The Aprilia RS50 was an awesome bike of its class. It had the capacity of a 50cc engine but the build of an adventurous sports racer—the ideal bike for the next generation of riders.
What's a brand new Aprilia RS50 from the early 2000s worth nowadays? The RS50 is one of the most iconic and desirable bikes that Aprilia has ever produced. Using the top-notch specification and style that we've come to expect from Aprilia, the RS50 is a real head-turner and one that many would like to get their hands on.
With a design that appealed to younger riders and specifications that made parents and authority figures feel at ease, owning an RS50 is something that will make you feel good about your motorcycling dollar.
Let's take a look at what such an Aprilia would cost these days.
Perfect Bike For Young Riders
When the RS50 made its 1998 debut, Aprilia seemed to have created the perfect sports bike for younger riders. The sports bike came with the latest features of its day, but it also checked all the safety boxes parents and regulatory bodies could draw up for their 16-year-olds.
Aprilia wanted to create a design that appealed to all demographics; the "overseers" had to see the bike's safety, while the riders had to be thrilled by its excellent design, 50 cc engine capacity, and 60 mph top speed.
With its racer appearance and sporty look, the RS50 depicted adventure but with heavy consideration for safety. It is not surprising that even decades after its debut, Aprilia maintains the RS50 brand, and the public is still receptive to its balanced design.
How RS50 Evolved In The 2000s
Despite being the hallmark moped of the early 2000s, the RS50 had faster and more adventurous-looking competitions like the Suzuki SV650, and it would have gone obsolete within the decade of its launch. It became necessary to upgrade this sports bike.
In 2006, Aprilia released an upgraded RS50; it maintained the same moped limits but was designed to endear thrill-seekers. This upgraded design had an aluminum frame, under the seat exhaust, radial caliper front brake, and lightweight wheels—features it had in common with larger bikes and GP racers.
By creating this evolved design, Aprilia declared its RS50 as a sports motorcycle, the only 50cc supersport of that time.
This production had the signature Aprilia RS Liquid-cooled, single-cylinder two-stroke engine design handed down and adjusted into more modern configurations for the newer versions of this supersport moped.
What The 2000s' Aprilia RS50 Is worth today
Even in 2021, it is hard to ignore the quality of the RS50 brand. Aprilia has continued to create newer models of this time-tested motorbike to preserve that legacy of building a younger generation of racers without losing the focus on safety.
The RS50 E4 comes with a similar build as its 2000s ancestors, maintaining that adventurous sports racer design with a multi-plate clutch, 94.47 mpg, a more environmentally sustainable emission, and two-toned color schemes.
You can always opt for the latest Aprilia RS50 E4, but if you are as sentimental about the past as we are, you will still have some attachments to the earliest RS50.
The cost of buying this RS50 varies based on the production year and the maintenance of the bike. A well-maintained 1999 RS50 with 5km fuel economy costs $2500 on 2040 Motos, while a 2002 alternative costs $2000. The imbalance in the costs can result from the fact that a 1990 variation is considered older and perhaps a classic in this context, while the 2002 model still has a few years to go before it meets that standard.
Challenges With The Aprilia RS50
Building a moped with a supersport design may have been one of Aprilia's best design decisions, but it also came at a cost. Not just the price tag as the bike also required the commitment races give their superbikes.
Giving your 16-year-old an RS50 was one of the best ways to build their sense of responsibility in the 2000s. The bike's two-stroke engine had an insatiable thirst for the best two-stroke oil and seemed to consume spark plugs at an alarming rate.
This challenge was the ultimate result of creating a two-stroke engine with lesser capacity than it should have. The engine could power a GP racer at full capacity, but at the RS50 capacity, it demanded everything a bigger bike would require but had a limited output.
The engine was also prone to seizures and frequent breakdowns—another irrefutable consequence of its lower capacity. To truly enjoy this bike, you would need an experienced mechanic to overhaul and rebuild some of its components, which is not a good look for older versions.
Getting an RS50 from the 2000s may seem a great idea when you consider the prospect of owning a classic moped, but the prudence may fault at the fact that most RS50 of that time have either been rebuilt or are barely sputtering to life.