With the impending announcement by Aprilia of at least one new dirt bike (presumably, a motocrosser displacing 450cc), one has to wonder how far Aprilia will eventually go with an off-road lineup.
Italian manufacturers have a strong heritage in the off-road business. Not only larger manufacturers like Husqvarna (born in Sweden, but now Italian), but small, innovative manufactures like VOR and Vertemati, have produced high quality, competitive machinery. Moreover, like Italian street bike manufacturers, they frequently go their own way when it comes to design and engineering.
Aprilia, with a bit more financial muscle, but the same innovative spirit, could prove to be a formidable player in the off-road market in just a few years. It will be interesting to see whether Aprilia looks for high volume, relatively low priced bikes in this category, or sticks with lower volume and higher priced product.
In any event, Aprilia is expected to go racing to promote its new motocrosser, and Aprilia never races for second place. It is just another interesting development we will all watch unfold over the next few years.
