2009 Aprilia RS125GP: 2WheelTimes Quickie-Exclusive First Ride

By: Michael Hannas

 

For 2009, ApriliaUSA has announced they will be importing the two-stroke GP-replica RS125 into the United States for off-road use only. Pity they couldn't get it street-legal for the US like it is in Europe, as it would be a much welcome alternative to the popular Kawasaki Ninja 250 for those looking for a lightweight small-bore sportbike.  As it is it will be track-day fare only, and it is under those premises that Aprilia is importing the bike, making it very clear it is not for use on public highways. 2WT got a chance to sample this track scalpel a few months back when ApriliaUSA was still determining if they were going to bring it to the States during a dealer meeting at MSR Houston. Now that Aprilia has given word that they are indeed, bringing the little RS over, 2WT can break the news on how it is to ride.

Although not a full-on 125 GP race bike, the RS still holds it own against bigger bikes and feels tons lighter and more maneuverable. Since it is only a GP Replica and not Stevie Bonsey's actual GP bike, it is a bit heavier, slower, softer, and physically larger than say a Honda RS125 GP bike. It is still a little smaller than a Ninja 250 but actually fits normal-sized humans alright. Having raced a 125GP machine for a couple years, I'm pretty familiar with how they perform. The Aprilia RS125 Replica is not even close to a full-on 125GP in terms of power and handling. It feels like it has maybe half the horsepower and handles somewhere in between a GP bike and a production-based machine. Nevertheless, it is closer to the GP-bike experience than anything else out there besides a race bike. And every bit as fun on the track.

Most guys who do track days don't race. A lot of these guys have track-only bikes specifically for the handful of track days they do throughout the year, and other bikes they ride on the street. These are the guys Aprilia is hoping will drop $6K for the RS125. Many of these track day riders ride a smaller bike on the track than on the street. Many have tried a few track days on their GSX-R1000 and realized they don't have the talent/skill/experience to handle or use all that power on the track.  Most switch to smaller bikes and see their lap times drop and learning curve accelerate. If smaller is better for these guys, then Aprilia figures the RS125 is best.

The problem for Aprilia may be that as fun as this bike is on the track, if you and your buddy are fairly equal riders of intermediate level at least, you are on the Aprilia and he is on anything larger than a 600, and the track has a few normal-length straight-aways, he will disappear quicker on these straights then you will be able to make back up in the corners. If you and your buddy are both on Aprilia’s, then you will have the funnest track day of your life battling and drafting each other and running around the outside of slower riders in any corner. If you are significantly faster than most of your buddies on your normal bikes, the Aprilia could be fun to get to handicap yourself on the straights and still have an awesome handling machine for the turns. 

The power is about what you would expect out of a street-bike based 125cc two-stroke in the derestricted form it is sold in for US- a little more on top than a Ninja 250 but less torque. As you can imagine if you are on the heftier side or your favorite track has many big hills to climb, you may find yourself looking for more ooomph. If you are of normal size and keep the little engine singing in its sweet spot, she has plenty of juice to see triple-digit speeds and embarrass riders on liter-bikes in the tight stuff. Top speed attained at MSR Houston was an indicated 108mph on the longest straight and still pulling; the RSV1000R's on hand were able to reach around 150mph.

Handling is also what you would expect: GP-like but not quite GP. Weight in reality feels closer to 250GP than 125GP, with suspension action more similar to a production bike than a Grand Prix machine. Being as it is sold as a street-bike in Europe, the RS125 suspension settings move around a little more than a true GP machine, and also offer a more compliant ride over rough surfaces. If you push really hard on the track you can reach the limits of the stock components, but this is at a pace fast enough to finish mid-pack in the 125GP class at a club race against real GP bikes. For anyone that hasn't raced at AMA level and weighs under 200 pounds, the stock suspension will be more than adequate. The brakes work just fine, if you think you need more then you are using them too much. This bike is all about corner speed and keeping momentum. Do it well and you will be rewarded with a razor-sharp tool that will make the most technical track seem twice as wide.

As well as this bike works on the track out of the box, it is a shame there is currently no series to race one in. Aprilia has spoken of maybe arranging some sort of Spec-series for the bikes for up-and-coming teenagers to race identically prepared machines around the country. With the Red Bull Rookies Cup occupying a spot in the AMA/DMG program, where Aprilia will race these bikes remains to be seen. 2WheelTimes thinks the RS125 would be a good match for Ninja 250s in 250 Production classes many clubs around the country have. Hmmm...do I smell a 2WT shootout?

Report Card: 2009 Aprilia RS125 GP Replica