Aprilia Unleashes the 2004 Mille

Aprilia just turned over what could be the trump card in the international super-sporty twins game.

Lower, shorter and more compact than its predecessors, the third-generation Mille R ups the ante with everything that made the original a backroad/track day contender. New, slipperier aerodynamics start with a central ram-air inlet flanked by dual headlight arrays. The new V60 Magnesium twin starts with totally redesigned heads, fed by 57mm throttle bodies, allegedly cranking out nearly 140 horses at 9500 rpm. Could be just the thing for teaching 999 Ducati guys a little humility.

Our own Alan Cathcart will have the whole development story in the November 2003 issue, coming to a newsstand near you in mid- September.