Please let the RSV & Siblings live!!!
Like Mike above, I own a RSV 04 and am very pleased. I can't see Ducati keeping the sportsbike range of Aprilia going, as the RSV is a direct competitor to the 999. Here in Germany Aprilia was one of four manufacturers to increase their sales figures in Q1 amongst a steeply declining motorbike market (poor economy to blame). Personally, I think Ducati is like Ferrari, it's on the border of being boring, too omnipresent, just a tad behind the Japanese. Aprilia on the other hand still has something exotic about it (like Benelli): In Norway somebody said: "A big Aprilia, you sure see them very seldomly, what a beautiful machine..." I can only agree. As said before, without the GP effort and better marketing and servicing departments Aprilia could still go solo: the products are unique and have the best quality amongst its European peers. - YS
P.S.: I know that we have a world of free speech, but isn't there some law to silence annoying "know-everything-better" charades like... KPaul?