Aprilia

An Aprilia RS125, model of 1998

Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle company, which in recent times bought the historical Moto-Guzzi and Laverda brands.

Aprilia started as a scooter manufacturer, but has more recently come to be known for its race-winning sportsbikes. It is most recently best known for its flagship 1000 cc V-Twin Superbike, the RSV Mille.

History

Aprilia was founded immediately after the Second World War by Cavaliere Alberto Beggio, as a bicycle production factory at Noale, Italy in the province of Venice.

Alberto’s son, Ivano Beggio, took over the helm of the company in 1968 and he constructed a 50 cc "motorcycle" with a dozen or so collaborators. The first production Aprilia mopeds were named Colibrì, Daniela and Packi. Aprilia later produced a motocross bike in 1970 called the Scarabeo. Produced until the end of the 1970s, the Scarabeo came in 50 and 125 cc versions.

In 1977 Ivan Alborghetti from Milan, Italy won the Italian 125 and 250 cc motorcross championships on Aprilias. In 1978 Alborghetti closed the season with two third places in individual races and sixth place in the World Championship.

In the 1980s Aprilia added enduro, trials and road bikes of between 50 and 600 cc. In 1981 Aprilia introduced the TL320 trials machine. In 1983 Aprilia launched to St 125 road bike. In 1984 Aprilia launched an improved model called STX, and an enduro, called the ET 50.

In 1985, Aprilia started outsourcing engines for some models to the Austrian company Rotax. In 1985 Aprilia launched a 125 STX and 350 STX. In 1986 Aprilia launched the AF1; a small sports model, and the Tuareg; a large tanked bike for African rallies.

In 1985 Aprilia rider Philippe Berlatier contended for the trials world championship reaching fifth place, and Loris Reggiani rode an Aprilia GP 250 with Rotax engine to sixth place in the road racing World Championship. Two seasons later, on August 30, 1987, at San Marino Grand Prix in Misano Loris Reggiani’s AF1 won the first World Speed Championship.

In 1990 Aprilia launched the Pegaso 600, a road bike derived from off-road mechanics.

In 1992 Aprilia rider Alessandro Gramigni won the World 125 Road Racing Championship title. Also in 1992, Tommy Ahvala won the World Trials Championship on an Aprilia Climber. Since then, Aprilia has 124 times won 125 and 250 cc class Grand Prix, 15 Road Racing World Championship titles, and 16 European speed titles. Many world champions started on Aprilia such as Biaggi, Capirossi, Gramigni, Locatelli, Sakata and Rossi.

Also in the 1990s, Aprilia entered the scooter market starting in 1990 with Italy’s first all-plastic scooter, the Amico. In 1992, Aprilia introduced the Amico LK and the twin cylinder Pegaso 125, both with catalytic converters. In 1993 Aprilia launched a large diameter wheel scooter reusing the name Scarabeo with a four-stroke, four-valve engine. Later Aprilia launced additional scooters such as the Leonardo, the SR and the Gulliver, to name a few.

Aprilia Moto 6.5 designed by Starck

In 1995, Aprilia commission Philippe Starck to design the Motò which was shown in New York’s Modern Art Museum. Also in 1995 Aprilia launched the two stroke RS 125 and RS 250 sports bikes.

In 1998 Aprilia launched what is its current flagship model the RSV Mille, a 1000cc V-Twin Superbike, and the Falco, a 1000cc V-Twin sport tourer with emphasis on sport. Both bikes used a variation of a Rotax 1000cc engine.

In 1999 Aprilia entered World Superbike Championship racing with its RSV Mille, and during 2000, Aprilia acquired Moto-Guzzi and Laverda, both historic heritage Italian marques.

In 2000 Aprilia launched the 50cc DiTech (Direct Injection Technology) two stroke engine for scooters which provides high milage and low emissions, and also the RST Futura; true sport tourer, and the ETV 1000 Caponord; an "Adventure Touring Motorcycle" (also known by some as a "Trailie.") Both of these latter two motorcycles used a variation of the Rotax a 1000cc V-Twin.

Most recently, in 2003, Aprilia launched the RSV Mille Tuono which was essentially an RSV Mille with motorcross-style high handlebars and only a small headlight fairing. Most of the major motorcycle magazines picked it for the best bike of the year.

As of 2004 Aprilia was acquired by Piaggio & C. SpA, to form the world’s fourth largest motorcycle group with 1.5 billion Euro in sales, an annual production capacity of over 600,000 vehicles, and a presence in 50 countries.

With the acquisition by Piaggio, the newly nominated President of Aprilia is Roberto Colaninno (President of Piaggio & C.), and the Managing Director is Rocco Sabelli. The founder, Ivano Beggio, is the Honorary President.

Racing

Despite being a relatively small company by global motorcycling standards, Aprilia is very active in motorcycle racing. It contests many formulae, including the FIM 125 cc World Championship, the FIM 250cc World Championship, the now-defunct FIM 500cc World Championship, and from 2002-2004 the FIM MotoGP World Championship.

Aprilia Racing saw varying successes. They were extremely successful in the smaller displacement categories, winning numerous races & championships in the 125 cc Grand Prix and 250 cc Grand Prix classes. However, their 500 cc Grand Prix bike was less competitive, and their MotoGP effort - dubbed the RS3 - was technically advanced but difficult to ride and performed poorly in the championship. The RS3 did, however, feature many advanced technologies either not seen or only being seen now in other MotoGP bikes - technologies including throttle by wire and pneumatic valve actuation systems.

Aprilia also feature in the off-road racing world, with their 450cc V-Twin motocrosser producing respectable results (including race wins) in both off-road (Motocross) and on-road (Supermoto) categories.

The company is also notable for choosing somewhat unpopular engine configurations. For example, they progressed with development of a V-Twin 500 cc Grand Prix bike when other teams were moving to V-Four configurations for what some believed was better & more usable power outputs. Aprilia continued this trend, taking advantage of lighter minimum weights with the introduction of their RS3 MotoGP bike - featuring three cylinders in an Inline triple layout, the bike had the least number of cylinders on the Grand Prix paddock. Yamaha had gone ahead with an inline four layout, whilst Suzuki and Ducati went for (differently-designed) V-Four layouts. Honda took the idea even further, producing the championship-winning RC211V, powered by a V5 cylinder engine.

External links

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  • Forum for aprilia enthusiasts

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Honda took the idea even further, producing the championship-winning RC211V, powered by a V5 cylinder engine. Recently, Gap has begun to use celebrity spokesmodels in their television advertisements, including Daft Punk, Madonna, JC Chasez, Missy Elliot, Lenny Kravitz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tweet, Mary J Blige, and Joss Stone. Yamaha had gone ahead with an inline four layout, whilst Suzuki and Ducati went for (differently-designed) V-Four layouts. Phantom Planet frontman Alex Greenwald became the popular face of many television commercials for Gap. Aprilia continued this trend, taking advantage of lighter minimum weights with the introduction of their RS3 MotoGP bike - featuring three cylinders in an Inline triple layout, the bike had the least number of cylinders on the Grand Prix paddock. In addition to the unique visual elements and the use of popular music, the commercials are also notable for introducing the American public to time slice photography, more commonly known as "bullet-time" in their commercial "Khakis Swing" (a year before the technology would become popularized by The Matrix). For example, they progressed with development of a V-Twin 500 cc Grand Prix bike when other teams were moving to V-Four configurations for what some believed was better & more usable power outputs. They introduced the white letterbox format that has become the signature style of their commercials to date.

The company is also notable for choosing somewhat unpopular engine configurations. In 1998, Gap commissioned music video director Mike Mills to make a set of visually striking ads to promote their khakis. Aprilia also feature in the off-road racing world, with their 450cc V-Twin motocrosser producing respectable results (including race wins) in both off-road (Motocross) and on-road (Supermoto) categories. GapMen. The RS3 did, however, feature many advanced technologies either not seen or only being seen now in other MotoGP bikes - technologies including throttle by wire and pneumatic valve actuation systems. The Gap Warehouse (forerunner to Old Navy, which opened in 1994). However, their 500 cc Grand Prix bike was less competitive, and their MotoGP effort - dubbed the RS3 - was technically advanced but difficult to ride and performed poorly in the championship. GapAccessories.

They were extremely successful in the smaller displacement categories, winning numerous races & championships in the 125 cc Grand Prix and 250 cc Grand Prix classes. Gapmaternity. Aprilia Racing saw varying successes. GapBody. It contests many formulae, including the FIM 125 cc World Championship, the FIM 250cc World Championship, the now-defunct FIM 500cc World Championship, and from 2002-2004 the FIM MotoGP World Championship. babyGap. Despite being a relatively small company by global motorcycling standards, Aprilia is very active in motorcycle racing. GapKids.

The founder, Ivano Beggio, is the Honorary President. Gap. With the acquisition by Piaggio, the newly nominated President of Aprilia is Roberto Colaninno (President of Piaggio & C.), and the Managing Director is Rocco Sabelli. See also: statements on social responsibility from Gap. SpA, to form the world’s fourth largest motorcycle group with 1.5 billion Euro in sales, an annual production capacity of over 600,000 vehicles, and a presence in 50 countries. A settlement of 20 million dollars was reached, but Gap contends that the allegations were without merit, saying that lumping the companies together in one lawsuit was unfair. As of 2004 Aprilia was acquired by Piaggio & C. The allegations included "off the clock" hours, where workers were not paid for working overtime, unsafe working conditions, and forced abortion policies.

Most of the major motorcycle magazines picked it for the best bike of the year. During the spring of 2003 Gap, along with 21 other companies, was involved in a class action lawsuit filed by sweatshop workers in Saipan. Most recently, in 2003, Aprilia launched the RSV Mille Tuono which was essentially an RSV Mille with motorcross-style high handlebars and only a small headlight fairing. Gap has received mounting criticism over working conditions in its factories. In 2000 Aprilia launched the 50cc DiTech (Direct Injection Technology) two stroke engine for scooters which provides high milage and low emissions, and also the RST Futura; true sport tourer, and the ETV 1000 Caponord; an "Adventure Touring Motorcycle" (also known by some as a "Trailie.") Both of these latter two motorcycles used a variation of the Rotax a 1000cc V-Twin. Martin, Jorge Montoya, Paul Pressler, James Schneider, Mayo Shattuck, and Margaret Whitman. In 1999 Aprilia entered World Superbike Championship racing with its RSV Mille, and during 2000, Aprilia acquired Moto-Guzzi and Laverda, both historic heritage Italian marques. Fisher, Penelope Hughes, Bob L.

Both bikes used a variation of a Rotax 1000cc engine. Fisher, Robert J. In 1998 Aprilia launched what is its current flagship model the RSV Mille, a 1000cc V-Twin Superbike, and the Falco, a 1000cc V-Twin sport tourer with emphasis on sport. are: Howard Behar, Adrian Bellamy, Domenico De Sole, Donald Fisher, Doris F. Also in 1995 Aprilia launched the two stroke RS 125 and RS 250 sports bikes. Current members of the board of directors of Gap Inc. In 1995, Aprilia commission Philippe Starck to design the Motò which was shown in New York’s Modern Art Museum. (More Information).

Later Aprilia launced additional scooters such as the Leonardo, the SR and the Gulliver, to name a few. The chain's selection will be targeted at women older than 35. In 1993 Aprilia launched a large diameter wheel scooter reusing the name Scarabeo with a four-stroke, four-valve engine. In September 2004, Gap announced the launch of a new chain called Forth & Towne; its first location opened on August 24, 2005, in the Palisades Center in West Nyack, New York. In 1992, Aprilia introduced the Amico LK and the twin cylinder Pegaso 125, both with catalytic converters. In 2004, Gap sold all of its German operations to the Swedish H&M, its main competitor in Europe. Also in the 1990s, Aprilia entered the scooter market starting in 1990 with Italy’s first all-plastic scooter, the Amico. In the United States the campaign was coordinated by the National Labor Committee.

Many world champions started on Aprilia such as Biaggi, Capirossi, Gramigni, Locatelli, Sakata and Rossi. This acceptance came after an international campaign of media criticism and consumer pressure that was organized in Canada by the Maquila Solidarity Network and the Ontario District Council of the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE). Since then, Aprilia has 124 times won 125 and 250 cc class Grand Prix, 15 Road Racing World Championship titles, and 16 European speed titles. In December of 1995 Gap became the first major North American retailer to accept independent monitoring of the working conditions in a contract factory producing its garments. Also in 1992, Tommy Ahvala won the World Trials Championship on an Aprilia Climber. Old Navy was launched in 1994, as a value chain with a specialty flair. In 1992 Aprilia rider Alessandro Gramigni won the World 125 Road Racing Championship title. Banana Republic, formerly a catalog retailer selling safari themed clothing, was purchased by the company in 1983, and eventually was rebranded as an upscale clothing retailer.

In 1990 Aprilia launched the Pegaso 600, a road bike derived from off-road mechanics. The current CEO of Gap is Paul Pressler, who previously ran the Disney theme parks. Two seasons later, on August 30, 1987, at San Marino Grand Prix in Misano Loris Reggiani’s AF1 won the first World Speed Championship. The Fisher family collectively owns about 25% of the company. In 1985 Aprilia rider Philippe Berlatier contended for the trials world championship reaching fifth place, and Loris Reggiani rode an Aprilia GP 250 with Rotax engine to sixth place in the road racing World Championship. Donald Fisher retired as Chairman of the Board in 2004 and was replaced by his son, Robert Fisher. In 1986 Aprilia launched the AF1; a small sports model, and the Tuareg; a large tanked bike for African rallies. had approximately 150,000 employees and operated 3,005 stores worldwide.

In 1985 Aprilia launched a 125 STX and 350 STX. As of April 2, 2005, Gap Inc. In 1985, Aprilia started outsourcing engines for some models to the Austrian company Rotax. [4]. In 1984 Aprilia launched an improved model called STX, and an enduro, called the ET 50. One of the original mottos of the company was "Levi's for Guys and Gals." Around 1982 Gap began focusing on its own private label clothing and by 1991–1992 the company had stopped carrying Levi's. In 1983 Aprilia launched to St 125 road bike. (The notion that Gap is an acronym for "Gay And Proud" is an urban myth.) [3]) The Fishers had been frustrated with the lack of decent customer service and fashionable styles at other retailers.

In 1981 Aprilia introduced the TL320 trials machine. The name came from the growing differences between children and adults, called "the generation gap", which reached its peak with the hippie movement. In the 1980s Aprilia added enduro, trials and road bikes of between 50 and 600 cc. Gap was founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris Fisher. In 1978 Alborghetti closed the season with two third places in individual races and sixth place in the World Championship. . In 1977 Ivan Alborghetti from Milan, Italy won the Italian 125 and 250 cc motorcross championships on Aprilias. also owns and runs the Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Forth & Towne clothing store chains.

Produced until the end of the 1970s, the Scarabeo came in 50 and 125 cc versions. Gap Inc. Aprilia later produced a motocross bike in 1970 called the Scarabeo. as well as in Canada, United Kingdom, France, and Japan. The first production Aprilia mopeds were named Colibrì, Daniela and Packi. Its namesake chain, Gap (originally The Gap), operates in the U.S. Alberto’s son, Ivano Beggio, took over the helm of the company in 1968 and he constructed a 50 cc "motorcycle" with a dozen or so collaborators. Their headquarters are located in San Francisco, California.

Aprilia was founded immediately after the Second World War by Cavaliere Alberto Beggio, as a bicycle production factory at Noale, Italy in the province of Venice. Gap Inc. NYSE: GPS is the largest specialty retailer in the United States. . It is most recently best known for its flagship 1000 cc V-Twin Superbike, the RSV Mille. Aprilia started as a scooter manufacturer, but has more recently come to be known for its race-winning sportsbikes.

Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle company, which in recent times bought the historical Moto-Guzzi and Laverda brands. Forum for aprilia enthusiasts. Aprilia.