For a relatively small Italian brand, Aprilia punches way above its weight. It doesn’t have the scale of Ducati or the nostalgia of MV Agusta, but what it does have is serious racing pedigree, and a long-standing reputation for building some of the sharpest-handling bikes in the world. From the RS 125s that launched countless racing careers to the V4-powered monsters that sit at the spotlight of today’s superbike conversation, Aprilia’s always been more about results than noise.
That’s what makes this new trademark filing from Piaggio so exciting. Just filed with IP offices in both the EU and UK, the trademark hints at something called the Aprilia X GP. And for fans of the brand’s ultra-limited “X” series, that little name drop could mean we’re about to see Aprilia’s most race-focused machine yet.
The X lineup is Aprilia’s playground for pure, unfiltered madness. It started with the RSV4 X in 2019. This bike was nothing short of a track weapon built to celebrate the superbike’s tenth birthday. Carbon bodywork, billet Brembos, and weight savings in all the right places made it a certified missile. Then came the Tuono V4 X, a naked bike in name only, with MotoGP-inspired winglets and track-only aspirations.
Aprilia turned it up again with the RSV4 XTrenta, adding underwing aero on the swingarm and pushing even further into GP territory. And let's not forget the X Ex3ma (yes, pronounced “Extrema”) introduced wild new wings and sculpted bodywork designed for max downforce (and max drama).
So what makes the X GP different? Well, aside from the obvious name-drop, this could be Aprilia leaning even more into its RS-GP roots. I mean, it’s all in the name. You get the “X” moniker which adorned only the most performance-focused Aprilias, PLUS the “GP” name which was obviously lifted straight from the RS-GP. So yeah, this might be the closest we ever get to a MotoGP bike without needing a team of engineers and a pit garage to keep it running.
It should go without saying that this kind of bike matters because it reminds us of what makes Aprilia so desirable. Everything learned on the track eventually trickles down to the street bikes we can actually buy. And even if most of us will never ride an X GP, just knowing it exists pushes the envelope for what motorcycles can be.
Source: Aprilia via TMView
