The Factory and the standard “R,” actually share the same basic chassis geometry as last years model. Subtle changes abound though, with the headstock repositioned to lower the bike. Further lowering has also taken place in the swing arm mounting and the swing arm pivot has been moved forward 0.5mm. The engine now sits 4mm further to the right to complete the changes, and the sum of all the parts adds up to a very different feeling bike.

One of the most noticeable improvements is the way the bike turns in to fast corners. The old Mille always felt as if it wanted to run a tad wide asking for a little muscle.

The Factory doesn’t exhibit these tendencies and also feels a lot more nimble out on the road. It is also a lot easier to ride around town and in traffic. The whole throttle, gear-change, steering-input package just seems to work together better, making the big-twin fun where I felt the “R” to be work.

On the track or on the street, it is all but impossible to fault the Ohlins suspension, or the four-piston radial Brembo brakes for that matter.

The 43mm forks allow adjustment for spring pre-load, compression and rebound damping, and only on the track did we dial in more pre-load and slow down the rebound damping a little, as the stock settings were perfect for road work. Stiction is kept to a minimum with the fork legs coming titanium nitride coated, and there is total of 120mm of travel available.

Keeping the rear wheel from misbehaving, the Ohlins shock out back gets adjusted the same way, and has a piggyback nitrogen cylinder built into the body. I had no reason to touch the steering damper, as no matter now hard I got on the throttle I never experienced any headshake.

First seen on an Aprilia 250GP bike, radial brakes are becoming more common these days and once you have used them you won’t want to go back. Providing incredible feedback at the lever with eyeball popping stopping power at the pads, the Brembo-sourced items are absolutely first-class.

Using four individual pistons pushing their own brake pads, the radial caliper doesn’t experience any flex, therefore the pads stay more in line with the 320mm discs for better braking and extended life.

The adjustable lever is light to the touch, with enough travel for trail braking before the pads really start to bite down. Using them to out brake other bikes into corners felt a little like cheating, it was possible to leave it so late, and on the street they just added to the overall confidence the Aprilia exudes.