Apilia RSV Mille R

* Apilia RSV Mille R Price £10,750 :
* 998cc Liquid cooled 8V 60° V-twin :
* Dry weight 183kg Insurance group 17 :
* Claimed power 120bhp @ 8,800rpm :
* Issue tested: October 2001
* Contact: Aprilia UK on 0161 475 1800

At first, you'll be surprised by how tall and thin this bike is. I was on tip-toes round the pits and didn't feel much more comfortable on the warm up laps. It's a long way to knee down. Although it goes very well on track it's a bit disconcerting as a road bike. The Mille's engine is fearsomely strong: it drives hard out of turns and has power available by the bucketload when you want it. What impresses most is that it's only in its third year of development. The Ducati 996 took eight years to reach a level surpassed by the RSV-R in three. Be careful about the colour though: I prefer the yellow.