My new Cycle World has a blurb on the Aprilia 450 V-twin motocross engine mentioned here previously. It is a 77-degree V, SOHC, fuel injected unit with the alleged 14,000 rpm limit and also supposed to produce more than 80 horsepower. Think about THAT for a minute.

It is fuel injected (no jetting!) and has the same style valve action as the Honda 450R. Cam-over-valve for the intakes, and rocker arms for the exhaust, all running on one cam (per cylinder). It is very compact. With any luck it will make it into a production quad, not just custom race jobs, and be somewhat affordable.

This is the Next Big Step.

 

And repair/rebuild costs? I'm just trying to think ahead.

 

You crack me up. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

Hasn anybody seen any drawings of the Aprilla moto bike? I am just curious.
P.S. Ridley, don' tyou think it would be fun to run a tt bike on some of those SuperMoto tracks? Pavement, dirt, some jumps, some hills, I want in!

 

hope it holds together better than my aprilla mille. that suck would either not start when i wanted to ride or it would start and get me to the middle of nowhere just to leave me stranded. i think it just didn't like me?

 

this sounds like a kick @ss ride.. im really liking the 14,000 rev limit..
and 80 hp but i bet it has the torque about the same as a banshee..

justin

 

Shady,

You are right. This design is the future of dune / desert quads. Weight would be an issue for me as I have only had light sport machines. I wonder how much the SV650 engine weighs compared to a DS650 engine?? Aprilia claims that the engine has a "record light weight" [of course 500lbs would be the record for a 450 v-twin since there has never been one]

Actually, I think the next big thing is 1 or 2 seat "Pilot-like" vehicles. I believe Bombardier is doing a survey on a sporty looking "Rhino-type" side by side here on ATVConnection right now. Imagine if Yamaha took the Rhino concept a few steps further and put Pilot level or better suspension on it and upgraded the engine to any of their snowmobile engines which now includes a version of the R1. I bet there would be a lot less custom golf carts sold out west. I'm sure the Rhino will steal alot of the cart biz as it is now.

I am planning on buying a single seat Pilot sized buggy from ATVRacing here in Phoenix after the 1st of the year. It is basically an improved version of the Drakart. 15" of travel front and back with an Arctic Cat 700Fi twin. Could cost upwards of $16k, they are finishing the first prototype now. I believe the big manufacturers could bring the same thing to market for $10k.

I believe we are ready to see an EXPLOSION in the diversity of designs. ATV ownership here in AZ has tripled since 2000. That's incredible and that is the type of statistic that drives the manufacturers to introduce new products.

Here is another pix of the Aprilia 450 engine. Click here.

 

That's a cool picture, TRX. Doesn't that guy look just a little like the "mad scientist"? Who, of course, is the one you'd want desiging your quad engine.

 

I think he looks like Lee Corso from ESPN's College Game Day.

 

A quad from Aprilia might not be so far away............

Look E Here!