Max Biaggi had won five of his six world titles his with Aprilia.
Also known as “The Roman Emperor” he was the one who first made the brand famous, more than any other rider.
It is natural for the Italian manufacturer to appoint him as the Global Ambassador.
Six-time World Champion, Max Biaggi has been appointed as the global ambassador for Aprilia.
Popularly called “The Roman Emperor,” he has had much experience in working with the Italian brand, from the beginning of his 250cc GP career in 1991 and won five of his six titles in 250cc GP and World Superbike on Aprilias. In fact, it was Biaggi’s exploits that launched the Aprilia name to the masses, way before Valentino Rossi.
Indeed, he was among the riders who helped develop the Aprilia RSV250 to a winning bike and by taking the 1994 title with 5 wins.
Max Biaggi in 1991 – Courtesy of www.daidegasforum.com
He stayed with the Chesterfield Aprilia team and winning the world title again for the next two years, by winning 8 races in 1995 and 9 races in 1996, before hopping to another team in 1997.
Max Biaggi in 1995 – Courtesy of motogeo.com
Biaggi moved up to the 500cc class in 1998 and campaigned in the premier category on Hondas and Yamahas until his retirement in 2005.
2007 saw him contracted to the Alstare Suzuki World Superbike (WSBK) team, riding the Suzuki GSX-R1000. He finished third overall at the end of the year.
Biaggi then changed camp to the Sterilgarda Go Eleven team to ride the Ducati 1098 RS for the following year. Finishing 7th, he had a famous falling out with the team.
Aprilia picked up the ball in 2009 when both parties reunited. Biaggi now had a new weapon, the Aprilia RSV4. It was a year of learning and the rider steered the bike to 4th overall at the end of the season.
In 2010, the factory Aprilia team became known as the Aprilia Alitalia team and Biaggi scored his 5th world title by dominating the series with a total of 10 wins.
Max Biaggi on the Aprilia Alitalia RSV4 – Courtesy of asphaltandrubber.com
2011 was an unlucky year for him when he was sidelined by a broken leg, but still finished 3rd overall. Biaggi came back strong in 2012 to wrap up the WSBK title in an ultra-competitive season, finishing just ½-point in front of Tom Sykes.
Will we get to see The Roman Emperor at Aprilia Malaysia anytime soon given the large number of his fans here? How about during the Malaysian MotoGP?
GB Workshop has announced that it is ready to accept all Aprilia bikes for servicing and repair works.
The workshop is equipped with all the latest tools including the all important Piaggio Advanced Diagnostics System.
The workshop is owned and operated by Didi Resources Sdn Bhd, the importer and distributor of Aprilia in Malaysia.
Aprilia owners in Malaysia have plenty to be happy about as they now have someone capable to turn to when it comes to maintaining their machines.
GB Workshop which is located at The Gasket Alley has opened its doors to all Aprilia motorcycles. In a Facebook announcement today by the company’s head of aftersales, Idon Pang, GB Workshop has already been and will continue to carry out all maintenance and repair work for any Aprilia motorcycles, old or new.
GB Workshop is owned by Didi Resources Sdn Bhd, which was recently announced as the new importer and distributor of all Aprilia motorcycles in Malaysia (read that announcement here). The company also manages the importation and distribution of Harley-Davidson and Moto Guzzi in Malaysia.
The workshop is equipped with all the latest diagnostic tools such as the all important Piaggio Advanced Diagnostics System which is required to maintain all Aprilia machinery. Not only that, but the team at GB Workshop has also been properly trained and have years of experience working on Aprilia bikes. Idon Pang for one was the former head of aftersales when the brand was still being managed by its previous distributor.
So when it comes to maintaining your Aprilia, trust that there is no other workshop more capable than GB Workshop.
Aprilia has been missing in the middleweight supersport segment.
Rumours surround the possibility of the company working on a two-cylinder engine.
The new engine could be based on the present RSV4 superbike engine.
If there’s one manufacturer that’s glaringly missing from the middleweight supersport segment is Aprilia. Sure, sure, the Noale-based company has the Shiver 900 two-cylinder (V-Twin) bike, but that’s a naked sportbike/standard which started as a 750 in 2007.
Well, Asphalt & Rubber reported that Aprilia’s R&D department is in fact working on a two-cylinder supersport bike. It is also believed that the factory will remove the two rear cylinders of the RSV4 engine, turning it into a parallel-Twin.
Parallel-Twins are more compact dimensionally and easier to pack within the tight constraints of a compact frame, for a compact machine overall. A compact frame and chassis should definitely be on the cards, since it’s a supersport bike. KTM has already gone this route by adding a cylinder to the 690 Duke single-cylinder thumper, resulting in the parallel-Twin LC8c in the new 790 Duke.
However, if Aprilia’s engine does come to fruition, you can bet that it will not be a 500cc powerplant, since the “new middleweight” segment for two-cylinder engines had moved up to 800cc.
You may also recall that it was Aprilia who brought out the APRC (Aprilia Performance Ride Control) rider aid suite to mass-produced motorcycles. It should be no different in this sense as the MV Agusta F3 800 will be the first middleweight supersport to be equipped with an IMU (Inertia Measurement Unit). The IMU is the key to lean-angle sensitive traction control and ABS (besides others) rider assistance.
Aprilia RSV4 RF TFT showing APRC settings
Having a new middleweight engine should also serve as a positive for Aprilia, as they could have a new range of bikes based on the engine as the platform.
When could we expect to see the new middleweight Aprilia? Possibly at INTERMOT or EICMA in 2019, as the motorcycle industry gears up for the introduction of Euro 5 emissions standards in 2020.
Talks about a possible 10th anniversary 2019 Aprilia RSV4 are currently ongoing in the world of motorcycling.
The 2019 model is set for the latest updates in order to stay ahead of the game, especially in WorldSBK.
We’re talking about a massive power increase, new chassis, the latest electronics, aero-fairings, and many more.
The Aprilia RSV4 superbike has been around for quite some time now and for 2018, it will be celebrating its 10th anniversary as one of the most unbelievable sports machines of all time. With that being said, is Aprilia planning anything special to celebrate this decade-long success? (more…)
Piaggio Group and Naza Premira recently announced that the companies have amicably decided to stop the distribution of Aprilia in Malaysia. Read about it here.
The next day, the Piaggio Group announced the appointment of a new company that will take on the distributorship of Aprilia. Read the full statement here.
The new company is Didi Resources Sdn Bhd, the distributor of Moto Guzzi and Harley-Davidson.
We caught up with the team at Didi Resources to find out their plans for Aprilia in Malaysia.
So as soon as it was announced that Naza and Piaggio had amicably agreed to cease the distribution of the Aprilia brand in Malaysia, we got in touch with the new company in charge of the Italian brand for Malaysia – Didi Resources Sdn Bhd (DRSB).
Some of you may remember DRSB as the company that has been handling the other brand under the Piaggio Group – Moto Guzzi.
DRSB took on the custodianship of the Moto Guzzi brand last year and has since done a stellar job. Moto Guzzi has been selling spectacularly well and the introduction of a number of new models, including the recent introduction of the gorgeous V7 III Carbon (you can read about it here), has given fans and potential owners a diverse choice of models, with at least three more models due to be introduced this year.
Not only that, but DRSB has proven that it does not only know how to sell bikes, but it also knows how to offer a great ownership experience through great after sales service with a dedicated workshop and specially trained technicians. The workshop is equipped with state-of-the-art Piaggio Advanced Diagnostics System and all of its technicians are trained to use the computer and its software, which is required to maintain all of the models under the Piaggio umbrella, Aprilia included.
Besides that, the team at DRSB has also been actively engaging its owners through specially organised rides such as a recent weekend ride to Melaka (you can watch the video here), and the first ever night ride to Penang for Sahur during the recent month of Ramadan.
So when it comes to selling, maintaining and taking care of its owners, DRSB has been impressive. But that is not entirely surprising, the company consists of some of the most experienced people in the industry. Helming the company is Mr Rewi Hamid Bugo (above), a successful businessman with diverse interests who serves as the Chairman of DRSB. The General Manager is Juan Chow Wee (below, left), whose experience includes managing the Ducati brand in its early years, and who has previously worked on the Aprilia brand before. And then there is the ever popular Idon Pang (below, right) who serves as the head of after sales for DRSB. He has also previously served as the head of after sales for Aprilia and other brands, so is perfectly placed to manage such an iconic brand.
I managed to catch Juan for a chat after the announcement was made that DRSB will take on the distributorship of Aprilia, and it was clear that there is huge excitement in the company for the Aprilia brand.
“We want to first assure all Aprilia owners everywhere in Malaysia that we are here to take care of them and to serve their ownership needs. It does not matter where they bought the bikes from, as long as it is an Aprilia, they can come to us,” said Juan Chow Wee.
The new distributor says it is committed to honoring all warranties for all new bikes sold, it will also offer servicing packages and will stock up on spare parts for Aprilia bikes. Besides that, it wants to make Aprilia more competitive in the market and so there will be a price adjustment that will make the brand more enticing to a wider demographic.
“We do not only want to sell Aprilia bikes, but we want to offer new and current Aprilia owners the full extent of the Aprilia lifestyle, which means we will be activating a number of events for owners including track days and even weekend rides. We want to be able to engage owners in a way they have never been before,” added Juan.
So what can Aprilia owners expect from the new custodian of the brand? Well the new flagship showroom will open at The Gasket Alley by November this year, so owners have a place to hang out. The official service centre too will be located at The Gasket Alley, and the company expects to be fully stocked with parts by September.
As for owners who live in other states, DRSB says that it will evaluate the dealership network and either retain current dealerships that show a genuine interest in growing the Aprilia brand, or it will let go some and sign on more promising dealerships that can better serve the needs of Aprilia owners all over the country.
Juan explained, “owning an Aprilia is not just about owning a great bike, but it also gives access to an exclusive lifestyle. Our dealers should be able to offer all their customers access to a great ownership experience.”
“We want to reactivate the Aprilia community, we want to engage them and offer them fantastic ownership experience through a fully stocked workshop, monthly events and we want to take a brand that has been flying under the radar for too long to greater heights. We are committed to taking back the glory of Aprilia to its true value.”
The company has plans to offer all-new models after the launch of its service centre and flagship showroom. And judging by its success with Moto Guzzi, we are actually quite excited about the growth of the Aprilia brand in Malaysia.
Following the statement released by Naza yesterday confirming that it will cease its Aprilia distributorship in Malaysia (you can read the statement here), the Piaggio Group has today confirmed that it has appointed Didi Resources Sdn Bhd (DRSB) as the new distributor for Aprilia in Malaysia.
The following is the statement released by The Piaggio Group:
Kuala Lumpur, 18 July 2018 – The Piaggio Group officially announces the appointment of Didi Resources Sdn Bhd in Malaysia, as the official distributor of Aprilia, one of the Group’s premium motorcycle brands.
Didi Resources Sdn Bhd will manage Aprilia in substitution of the previous distributor, Naza Premira Sdn Bhd. The Piaggio Group wishes to thank Naza Premira for the continuous effort and support since 2013.
Mr. Gianluca Fiume, Chairman & General Director of Piaggio Vietnam cum Executive Vice President Asia Pacific 2 Wheeler, said, “The appointment of Didi Resources is part of Piaggio’s business strategy to group the motorcycle brands of Aprilia and Moto Guzzi under a single entity to maximize efficiencies across all aspects of the business and reinforce customer commitment in Malaysia. With Aprilia and Moto Guzzi under one roof, we are able to better offer a wider range for potential customers who seek a unique Italian motorcycle experience backed by superior performance and rich heritage of these brands. We look forward to collaborating closely with Didi Resources to propel both Aprilia and Moto Guzzi to greater heights.”
Under the management of Didi Resources, the Gasket Alley at Petaling Jaya will house a dedicated showroom for both Aprilia and Moto Guzzi brands, an aftersales and a service workshop with a new team equipped with specialized technical skills and expertise, fully trained by Aprilia. Customers are assured of a seamless transition in customer care and service support.
According to Mr. Rewi Hamid Bugo, Chairman of Didi Resources Sdn. Bhd, “We are very honoured to be presented with this opportunity to manage Aprilia, a prestigious Piaggio Group brand for the Malaysian market. This complements the Moto Guzzi range which we have established since August 2017 and completes our premium Italian motorcycle product range under Piaggio. Through this acquisition, Didi Resources is firmly committed to building the Aprilia brand through a dedicated aftersales support, strengthening of the Aprilia community and ensuring that engagement with the brand is continuous in the light of a competitive 2-wheel environment in Malaysia.”
The official appointment of Aprilia under Didi Resources will take into effect from 1 August 2018. A series of media and customer engagement activities and service support campaigns for Aprilia are currently in the pipeline to bolster brand building efforts.
DRSB is also the distributor for Harley-Davidson and Moto Guzzi in Malaysia, and has a proven track record of maintaining unique brands. Based at The Gasket Alley in PJ, the team at DRSB have all previously had links to Aprilia in one way or another. So Aprilia owners can rest assured that their machines are in good hands.
