Ducati may be the poster child of the Italian super-bike scene, but they are in no part the only brand that hails from the Mediterranean. Aprilia may not be a household name in the U.S. like the Big 6 (BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha) but the company holds its own among its mainstream counterparts.

2010 should be a good year for Aprilia and fans of all things sport-bike. The highly acclaimed RSV4 will be crossing the pond and into garages stateside. This big 1000 cc (999.6cc to be exact) super-bike is built ready for the track, cranking out 182.5 HP and roughly 85 foot pounds of torque (Aprilia specs claim 115 Nm) out of its 65° V-4 engine, all on an aluminum frame weighing roughly 22 lbs. This Italian firecracker is light and small, in fact probably the lightest (only weighing roughly 395 lbs dry) and smallest in it’s class.

RSV4: A big engine in a small package

Two versions of the RSV4 will be offered; the RSV4-R and the RSV4 Factory. Of the two, the RSV4-Factory is the premium; offering an Öhlins Racing suspension, a multi-adjustable chassis setup, carbon fiber parts, and full Ride by Wire technology which allows the rider to choose how the engine will work right from the handlebars (pretty damn sweet in my book). For Bren and Sven specs of the RSV4 Factory click here.

A word of caution for those looking to use this bike to impress the ladies. It will do the trick, but you wont be taking her home on your brand new RSV4 due to it lacking any extra seat for a passenger.

Sorry fellas, no room for the ladies.

Aside from their premier superbike, Aprilia revamped the Mana 850 GT. The Mana 850 GT takes the original Mana 850 and adds some touring half fairings for a less aggressive look than its naked twin. What is new about the Mana 850 GT is that it now comes with ABS. An interesting little feature on both, the standard and the GT, is it’s sportgear transmission. The gearbox is designed to offer dual shift modes: a 7 speed manual, or Autodrive with 3 different modes (spot/ touring/ rain). For Bren and Sven specs of the Mana 850 GT ABS click here.

An Italian touring masterpiece

Unfortunately, the Bren and Sven team can’t sit here and tell how either bike felt amazingly between our legs. We would have loved to, honestly. If anyone would like to donate their bike to the cause, by all means let us know. So if Ducati is the Ferrari of the motorcycle industry, then Aprilia must be the Maserati; lesser known but just as competitive.

Look for us next week as we debut Yamaha’s newest additions for 2010.

Check out the other articles in the New for 2010 series:

Aprilia   BMW Ducati Honda Kawasaki Suzuki Triumph Yamaha