ApriliaTypeSubsidiaryIndustryMotorcycleFounded1945; 81 years ago (1945)FounderAlberto BeggioHeadquarters, WorldwideRocco Sabelli (CEO)ProductsMotorcycles & ScootersParentPiaggio GroupWebsiteaprilia.com
Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle and scooter manufacturer in Noale, Italy, founded by Alberto Beggio.[1]
Aprilia, named after the pre-war Lancia Aprilia,[2] was founded after the Second World War by Cavaliere Alberto Beggio as a bicycle production factory at Noale, Italy, in the province of Venice. Alberto’s son, Ivano Beggio, took over the helm of the company in 1968 and constructed a 50 cc “motorcycle”.[3] The first production Aprilia mopeds were named Colibrì, Daniela, and Packi. Aprilia later produced a motocross bike in 1970 called the Scarabeo. Produced until the end of the 1970s, the Scarabeo came in 50 and 125 cc versions.[2]
In 1977, Ivan Alborghetti from Milan, Italy won the Italian 125 and 250 cc motocross championships on Aprilia motorcycles. In 1978 125cc Motocross World Championship, Alborghetti closed the season with a third-place result in the Swiss Grand Prix and sixth place overall in the World Championship. In the 1980s, Aprilia added enduro, trials and road bikes of between 50 and 600 cc and in 1981, Aprilia introduced the TL320 trials machine. In 1983, Aprilia launched the St 125 road bike and in 1984, they launched an improved model called STX as well as an enduro, called the ET 50.[4][5][better source needed]
In 1985, Aprilia started outsourcing engines for some models to the Austrian company Rotax. In 1985 Aprilia launched a 125 STX and 350 STX. In 1986, Aprilia launched the AF1, a small sports model; and the Tuareg, a large tanked bike for African rallies like the Dakar Rally. Aprilia factory rider Philippe Berlatier contended for the trials world championship reaching fifth place, and Loris Reggiani rode an Aprilia GP 250 with Rotax engine to sixth place in the road racing World Championship. Two seasons later, on August 30, 1987, at San Marino Grand Prix in Misano Loris Reggiani’s AF1 won the first World Speed Championship.[6]
In 1990, Aprilia launched the Pegaso 600, a road bike derived from off-road mechanics. Later, in 1992 Aprilia rider Alessandro Gramigni won the World 125 Road Racing Championship title. Also in 1992, Tommy Ahvala won the World Trials Championship on an Aprilia Climber. Since then, Aprilia has 124 times won 125 and 250 cc class Grand Prix, 15 Road Racing World Championship titles, and 16 European speed titles. Many world champions started on Aprilia such as Biaggi, Capirossi, Gramigni, Locatelli, Sakata and Rossi.[6]
In 1995, Aprilia commissioned Philippe Starck to design the Motò which was shown in New York’s Modern Art Museum. Also in 1995, Aprilia launched the two stroke RS 125 and RS 250 sports bikes. In 1998, Aprilia launched the RSV Mille, a 1000cc V-Twin Superbike, and the Falco, a 1000cc V-Twin sport tourer with emphasis on sport. Both bikes used a variation of a Rotax 1000cc engine.[citation needed]
In 1999, Aprilia entered World Superbike Championship racing with its RSV Mille, and during 2000, Aprilia acquired Moto-Guzzi and Laverda, both historic heritage Italian marques. In 2000, Aprilia launched the 50 cc DiTech (Direct Injection Technology) two stroke engine for scooters which provides high mileage and low emissions, and also the RST Futura, a sport tourer, and the ETV 1000 Caponord; an adventure touring motorcycle. Both of these latter two motorcycles used a variation of the Rotax 1000 cc V-Twin.[citation needed]
Most recently, in 2003, Aprilia launched the RSV Mille Tuono which was essentially an RSV Mille with motocross-style high handlebars and only a small headlight fairing. Most of the major motorcycle magazines picked it for the best bike of the year. In 2004, Aprilia was acquired by Piaggio & C. SpA, to form the world’s fourth largest motorcycle group with 1.5 billion Euro in sales, an annual production capacity of over 600,000 vehicles, and a presence in 50 countries.[citation needed]
With the acquisition by Piaggio, the new President of Aprilia is Roberto Colaninno (President of Piaggio & C.), and the managing director is Rocco Sabelli. The son of the founder, Ivano Beggio, was the Honorary President and died on 13 March 2018.[7] On 15 August 2010, Aprilia became the most successful motorcycle racing brand in history, surpassing fellow Italian MV Agusta with a record 276th victory.[8]
Alberto’s son, Ivano Beggio, took over the helm of the company in 1968 and constructed a 50 cc “motorcycle”.[3]
The first production Aprilia mopeds were named “Colibrì”, “Daniela”, and “Packi”.
In the 1980s, Aprilia added enduro, trials and road bikes of between 50 and 600 cc.
In 1981, Aprilia introduced the TL320 trials machine.
In 1983, Aprilia launched the St 125 road bike.
In 1984, they launched an improved model called STX, as well as an enduro, called the ET 50.[4][5]
In 1985, Aprilia started outsourcing engines for some models to the Austrian company Rotax.
In 1985 Aprilia launched a 125 STX and 350 STX.
In 1990, Aprilia launched the Pegaso 600, a road bike derived from off-road mechanics.
In the 1990s, Aprilia entered the scooter market starting in 1990 with Italy’s first all-plastic scooter, the Amico.
In 1992, Aprilia introduced the Amico LK and the two stroke Pegaso 125, both with catalytic converters.
In 1993, Aprilia launched a large diameter wheel scooter reusing the name Scarabeo with a four-stroke, four-valve engine.
Later, Aprilia launched more scooters such as the Leonardo, the SR and the Gulliver.[citation needed]
In 1995, Aprilia commissioned Philippe Starck to design the Motò which was shown in New York’s Modern Art Museum.
Also in 1995, Aprilia launched the two stroke RS 125 and RS 250 sports bikes.
In 1998, Aprilia launched the RSV Mille, a 1000cc V-Twin Superbike, and the Falco, a 1000cc V-Twin sport tourer with emphasis on sport. Both bikes used a variation of a Rotax 1000cc engine.[citation needed]
In 2000, Aprilia launched the 50 cc DiTech (Direct Injection Technology) two stroke engine for scooters which provides high mileage and low emissions, and also the RST Futura, a sport tourer, and the ETV 1000 Caponord; an adventure touring motorcycle.
Both of these latter two motorcycles used a variation of the Rotax 1000 cc V-Twin.[citation needed]
Most recently, in 2003, Aprilia launched the RSV Mille Tuono which was essentially an RSV Mille with motocross-style high handlebars and only a small headlight fairing. Most of the major motorcycle magazines picked it for the best bike of the year.
Aprilia produced a motocross bike in 50 and 125 cc versions in the 1970s called the Scarabeo.
Since in the 1980s, Aprilia has also produced large sportbikes such as the 1,000 cc V-twin RSV Mille and the V4 RSV4.
In 1986, Aprilia launched the AF1, a small sports model; and the Tuareg, a large tanked bike for African rallies like the Dakar Rally.
During 2000, Aprilia acquired Moto Guzzi and Laverda, both historic heritage Italian marques.[9]
In 2004, Aprilia was acquired by Piaggio & C. SpA,[10] to form the world’s fourth largest motorcycle group with 1.5 billion Euro in sales, an annual production capacity of over 600,000 vehicles, and a presence in 50 countries.
With the acquisition by Piaggio, the new President of Aprilia is Roberto Colaninno (President of Piaggio & C.), and the managing director is Rocco Sabelli. The son of the founder, Ivano Beggio, was the Honorary President and died on 13 March 2018.[7]
Aprilia Racing2026 nameAprilia Racing Monster EnergyBaseScorzè, ItalyPrincipalMassimo RivolaRacing managerPaolo BonoraRider(s)MotoGP:89. Jorge Martin72. Marco Bezzecchi32. Lorenzo Savadori (test rider)MotorcycleAprilia RS-GPTyresMichelinRiders’ Championships-
Despite being a relatively small company by global motorcycling standards, Aprilia is very active in motorcycle sports.
Aprilia has contested many road racing formulae, including the now-defunct 125 cc,[11] 250 cc and 500 cc[11][12] Grand Prix classes of FIM World Championships.
Aprilia have also been in and out of the MotoGP and Superbike World Championship – as a factory team[13][14][15] and a constructor, having partnered with Gresini Racing (from 2015[16] to 2021) and Trackhouse Racing (since 2024)[17] – alongside other commitments.
Year Class Champion Motorcycle 1992 125cc Alessandro Gramigni Aprilia RS125R 1994 Kazuto Sakata 250cc Max Biaggi Aprilia RSV 250 1995 1996 1997 125cc Valentino Rossi Aprilia RS125R 1998 Kazuto Sakata 250cc Loris Capirossi Aprilia RSV 250 1999 Valentino Rossi 2000 125cc Roberto Locatelli Aprilia RS125R 2002 Arnaud Vincent 250cc Marco Melandri Aprilia RSV 250 2003 Manuel Poggiali 2006 125cc Álvaro Bautista Aprilia RS125R 250cc Jorge Lorenzo Aprilia RSW 250 2007 125cc Gábor Talmácsi Aprilia RS125R 250cc Jorge Lorenzo Aprilia RSA 250 2009 125cc Julián Simón Aprilia RSA 125 2011 Nicolás Terol
- 250cc class
- 1995, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
- 125cc class
- 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011
Aprilia entered the Superbike World Championship in 1999 using a homologation special version of their V-twin road bike RSV Mille.
They were third in the riders’ championship in 2000 with rider Troy Corser, and third in manufacturers’ points and fourth in rider points both in 2001 with Corser and in 2002 with Noriyuki Haga. Aprilia retired from the series at the end of that season.[citation needed]
In February 2008, Aprilia debuted a V-4 superbike, the RSV4, for the 2009 Superbike World Championship.[18]
Aprilia won its first Superbike world championship in 2010 with Max Biaggi, claiming both the riders and the manufacturers titles.[citation needed]
Year Champion Motorcycle 2010 Max Biaggi Aprilia RSV4 1000 2012 Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2014 Sylvain Guintoli
- 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014
Aprilia debuted in the FIM Supermoto World Championship in 2004 and since then it has won many titles in both S1 and S2 classes.[citation needed]
Year Class Champion Motorcycle 2004 S2 Jerome Giraudo Aprilia SXV 450 2006 Thierry Van Den Bosch 2011 S1 Adrien Chareyre Aprilia MXV-S 450
- S2 class: 2006, 2007
- S1 class: 2008, 2011
Aprilia made their international racing debut in the Motocross World Championship competing in the 125cc class from 1976 until 1981 with a best result being a fifth place in the 1979 season with rider Corrado Maddi.[19]
Year Class Team name Bike Riders Races Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points Pos. 2022 MotoGP Aprilia Racing Aprilia RS-GP Maverick Vinales 20 0 3 0 0 122 11th Aleix Espargaró 20 1 6 2 2 212 4th 2023 Maverick Viñales 20 0 3 1 1 204 7th Aleix Espargaró 20 2 3 1 2 206 6th Lorenzo Savadori 3 0 0 0 0 9 (12) 24th 2024 Maverick Viñales 19 1 1 1 1 189 7th Aleix Espargaró 19 0 0 2 1 134 11th Lorenzo Savadori 3 0 0 0 0 0 (0) 28th 2025 Jorge Martin 7 0 0 0 0 34 21st Marco Bezzecchi 22 3 9 5 2 353 3rd Lorenzo Savadori 13 0 0 0 0 8 24th 2026 Jorge Martin 3 0 2 0 0 77* 2nd* Marco Bezzecchi 3 3 3 1 1 81* 1st*
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year Motorcycle Tyres Riders 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Points RC Points TC Points MC 2022 Aprilia RS-GP M QAT INA ARG AME POR SPA FRA ITA CAT GER NED GBR AUT RSM ARA JPN THA AUS MAL VAL Aleix Espargaró 4 9 1 11 3 3 3 3 5 4 4 9 6 6 3 16 11 9 10 Ret 212 4th 334 3rd 248 3rd Maverick Viñales 12 16 7 10 10 14 10 12 7 Ret 3 2 13 3 13 7 7 17 16 Ret 122 11th Lorenzo Savadori Ret 21 22 20 19 0 NC —N/a 2023 POR ARG AME SPA FRA ITA GER NED GBR AUT CAT RSM IND JPN INA AUS THA MAL QAT VAL Maverick Viñales 25 127 4 Ret7 Ret9 12 Ret Ret7 53 68 23 56 88 199 24 11 Ret 11 46 104 204 7th 410 5th 326 3rd Aleix Espargaró 96 15 Ret4 5 58 68 169 34 15 97 11 128 Ret 5 10 8 85 Ret Ret 8 206 6th Lorenzo Savadori 18 11 19 5 (12) 24th —N/a 2024 QAT POR AME SPA FRA CAT ITA NED GER GBR AUT ARA RSM EMI INA JPN AUS THA MAL SLD Maverick Viñales 109 Ret1 11 9 53 128 85 53 127 138 7 Ret 16 6 67 Ret9 8 7 7 15 189 7th 335 4th 285 3rd Aleix Espargaró 83 88 75 Ret 95 41 119 DNS WD 63 93 10 Ret 8 Ret 9 168 9 13 54 134 11th Lorenzo Savadori Ret 21 DNS 20 0 (0) 28th —N/a 2025 THA ARG AME QAT SPA FRA GBR ARA ITA NED GER CZE AUT HUN CAT RSM JPN INA AUS MAL POR VAL Jorge Martin Ret 7 Ret 49 10 138 DNS Ret 34 21st 395 5th 418 2nd Marco Bezzecchi 6 Ret6 6 99 148 14 14 88 56 23 Ret2 24 34 37 Ret 21 4 Ret1 31 116 13 15 353 3rd Lorenzo Savadori 20 DNS 15 18 9 18 17 17 Ret Ret Ret 16 16 16 8 24th 2026 THA BRA USA SPA FRA CAT ITA HUN CZE NED GER GBR ARA RSM AUT JPN INA AUS MAL QAT POR VAL Jorge Martin 45 23 21 77* 2nd* 101* 1st* 158* 1st* Marco Bezzecchi 1 14 F 1 81* 1st*
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