For decades, Aprilia pretty much only focused on small bikes, scooters, and the odd dirt bike. Two-stroke was what they knew, and they did an incredible job of producing excellent high performance machines that catered to the small displacement racing scene. It was racing that inspired them to make their first four-stroke machines, not on track, but endurance.
After experiencing some success with the Tuareg as well as having a couple other flops along the way, they eventually teamed up with Rotax to produce their first fully-fledged superbike in the late 90s. Suffice to say that they have not looked back since.
10 Tuareg 600
When Aprilia entered the growing enduro market in the 80s, they knew they would need a four-stroke; enter the 350 thumper.
With the desire to enter the Dakar Rally (and other off-road endurance events) they needed a bigger, more powerful machine. The answer to that was an even bigger thumper, the 562cc single made a respectable 46 horsepower, which was class-leading back in the late 80s.
9 RS 250
No Aprilia list would be complete without a two-stroke, and the RS 250 is by some distance their best effort.
It was a true race-machine that made incredible power for its size and would rocket the light little bike to incredible speeds with its 72 screaming horses.
8 Tuono 1000 Racing
With 130 horsepower on tap, this was one of the most powerful V-twins on the market back in the early 00s.
Both this and the Mille benefited greatly from the Rotax developed engine, making them some of the most (mechanically) reliable bikes to come out of Noale.
7 TX 300
It was the first and last of its kind, although they were accomplished and very competitive bikes, Aprilia just were not that interested in making trials bikes.
It is a very interesting little machine, today they are rare and sought after. It only makes around 20 horsepower, but these bikes were rather obviously not built for speed.
6 Tuono 660
Aprilia have really hit their stride in recent years and their show of intent to capture a wider audience was made clear when they introduced the 660 bikes, both this and the RS model are competitively priced and come standard with incredible looks.
Performance-wise, it makes a solid 100 horsepower, plenty for a mid-range bike like this. It isn’t all about the power either, these bikes have one of the best chassis in their class, making them agile and a blast to ride through the twisties.
5 RSV Mille
One of the most underrated motorcycles going around, it also hasn’t quite made the cut as a classic, or future classic for that matter.
It is an incredible machine though, when it came out it was something of an unknown but today with the power of hindsight we know these bikes are solid and make characteristic V-twin torquey power.
4 RXV 550
With pretty much every brand in the world turning to the single-cylinder engine configuration for their dirt bikes, making theirs a V-twin seemed like a bit of a gamble at the time.
As it turns out, it was. The bike flopped sales-wise, most prospective buyers anticipated the comparatively high maintenance costs and decided the extra performance just wasn’t worth it, if you want a totally unique dirt bike, look no further.
3 RSV4
Without doubt one of the coolest bikes around today, it is a powerhouse of a V4 that has some serious racing pedigree.
Design-wise it is one of the best-looking machines out there, only really shown up by some of the other Italian bikes, and its semi-faired sister...
2 Dorsoduro 750
Although there are several grumbles that the bike didn’t quite live up to expectations and complain that it is too tall for most riders, too heavy to be a real supermotard, and not quite as powerful as the bonkers Ducati Hypermotard.
This is a bike that exists for the sole purpose to have fun. It looks great from any angle and if you are tall enough (or brave enough) it is a great bike to ride.
1 Tuono V4 X
Taste is very subjective, but there are precious few people out there that would be willing to argue that this is the most beautiful machine currently on the market.
What isn’t subjective is the performance, with well over 200 horsepower it is a flying machine. Its tuned V4 is also something else in person, with a totally addictive soundtrack.