Aprilia's RSV4 X ex3ma Is Nearly a MotoGP Bike, But With a Terrible Name

You’ll have to move fast, though, as only 30 of these race-derived machines are being produced.

Photo by: Aprilia

By: Enrico Punsalang

Sep 24, 2024 at 9:06am ET

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Aprilia has always been synonymous with racing. Heck, its tagline says it all, “Be a racer,” and it’s obvious that even if you aren’t a racer, Aprilia’s bikes can sure as hell make you feel like one.

And this can’t be any truer if you have an insatiable thirst for performance and limitless funds, as Aprilia has done the unthinkable. The Italian manufacturer has essentially launched a MotoGP bike for mere mortals in the form of the RSV4 X ex3ma, and the very essence of this bike is all in its name—it’s one extreme machine.

In Aprilia’s long and extremely detailed press release, the company goes on and on about how the RSV4 X ex3ma was developed on the race track and is filled to the brim with technology from Aprilia’s racing division. It even calls the new bike a “Bridge to MotoGP,” and quite frankly, it’s a fitting description given just how crazy this thing is.

Source: Aprilia

And it should go without saying that the insanity goes well beyond the fact that this thing has 230 horses eager to let loose, nor that it weighs in at just 165 kilograms (364 pounds). It’s that this thing is the first production motorcycle in the world to feature what Aprilia calls Ground-Effect Aerodynamics. In essence, this means that the RSV4 X ex3ma has some of the wildest aero out there, and is said to improve downforce (and subsequently, acceleration) due to some very unique bodywork and styling.

Up until now, the Ground-Effect Aerodynamic system was a patented piece of technology exclusive only to the RS-GP MotoGP bike. So it’s pretty sick that mere mortals (albeit super rich mere mortals) now have access to that technology—it’s something you can flex to your buddies on the track, at the very least, right?

Indeed, the RSV4 X ex3ma could very well be Aprilia’s masterpiece in performance. Legendary racer Max Biaggi himself likened the development of the bike to that of a racing prototype. He explained that developing this machine was like fine-tuning a high-performance race bike, and that on the track, it was “an explosion of emotions.”

What do you think?

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It does, however, have a truly terrible name. The Italians should've done a Google search before they branded it, because maybe they would've changed it...

So, how do you get your hands on one of these ultra-high-performance machines? Well, for starters, you’re gonna need to have at least 80,000 euros (about $90,000 USD) burning a massive hole in your pocket. Next, you’re gonna need to get in line and keep your fingers crossed that all 30 of these bikes have yet to be accounted for.