Aprilia has strong plans for the coming years and is certainly a brand to watch out for in the future. Based on the success of smaller capacity bikes, and later the huge success of the RSV Mille, Aprilia has much to offer.
Aprilia was founded after the Second World War by Cavaliere Alberto Beggio, as a bicycle production factory at Noale, Italy. The company has long been associated with small capacity bikes that they developed with great success. A row of wins in the 125cc and 250cc racing events showed that Aprilia knew what it took to make a quality bike.
It was only in 1998 that Aprillia started to race a bigger engine (998cc) called the RSV Mille. The Mille was fast and huge competition for rivals like Ducati with the 916. The RSV Mille went into production and was fitted with efficient and quality parts. The RSV Mille managed to establish itself right from introduction which is a hard thing to do with a new model.
The RSV Mille also raced with success in the superbike championships. Aprilia cashed in on the success of the Mille and established a quality name as a super bike manufacturer. The RSV line was expanded with the Mille R, Falco, Tuono (a naked bike) and Futura.
During 2000, Aprilia acquired historic Italian motorcycle companies Moto-Guzzi and Laverda. And in recent years Aprilia was the target of a buyout, having been acquired by the fourth largest motorcycle group in the world (Piaggio) in 2010.