bicycle manufacturer before eventually releasing its first motorcycles in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s. The Noale-based firm found some success producing mopeds, scooters, and other small-displacement runners, but a trio of Grand Prix world championships in the early ‘90s would forever alter the fate of the once-boutique outfit. Riding Aprilia’s quarter-liter GP mount, the RSW250, Max Biaggi secured back-to-back-to-back world titles in ’94, ’95, and ’96 (plus another title in ’97 with Honda). Like Paul Smart’s Desmo racer had done for Ducati two-decades-or-so prior, the success achieved on Biaggi’s 250cc GP racer put Aprilia on the map and helped to establish the small Italian firm as a true contender on the world stage.
Taking advantage of the factory race effort’s triumphs, in 1994 Aprilia released a road-legal replica version of the RSV250 known as the RS250. Powering the RS was a modified version of the liquid-cooled, 249cc, two-stroke, 90-degree V-Twin from Suzuki’s RGV250. The RS’s engine utilized the Suzuki’s 34mm Mikuni flat slide carbs, though it featured its own Aprilia-designed expansion chambers, barrels, air-box, and exhaust system, a revised ignition and ECU, and a higher compression ratio. Building on the already well-designed single-crank V-Twin developed by Suzuki, the changes made in Noale afforded the RS more mid-range power.
Married to a six-speed transmission, the RS250’s engine was similar to the motor found in Aprilia’s GP mount, albeit with a bore and stroke of 56mm X 50mm versus the race bike’s square 54mm X 54mm setup. The RS generated 29.5ft-lbs of torque at 10,750 rpm and around 70 hp at 11,900 rpm — just shy of its 12,000 rpm redline.
What really made the RS250 special, however, was its chassis design. Derived from the bikes built by Aprilia’s factory race program, the RS250 used a polished alloy twin-spar frame paired with an adjustable magnesium alloy banana swing-arm. The trick alloy frame was fitted with 41mm inverted Marzocchi fork and a mono-shock in the back — both adjustable for preload and rebound damping.
Rolling on 17-inch, five-arm, cast aluminum rims, the RS250 and its race-bred chassis afforded its rider incredibly sharp handling. Slowing the V-Twin was a set of dual 298mm discs pinched by four-piston Brembo Serie Oro calipers out front and a single 220mm unit bit by a dual-pot caliper in the rear.
Its GP-inspired bodywork not only looked the business but gave the RS one very slippery drag coefficient. Tipping the scales at just 310lbs dry (368lbs wet), the RS boasted a top speed of over 130 mph, and a standing quarter-mile time of 12.5-seconds flat. That’s faster than an eight liter, V10 Dodge Viper, Porsche 911 GT3 RS 996, Mercedes SL Class 65 AMG, Aston Martin DB11 V8 Twin Turbo, and countless other six-figure supercars!
The RS250 remained in production, receiving various updates and tweaks – including a significant revamp in ’98 — before Aprilia pulled the plug on the 250 in 2004. Despite a decade-and-a-half having passed since the last RS left the factory, the track-oriented V-Twins are regarded highly today. MCN has gone as far as to call the RS250, “Simply one of the very best, least-compromised sports motorcycles money can buy”, and VisorDown also stated, “The real problem with the RS250 is that if you want one, a good one, you’re too late.”
This example is VIN: ZD4LDA0003S104576. The seller purchased the bike approximately three and a half years ago from a private party through an Iconic auction. He is selling to downsize his collection.
During his ownership the seller has covered approximately 145 miles. The odometer shows 5,550 miles.
Maintenance:
The seller states he has performed basic maintenance and that the fuel petcock is reversed.
Modifications:
Arrow Racing exhaust.
Inside of the tank:
It is riding on Bridgestone Battlax tires with date codes of 2616 and 1517.
The sale includes one key and original tool bag. Update 5/17: The seller is including the original exhaust, foot pegs, shop manual, replacement decal kit and more with the sale. Please see below and the SmugMug album for photos.
Cosmetic Blemishes: please see the album up top for all known cosmetic blemishes. Here is a selection:
Currently located in Heath, Texas, this Aprilia is offered on a clean Texas title. Have any RS250 GP1 stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
