Description
Click here for an CycleVIN Motorcycle History Report on this 2008 Aprilia SXV550. Additional photos are available here for your perusal.
Aprilia’s SXV550 was an absolute monster that journalists fell in love with as soon as it was released – Visor Down said “only nutters need apply“.
It’s a supermoto with a powerful V-Twin, excellent components, and race-bred pedigree: the bike had already won the S2 World Supermoto Championship as a prototype before it was released to the world. Unfortunately, early (2007) bikes had serious issues with the sealant used in the engine cases. If spotted quickly, you could reseal the motor and everything would be fine. If not, water would get into the oil and you’d be looking at a V-Twin paperweight. Thankfully, Aprilia had sorted it out by 2008, and customers were rewarded with a full-on race bike that was somehow street legal.
The Aprilia was a revolution in the world of supermoto, ditching the traditional single for a beefy V-Twin that popped out a staggering 70 horsepower at 10,500 rpm for a bike that weighed about 280 pounds! MCN said it was “going to change the way the world thinks about supermotos forever.”
The trade-off was service intervals, as the race maintenance schedule called for new pistons and a shim check after 60 hours. Regular street riding would increase that number by several factors, however. What else would you expect from a race bike with lights?
This SXV (VIN: ZD4VSU5018S000125, Engine #: 05455)
The odometer shows 2,067 miles.
Late last year, the seller had us go through the bike to make sure it was ready for auction. We installed a Yuasa battery, NGK spark plugs, fixed a stripped fitting in the plastic tank, and diagnosed a fuel flow issue with was solved by replacing the pressure hose on the fuel pump. We also took it to local Aprilia expert Amauri Nunes, who determined the bike had a faulty throttle position sensor. He checked for proper fuel pressure, replaced the throttle position sensor and synced the throttle bodies. The bike runs perfectly now.
Currently located at our facility in Santa Monica, California, this Aprilia is offered on a clean California title with registration current through March 2022.
Have any SXV stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the comments below!
