Aprilia Motorcycles

The Remarkable History of Aprilia

The Remarkable History of Aprilia

Aprilia is a renowned Italian motorcycle manufacturer owned by Piaggio. The company was founded by Alberto Beggio in 1945 after World War II. Aprilia made a simple start by producing bicycles and then moved on to produce scooters. However, it was destined to make a big name in motorcycle manufacturing. Currently, it is one of the best Italian motorcycle brands with a popular sports bike lineup. Despite making a start in motocross racing, Aprilia earned a big name in road racing by winning several international championships thanks to its high-powered racing motorcycles. Read this article to learn about the remarkable history of Aprilia.

1. The Remarkable History of Aprilia

1945

1.1 Started as a Bicycle Manufacturer

Established in 1945 in Noale, Italy after the Second World War, Aprilia initially used to produce bicycles.

1968

1.2 Becoming a Motorcycle Manufacturer

Aprilia’s journey as a motorcycle manufacturer started in 1968 after the founder, Alberto Beggio, handed over the company to his son, Ivano Beggio. Ivano decided to change the company’s direction to make it more innovative and profitable by manufacturing a motorcycle powered by a 50 cc engine. The first production motorcycles by Aprilia were mopeds, which were small motorcycles with both cycling pedals and a motorcycle engine, named Packi, Daniela, and Colibri.

1970

Extending its lineup, Aprilia produced a motocross motorcycle in 1970, known as the Aprilia Scarabeo, available in two variants: 50 cc and 125 cc.

1977

Aprilia continued to make progress as a motorcycle brand, starting its legacy by winning 1977 motocross championships in 125 cc and 250 cc categories thanks to Ivan Alborghetti from Milan, Italy, who rode the Aprilia motorcycle.

1978

Ivan Alborghetti continued the association with Aprilia and performed well in the 1978 World Racing Championship. He finished in second spot in two individual races and sixth spot in the final race of the World Championship.

1980s

In the 1980s, Aprilia became a versatile motorcycle manufacturer by producing motorcycles in multiple categories, including road bikes, trial bikes, and enduros.

1981

Motorcycle Introduced
Year Introduced Model Motorcycle Type
1981 Aprilia TL320 Trial Bike

1983

Motorcycle Introduced
Year Introduced Model Motorcycle Type
1983 Aprilia ST 125 Road Bike

1984

Motorcycles Introduced
Year Introduced Model Motorcycle Type
1984 Aprilia STX Road Bike
Aprilia ET 50 Enduro

1985

Motorcycle Introduced
Year Introduced Model Motorcycle Type
1985 Aprilia 125 STX Road Bike

In 1985, Aprilia contracted with an Austrian engine manufacturer, Rotex, to design engines for some models.

1986

Motorcycles Introduced
Year Introduced Model Motorcycle Type
1986 Aprilia AF1 Low-Powered Sports Bike
Aprilia Tuareg Dual-Sports Bike

The Aprilia AF1 was a small sports bike powered by a 50 cc or 125 cc engine. Meanwhile, the Aprilia Tuareg was a dual-sport bike fitted with a large fuel tank, specially designed for the Dakar Rally.


Year Rider Event Motorcycle Standing
Races Won
1986 Philippe Berlatier World Trials Championship Trial Bike Fifth
1986 Loris Reggiani Word Road-Racing Championship Aprilia GP 250 Sixth

1987

1.3 Aprilia’s First Win at the Grand Prix

Aprilia’s First Win at the Grand Prix
Photo Credit: Hot Cars

In 1987, the Aprilia AF1 won the first World Speed Championship at the San Marino Grand Prix.

1988

In 1988, Aprilia participated in the French Grand Prix in the 125 cc category for the first time and won the race.

1990

Motorcycles Introduced
Year Introduced Model Motorcycle Type
1990 Aprilia Pegaso 600 Road Bike
Amico Scooter

1.4 First Scooter by Aprilia 

The Aprilia Amico was the first scooter manufactured by Aprilia in 1990, completely made from plastic, powered by a 50 cc engine.

1992

Motorcycles Introduced
Year Introduced Model Motorcycle Type
1992 Aprilia Amico LK Scooter
Aprilia Pegaso 125 Road Bike

Year Rider Event Motorcycle Standing
Races Won
1992 Alessandro Gramigni World 125 Road Racing Championship Aprilia 1st
Tommy Ahvala World Trials Championship Aprilia Climber 1st

1.5 Titles Won

Title Number of Titles Won
European Speed Title 16
World Road Racing Championship 15
Grand Prix (125 and 250 cc Category) 124

1.6 World Racing Champions Who Joined Aprilia 

  • Valentino Rossi
  • Massimiliano Biaggi
  • Loris Capirossi
  • Alessandro Gramigni
  • Sakata
  • Locatelli

1993

Motorcycle Introduced
Year Introduced Model Motorcycle Type Engine
1993 Aprilia Scarabeo Scooter (with large diameter wheels) Four-Stroke Engine

In the scooters category, Aprilia further launched the Aprilia Gulliver, the SR, and the Leonardo to update its scooter lineup. These scooters were fitted with a four-stroke engine and large-diameter wheels.

1994

1.7 Journey to Become World Racing Champion

Races Won
Year Rider Event Motorcycle Venues Standing
1994 Max Biaggi World Racing Championship 250 cc Aprilia Barcelona
Holland
Czech Republic
Australia
Malaysia
1st

1995

1.8 Receiving Manufacturer Title

Receiving Manufacturer Title
Photo Credit: 2NER Nation

Aprilia hired a renowned architecture and vehicle designer, Philippe Starck, to design a motorcycle that was later displayed at the Modern Art Museum in New York. 1995 was a successful year for the company as Max Biaggi sacked a total of nine victories at the Grand Prix World Championship, achieving the status of World Champions. In the same year, Aprilia also won the Manufacturer Title for the first time.


Motorcycles Introduced
Year Introduced Model Motorcycle Type Engine
1995 Aprilia RS 125 Sports Bike Two-Stroke 125 cc Engine
Aprilia RS 250 Sports Bike Two-Stroke 250 cc Engine

1996

In 1996, Max Biaggi managed to win another Grand Prix World Championship, ensuring a winning streak of 3 times. The tremendous record helped Aprillia win the Manufacturer Title in 1996.

1998

Motorcycles Introduced
Year Introduced Model Motorcycle Type Engine
1998 Aprilia RSV Mille Sports Bike 1,000 cc V-Twin Rotax Engine
Aprilia Falco Sports Bike

1999

Aprilia decided to take its newly-introduced sports bike, the Aprilia RSV Mille, to the World Superbike Championship. This motorcycle was the first-ever large-displacement sports bike by Aprilia. The Aprilia RSV Mille was powered by a 998 cc engine capable of a horsepower of 128 hp and could attain a top speed of 178 mph.

2000

1.9 Acquiring Laverda and Moto Guzzi

In 2000, Aprilia became a giant motorcycle brand and decided to acquire two Italian motorcycle brands, Laverda and Moto Guzzi. The company also upgraded its scooter engines by including Direct Fuel Injection (DFI) technology to improve the fuel economy and comply with the emission guidelines.


Motorcycles Introduced
Year Introduced Model Motorcycle Type Engine
2000 Aprilia RST Futura Sport-Touring Bike 1,000 cc V-Twin Rotax Engine
Aprilia ETV 1000 Caponord Adventure-Touring Bike

2003

Motorcycle Introduced
Year Introduced Model Motorcycle Type
2003 Aprilia RSV Mille Tuono Naked Bike

The Aprilia RSV Mille Tuono was considered as the best motorcycle of the year as picked by several magazines. Despite being a naked bike, this motorcycle had a front fairing and high handlebars.

2004

1.10 Acquisition by Piaggio

In 2004, Aprilia was acquired by one of the biggest Italian and worldwide vehicle manufacturers, Piaggio & Co. SpA. The acquisition made Piaggio the fourth-largest group, having its presence in 50 countries, a production capacity of 600,000 automobiles, and 1.5 billion Euros in sales.

2007

In the 2007s world racing championship, Aprilia once again performed tremendously well in the 125 and 250 cc categories which made it earn the Manufacturer Title.

2008

Aprilia won the Manufacturer Title once again in 2008 in 125 and 250 cc categories.

2010

Aprilia’s success and dominance in the world racing championship made it a bigger brand than MV Agusta, having claimed victories more than 276 times.

2011

Races Won
Year Rider Title Event
2011 Adrien Chareyre Supermoto S1 World Championship French MotoGP

2012

Races Won
Year Rider Title
2012 Max Biaggi Superbike World Championship

2013

2013 was another successful year for Aprilia as it finished the season while being undefeated and claiming 5 out of the first 6 positions on the podium.

2014

Races Won
Year Motorcycle Rider Title
2014 Aprilia RSV4 Sylvain Guintoli (French) World Superbike Champion

Aprilia also won the Manufacturer Title for the third time consecutively.

2016

In 2016, Aprilia Racing manufactured the first MotoGP motorcycle, known as the Aprilia RS-GP.

2019

In 2019, Aprilia introduced the Aprilia RS 660 and the Aprilia Tuono 660 in the middleweight category.

1.11 Aprilia Evolution from 1990 to 2019

Aprilia Evolution from 1990 to 2019
Photo Credit: Run Moto Run

2020

Another successful motorcycle, the Aprilia RS 660 was launched. The Aprilia RS 660 was designed to capture the beginner and intermediate market. Despite being powered by a medium-sized engine (660 cc), it could attain a top speed of around 143 mph.

2021

1.12 Introducing V4 Engine

In 2021, Aprilia introduced a newly designed and more powerful V4 engine to ensure high speed and low weight in its motorcycles. The V4 engine design is better than an inline four-cylinder engine when it comes to high power output due to being fitted with stronger and shorter crankshafts. These crankshafts allow more number of revs, increasing the power output by the V4 engine.

2023

1.13 Current Lineup

2023 Aprilia Motorcycles (Base Models)
Model Motorcycle Type Engine Horsepower Torque Wet Weight Base Price
Aprilia RS 660 Sports Bike 659 cc 100 hp @ 10,500 rpm 67 Nm @ 8,500 rpm 403 lbs $11,499
Aprilia Tuono 660 Naked Bike  659 cc 100 hp @ 10,500 rpm 67 Nm @ 8,500 rpm 183 kg $10,499
Aprilia Tuareg 660 Adventure Bike 659 cc 79 hp @ 9,250 rpm 70 Nm @ 6,500 rpm 449.7 lbs $12,699
Aprilia RSV4 Sports Bike 1,099 cc 217 hp @ 13,000 rpm 125 Nm @ 10,500 rpm 445.3 lbs $18,999
Aprilia Tuono V4 Naked Bike 1,077 cc 175 hp @ 11,350 rpm 121 Nm @ 9,000 rpm 460 lbs $16,199

2. Wrap-Up

Aprilia has a rich history of ruling race tracks with its powerful engine designs and fast motorcycles. The brand started its journey by producing bicycles and then moved on to manufacture scooters. Initially, Aprilia produced off-road motorcycles, including enduros, dual-sports bikes, and trial bikes. Later, it discovered the passion for road racing and produced several road bikes, including sports bikes and MotoGP bikes which dominated the Grand Prix and World Road-Racing Championships. Today, Aprilia is considered to be one of the best Italian motorcycle brands with its versatile motorcycle lineup, serving worldwide markets.


Doesn’t matter which motorcycle you own, you can modify it with the aftermarket parts available at Viking Bags to make it capable of better long-distance performance. The motorcycle parts include fairings, crash bars, sissy bars, sissy bar pads, touring-oriented handlebars, and comfortable seats. Viking Bags also offers a variety of luggage bag options, including tank bags, trunk bags, sissy bar bags, and saddlebags to make your motorcycle an ideal touring bike.

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