Aprilia is one of the seven motorcycle brands that make up the Piaggio family, and it in turn owns another marque, Moto Guzzi. The company is today based in Noale, Italy. It was originally started as a bicycle manufacturing business by Alberto Beggio in 1945, but it was his son Ivano who in 1968 came up with the idea of building a small 50 cc motorcycle- a moped really.
Aprilia has also tasted race success, enjoying numerous victories in racing. The first win came courtesy of Ivan Alborgetti in 1977 in both the 125 and 250 cc classes of the Italian motocross. Most recently in 2006 and 2007 they won the 250 cc MotoGP class with Jorge Lorenzo. In the 80’s the company bolstered its offerings with enduro, trial, and road bikes. In the 90’s they added scooters to the lineup with the Amico, an all-plastic affair.
The company’s flagship bike, the 1000 cc RSV Mille, was launched in 1998. In 1995 Aprilia commissioned artist Phillipe Starck to design the Moto, a bike that was later displayed at the New York Museum of Modern Art, a rare honour for a recent motorcycle. 1999 heralded an entry into the World Superbike Championship with the RSV Mille, and in the same year Aprilia acquired fellow manufacturer Moto Guzzi. The new machine immediately won several accolades in the motoring press, picking up many ‘Motorcycle of the Year’ awards.
Aprilia’s current models are the Dorsoduro, the Caponord, the Mana, the Mojito scooter, the Pegaso series, the RSV series, the Scarabeo range of scooters, and the Tuono series.
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