a photo
Year of issue
| Engine
| Power
| Weight
| Top speed
| Estimated price
For a long time I was going to - I was waiting for the opportunity - to ride on this small but wild “beast”, which, without regard to racing authorities - Yamaha TZ125, Honda RS125 or Cagiva Mito - rules the ball in the World Championship in 125 cmz class, starting already in 1993. RS125 is incredibly popular in Europe, but it is still quite rare here.
In the “roaring” 80s, young people who were growing up technical progress became more and more demanding. “Bicycle-like” absurdities were fed up - the audience asked for something more significant: to look “grown-up”, it was fun and inexpensive. In response to expectations, in April April 1986 introduced a miniature “fifty dollars” AF1 with a steel diagonal frame, a “live” two-stroke engine and a Grand Prix-style fairing. The machine immediately received a bunch of rave reviews. But before the people had time to enjoy the joy, in 1987 a version with a 125 smz engine appeared on the market. A year later, the company prepared a car for MotoGP, in the 125 smz class, where it immediately took a pretty good 13th place. The next three years, the factory team worked hard on the result, and 1992 brought her a well-deserved victory. For the season "93 prepared a new race car, the" civilian "version of which was called RS125. It took a year to finish the bike, after which Aprilia pilots turned the world championship into their performance (many first, second places and victories in the Design Cup), which, by the way, continues to this day.
The racing glory of Aprilia RS125 poured a generous rain on the heads of fans. Those rushed to the motor show, where they were waiting for the road version. She was much closer to racing cars than many could have imagined.
That's what I’ll be testing. It's a pity that this is not a full-racing version, which produces 33 hp. at 11, 250 rpm, and “strangled” by law-abiding Europeans 15-strong road modification.
First about landing. It really without options is purely sporty: the body is strongly inclined forward. The steering wheel is low and narrow. The steps are offset back and raised high above the road. Before my eyes is a miniature front fairing and an old-fashioned, made in the style of racing classics, instrument panel. Everything is very in place. Except that the size of the motorcycle is embarrassing: it looks elegant, but just sitting on top of it you realize how much more compact and lighter it is even the most advanced “four hundred”. Big uncles are uncomfortable here in the saddle, but the average sportbiker, according to anthropometric data, will appreciate the ability to merge with the car at almost the molecular level: knees comfortably lie in the recesses in the tank, you find the steps and control knobs without searching, sticks out and does not interfere with the main thing - get high from management.