Micah Shoemaker, AF1 Racing, Austin, TX:
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There really are a lot of Chinese parts ON ALL MODERN BIKES, trust me this is far from an Aprilia-Only situation. Brake rotors are now $5 items at the OEM level, even the lowest tiers of Brembo genuine are not made at some foundry in the EU by little old men speaking with Italian accents and sipping vino. BMW, Honda, Ducati, HD, Aprilia, Guzzi, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha et-al use parts from the lowest bidder. KTM is making it's entire 390 series and more in India, and for good reason, labor cost is low, material cost is low and quality is actually on a radical upswing. This is not the issue killing or injuring the motorcycle industry, it is the abject inability to attract and retain new riders and old customers as well. I know that even for myself there are like only 2-3 NEW bikes I have any interest in at all for spending my own money. Sadly a little over half that list is made by that little but rabidly growing Austrian company.
Aprilia is not really innovating right now. In the parlance of the tech industry here in little Silicone Valley they have failed to capitalize on their ability to "scale". There is absolutely no reason why Aprilia does not offer a 250-ish cc single, a 500-ish cc twin and the 1000-1100cc V4 motors. If they did they could scale, they could pour R&D money into developing a single cylinder that can be a twin or a four as well, the electronic costs would go down, chassis could be derivative etc. I know I am getting older but I am not the only one missing the simplicity, reliability and end user serviceability of older designs of bikes...I also know what is "best" for me is likely not a 200bhp fire breathing monster of a bike but perhaps a 50-100bhp machine based on that premium bike that weighs a hell of a lot less and requires less of me in terms of up front financial cost and longer term maintenance. Would I be interested in a 45-50 bhp 250cc single, or 100 bhp parallel twin putting down a legit 90bhp, and weighing under say 330lbs...hell yes. A buddy of mine once said in very wise words that the core competency of Aprilia was small displacement, light weight bikes with insane handling, he was quite right.
The global dealer network is a borderline disaster and that is likely a top-down organizational issue as stated in the article this thread is based on. When Beggio was in charge he did something amazing in the modern context, he went against every hard and fast rule, he built the most reliable italian motorcycles ever made, even if it required an Austrian engine, or a Japanese one for the scooters (Minarelli was the engine builder, basically Yamaha Italy). He had vision, Aprilia was looking way down the road at how to keep two stroke motors viable (contrary to popular opinion nobody cares if it is 2T or 4T as long as emissions targets are reached), he was absolutely killing the learner bike market with the AF1, RS50/RS125 and later the RS250. Beggio was the Godfather of all that is good and loved in Aprilia-land, even now his DNA is present in the V4 motors he hoped to one day build from the initial R&D he had already done, the Twins currently in production and more. He made some bad decisions, those led to his loss of the brand.
Motorcycling in general is in decline at least here in the USA. It is going to take a very seismic shift in the market, perhaps driven by another recession or another boom to get new riders on bikes. Riding is supposed to be fun, social at some level and competitive at another but it has to start out being fun. I live in the sticks (out in the countryside, no where near town) and I see what a kids first ride is near me, I have not seen a 50cc motorcycle, even a dirtbike in the pastures near me ever, however 50cc Chinese quads are out all over the place with kids on them. If yet another generation is introduced to four wheels instead of two, they may not ever take to the magic that is machines that lean the correct direction whilst turning.
Aprilia indeed has no control over their own destiny at this time, they are just a cog in the machinery of Piaggio. Wish listing aside, at least "scaling" has economic potential, to use another tech industry darling economies of scale.
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