In the world of high-performance motorcycling, Aprilia has always been the thinking man’s Italian exotic. While others traded on myth and red paint, the Varese-based firm built its reputation on the cold, hard logic of the stopwatch. Emerging from the bicycle industry in the late 1960s, Aprilia ascended to global dominance in the 120cc and 250cc Grand Prix categories, securing dozens of world titles with legends like Max Biaggi and Valentino Rossi.
This racing DNA is baked into every aluminum beam of their chassis and every pulse of their high-strung V-twin and V4 engines. From the smoky, two-stroke hooliganism of the RS250 to the world-beating sophistication of the RSV4, Aprilia motorcycles are widely considered the finest-handling machines in the industry. For custom builders, an Aprilia donor represents a daunting but rewarding challenge: how do you improve upon a machine that was born on a starting grid? Here are five of our favorite custom Aprilias that have been featured on Bike EXIF.
The SCM SXV550 by Simone Conti
Simone Conti doesn’t do 'retro.' His builds look like they were harvested from a high-speed collision between a NASA laboratory and a GP paddock. Based on the temperamental but thrilling Aprilia SXV550 supermoto engine, this build was designed to be low, short, and incredibly light. With a dry weight of just 120 kg (265 lbs), it is a distilled version of power-to-weight insanity.
Simone ditched the original Aprilia frame for a custom-built "delta box" design made from 1.5mm steel. The most striking feature is the girder-style front end, damped by a RockShox MTB shock and shrouded in machined steel. The bodywork is a minimalist exercise in hand-beaten aluminum, featuring an "Italian chopper" stance that has evolved into something far more aggressive and experimental.
The 70 hp V-twin breathes through a custom snake-like stainless steel exhaust that terminates in dual carbon mufflers under the tail. Cooling is handled by a pair of Ducati Streetfighter radiators flushed into the lower bodywork. It is a machine that feels like a glimpse into the future of custom building, edgy, original, and unapologetically fast. [MORE]
The 'RoughSV4' by Rough Crafts
Winston Yeh is usually the king of blacked-out Harleys, but when a client delivered a brand-new Aprilia RSV4 Factory to his Taipei shop, he had to pivot to neo-futuristic streetfighter mode. Winston admits that modern superbikes are a nightmare to customize due to the dense packaging of electronics and plumbing. To maintain the signature compact Rough Crafts silhouette without throwing an EFI error code, Winston had to keep the factory electronics and electronically adjustable Öhlins suspension completely intact.
The transformation relied on a total replacement of the stock fairings, replaced by a suite of hand-formed aluminum bodywork by JZO Crafts. The new fuel tank and sculpted tailpiece create an aggressive, hunched-forward stance, while a 3D-printed front shroud houses dual LED projectors. This shroud was a feat of engineering itself, designed to accommodate the electronic steering damper while cleaning up the bike’s face.
Under the skin, the RSV4’s 217 hp V4 is complemented by top-shelf hardware. Winston fitted carbon fiber wheels from BST, MotoGP-spec Brembo GP4-MS calipers, and a titanium SC-Project exhaust. Finished in carbon fiber veneers and gold-leaf striping, the 'RoughSV4' is a white-knuckle streetfighter that proves you can strip away the plastic without losing the soul of a superbike. [MORE]
The Two-Stroke Hybrid by Gareth Evans
South African engineer Gareth Evans grew up on the smell of bean oil, so when it came time to build a track day weapon, he chose the best of both worlds approach. He wedged a Yamaha RZ350 two-stroke motor into an Aprilia RS250 frame. While the Aprilia frame is widely considered the best-handling 250cc chassis ever produced, Gareth upgraded the chassis with Öhlins forks from a Ducati Panigale and an Öhlins TTX rear shock.
The engine is a work of high-performance art. Starting with a Banshee casing, Gareth hand-filed the internals and fitted Athena barrels, Wossner pistons, and a Hot Rods stroker crank. Set up to run on low-lead Avgas, the bike uses Keihin PWK carbs and Jim Lomas pipes to produce a power-to-weight ratio that embarrasses modern four-stroke superbikes.
The attention to detail is obsessive. Every nut and bolt is titanium, the wheels are carbon BST units, and the custom wiring harness uses aerospace-grade wire to save weight. Capped off with carbon fiber bodywork and a custom-machined subframe, this 'Yamaprilia' is a 350cc that reels in liter-bikes at every track day. [MORE]
The Taimoshan "Super Cafe"
The Aprilia RSV motor is a respected beast, but it is also water-cooled and cluttered with hoses, not the natural choice for a steampunk cafe racer. However, John Pellew of Taimoshan Cycle Works wanted the reliability and 130+ hp of the Rotax-built V-twin for his version of a modern-day 'Norvin.' He spent months reverse-engineering the ECU and fuel mapping to make the sophisticated engine work in a minimalist, featherbed-style frame.
To keep the lines clean, the radiators were hidden under the seat. Cooling fans draw air from around the engine and blow it away from the rider, allowing for a classic, narrow profile. The bodywork features a massive Manx-style tank and a mono-shock rear end, blending 1960s racer aesthetics with fuel-injected muscle.
The result is a 'Super Cafe Racer' that delivers sharp throttle response and smooth handling. It is a testament to John’s vision that a modern, water-cooled Italian engine can look perfectly at home inside a frame designed for the 1950s, provided you have the patience to solve the radiator problem. [MORE]
The Hub-Center Steered "Special" by Shaun
Hidden in an 18-foot square shed in North England, a hobbyist named Shaun spent three years building one of the most complex Aprilia-powered machines ever conceived. Using a reworked 998cc V-twin from a Gen 2 RSV 1000 R, Shaun created a bespoke, hub-center-steered experimental bike. Inspired by the legendary Jack Difazio, Shaun machined almost every component himself on a manual-to-CNC converted mill.
Hub-center steering separates the braking and steering forces, preventing the bike from diving under heavy braking. Shaun’s design uses swingarms made from oval T45 tubing and axle boxes machined from 7075 billet aluminum. The chassis itself is a mix of machined 6082 T6 aluminum and a superalloy called Inconel. Even the master cylinders, radiators, and water pump housing were crafted in-house.
The bike weighs in at a balanced 178 kg (393 lbs) and, despite its radical appearance, reportedly steers with a neutral feel. Shaun has already put 3,000 miles on the clock, proving that shed builds can rival factory engineering when the builder has enough grit and a high-end lathe. [MORE]
Comments