A 250c two-stroke screamer that'll top 130mph, the RS is basically a road legal racer that will frustrate you in city traffic but let you show bigger bikes the way around on track days so that you can ride home with a really stupid grin on your face.
The 60-degree V-win stroker is based on Suzuki's RGV250 unit, modded with different ignition, air box and exhaust system. Aprilia got it so right that the RS stuffed the RGV on the road - and on the racetrack. Thinking sportsbike riders were chopping in 600s to buy them - and saving a packet on insurance.
The RS got its first major update in 1998 with a wider fairing based on the GP racers that lets you tuck down out of the wind. Aprilia claimed increased acceleration and top speed - even if it wasn't as pretty as the earlier one. Also new for '98 was Showa upside-down forks, a shorter wheelbase. Exhaust tuning lets the later bikes rev past peak power instead of dying at 12,000. There's still nothing much below 8k.
Although the front brake calipers were stiffened up for the 1998 model year, the brakes were always excellent. An on-board computer gives lap times, top speed and other info you'd want to clear as soon as you saw a blue light in your mirror.
Weighing a featherweight 140kg, the 'Prilla can be stuffed late into corners and screamed out - if you keep in the powerband. Get it bogged down and you might as well be on a BSA Bantam. Just like the classic Brit stroker, the RS leaves a whiff of blue two-stroke oil in its exhaust gas, but it is a lot thirstier. Expect 30mpg on a good day - which is why the Aprilia comes with a sensible five-gallon tank. And remember you need to budget for quality oil to burn as well.
The expense doesn't stop there. Use the engine hard and it'll need a top-end overhaul after about 10,00 miles. Just remember it was worth it.
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