According to the latest rumours, Italian bikemaker Aprilia is working on an all-new 250cc parallel-twin engine. The new engine will likely make its debut on a new Aprilia sports bike. Rumours also suggest that the Aprilia might officially reveal or show us a teaser of the new motorcycle or the engine at the upcoming 2022 EICMA Show, which will take place in Italy.
According to a recent report, a patent image of the new 250cc engine surfaced online. This is what fuelled the rumour. Sources claim the engine is developed by Zongshen, Aprilia’s Chinese partner. This is the same Chinese company which also developed the Aprilia RS125 and Aprilia GPR250R. Both these bikes are China exclusives.
If Aprilia does launch a sports bike with this new engine, it will have its hands full. Currently, there are a lot of bikes in the segment. These include the likes of the Yamaha R25. Honda CBR250RR and the Kawasaki Ninja 250. Hence, Aprilia will have to pull off something special to make its mark in the segment.
It is likely that we’ll get more information and leaks as the development of the engine and bike progresses. As of now, it is early for too many speculations. Before the launch, we will also likely see spy shots of Aprilia road testing the bike.
At the 2019 EICMA Show, Aprilia unveiled the track-only RS250 SP. Aprilia designed the RS250 SP with one aim – to provide an inexpensive racing platform for Italy’s future motorcycle racers. The Italian bikemaker built the RS250 SP in partnership with FMI and Ohvale. The latter is particularly famous for its small-capacity race bikes.
Powering the RS250 SP is a 250cc single-cylinder engine that puts out 28 PS of peak power. Though the output seems fairly low, it is plenty for a training tool, which the RS250 SP is. Furthermore, the track-only bike only weighs 105 kg dry.
The Aprilia RS250 SP costs EUR 9,700, which is quite a lot. However, you get a lot of top-spec equipment as well. The RS250 SP sports Andreani front forks, an Ohlins rear monoshock and lightweight forged aluminium wheels from Marchesini. Additionally, there’s also an SC-Project exhaust system, Brembo brake callipers and racing slick tyres from Pirelli.
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