Aprilia Motorcycles

Greetings from the ACR Vairano test circuit just south of Milan, Italy. I've just finished testing the all-new, 2011 Aprilia RS4 125, which is Aprilia's first step away from the 2-strokes that made them famous.

Aprilia will still sell the much sought after RS 125 2-stroke alongside its new 4-stroke 125 but it's obvious that it will be phased out at some point. Despite being restricted to 15 horsepower and 11Nm of torque, the small, single-cylinder race bike provided plenty of fun on the circuit.

I must admit that because I'm always testing the latest superbikes, the RS4 125 felt a bit on the docile side at first. But in terms of 125cc 4-strokes, the RS4 125 is pretty much at the top end of affairs.

Most of the power is up above 10k rpm and that's where I desperately tried to stay most of the time. The brakes are great and consists of one 300mm disc with a 4-pot radial caliper attached.

The lightness can be felt both on the brakes and whilst tackling one the tight chicanes at Vairano. I could flick the RS4 through them like a bicycle, that's how light it feels.

I had fun doing slipstream racing passes on my colleagues and some of them returned the favor as well. Keeping the momentum is alpha omega on this bike.

The Aprilia RS4 125 is a great bike for 16-year old youngsters, and also for those that want a cheap but grown up looking light weight bike.

It'll do 121km/h on the speedo, as this was the absolute maximum we could see on this circuit. Stay tuned to UltimateMotorCycling.com for a full review.

Prices: £3,999 in the UK ($6500 USD), and €4,300-4,800 around Europe.