Why you want a Triumph Bonneville, even if you don’t know it yet

Since 2001, the Triumph Bonneville has always just sort of been there as a good-looking, if unexciting retro bike. Reliable, shiny and affordable, but not the kind of thing you’d lay awake at night dreaming about. For 2010 and 2011, that’s just changed, totally. Triumph won’t tell you that the humble Bonnie is suddenly one of the most most desirable motorcycles on the market. But, don’t worry, we will. This is why you really, really want a 2011 Triumph Bonneville SE.

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Sean Smith. December 9th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (125)

How APRC works on the road

You’ve seen the fancy videos, the technical breakdown info-graphics and read the first person accounts about how completely awesome APRC is. But if you’re not a racer, why should you care? Technology from racing has been improving the street riding experience for decades. In the 1960s racing technology brought us powerful four cylinder engines with a ton of reliable smooth power. In the 70s we got disc brakes, providing linear, reliable stopping force. In the 80s we got aluminum frames and the addition of fairings (the 80s were kind of awesome for motorcycles). In the 90s we got good tires and ever improving suspension. The next step in this evolution? Electronic traction control, or APRC. When you’re riding on the street, you sometimes might be able to catch or hold a slide, and when you do, you feel like a superhero. Riding away from that corner, you breath a sigh of relief because you didn’t highside. How about having that feeling in every corner, just for fun? You can with APRC. :continue:

Sean Smith. October 26th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (21)

Video: Adey talks Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE

You already know that we like us some Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE. Not only have we extensively analyzed every facet of APRC in ridiculous detail, but we’ve done multiple feature stories with the RSV4 and Aprilia contracted us to produce a series of videos about the bike. We even put one head to head against a Nissan GT-R and beat it. So, it’s probably time to see what someone outside the HFL fold thinks. Someone like Adey. The fastest street rider in LA, he only cares about one thing: performance. Can a whole boatload of electronics make him faster? :continue:

Wes Siler. October 25th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (28)

The age of universal traction control is upon us

First used on a production car in 1971 (Buick full-sizes) and on a production motorcycle in 1992 (Honda ST1100), Traction Control has long since evolved from a dorky safety aid to a sophisticated, desirable performance enhancer. TC makes it possible for bikes and cars to be more powerful than ever before, while remaining exploitable to mere mortals. Long standard on virtually every automobile sold, it’s inevitable that the same thing will soon happen to motorcycles. With this Piaggio Beverly Sport Touring 350, TC is now being fitted to scooters. Welcome to the age of universal traction control. :continue:

Wes Siler. October 19th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (15)

An insider’s look at Aprilia Performance Ride Control

Once we’d started putting together a series of videos on the new Aprilia RSV4 APRC, it became quickly apparent that we needed to develop an intimate understanding of how Aprilia Performance Ride Control worked if we were going to stand a chance of doing it justice. Aprilia may have developed the most sophisticated set of performance enhancing electronics ever in-house, but, in typical Italian fashion, there was no cohesive document explaining its function. Definitely not one written in plain English. So, Grant, Aprilia USA and I set about poring over inches-thick, proprietary technical manuals and service guides, sending questions to Italy to check our conclusions. The result is this document, originally created strictly for internal use only, but reprinted with permission here. Not to brag, but it’s the most definitive explanation of APRC ever created. :continue:

Wes Siler. July 19th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (32)

Video: Aprilia RSV4 vs Nissan GT-R, on the street

There was quite a bit of skepticism when we lapped the new APRC-equipped Aprilia RSV4 around Monticello quite a bit faster than a Nissan GT-R. One of the people who had doubts was Adey. So, when Godzilla turned up at The Snake last weekend while he just happened to be riding the new RSV4 R, a comparison was inevitable. Luckily, he also had new onboard cameras from Replay.

Update: new angle added.

Thanks to West Coast GP Cycles for the suspension setup help. :continue:

Wes Siler. July 18th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (43)

A two-wheeled tribute to the Space Shuttle

As motorcyclists, you and I probably have a little more in common with astronauts than the average person. We know what it is to take risks, we know what it means to delicately control a machine on the razor edge of performance and we spend a lifetime perfecting the skills required to do so. Constantly pursuing technical innovation in the name of speed, motorcycle manufacturers have something in common with NASA too. So, as the shuttle program prepares to make its final flight tomorrow, Aprilia USA thought it would make sense to put together a little tribute to the men and women, the engineering and the sheer bravery that’s inspired so many, including us. :continue:

Wes Siler. July 8th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (61)

Aprilia RSV4 vs Nissan GT-R

When it was released in 2008, the Nissan GT-R shook the world of fast cars to its core, obliterating more powerful competition from more heralded automakers to set a new lap record at the Nurburgring. It did that using not raw power, but advanced electronics that made it both faster and more controllable than any car before. The Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE promises to do the same thing to the bike world using launch control, wheelie control, traction control and quickshift optimized for performance not safety. But, which revolutionary vehicle is faster, bike or car? :continue:

Wes Siler. June 22nd, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (62)

Aprilia Performance Ride Control explained

For the first time in two-wheeled history, motorcycle performance is no longer being measured merely in power and weight, but also in how closely a rider can come to exploiting the bike’s full potential. New technology is enabling riders to approach or even exceed the limits of motorcycles that are faster than ever before. That’s a reflection of what’s happening on race tracks. Max Biaggi didn’t win the SBK World Championship simply because his Aprilia RSV4 was the fastest bike on the track, but also because things like wheelie control, launch control and traction control enable him to ride it faster. Now, Aprilia Performance Ride Control is bringing those benefits to the road, for the first time increasing rider control at the very limits of adhesion.

This video will walk you through how APRC works and what it could do for you. :continue:

Wes Siler. June 15th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (31)

How the Aprilia Tuono V4R APRC spins

Chris Harris has been spilling some beans on Ferrari’s treatment of the cars it supplies – or refuses – to journalists for reviews, and it makes my mild reservations about the Aprilia Tuono V4R we were given to ride around the Valencia MotoGP circuit look desperately over-sensitive. Test cars with blatantly tuned engines, different set-up cars supplied depending on the tests being done, Ferrari technicians visiting circuits days in advance to make sure the cars are set up perfectly. So how did Aprilia modify the Tuono for the European press launch? And, more importantly, why? :continue:

Kevin Ash. April 14th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (18)

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