Aprilia RSV4 vs. Space Shuttle, Bike Wins... Sort Of

While it might a bit too far fetched to make a comparison between a two-wheeled machine and a spacecraft, the guys at Aprilia thought it would be interesting to offer us a battle between the two. So they used their new RSV4 superbike to create a video that is meant as a tribute to the last launch of the Space Shuttle.

Using footage of the space shuttle mixed with sweeping shots of its RSV4, the video follows the shuttle from preparations to the launch, and on into space.

“The most ambitious engineering project the world has ever seen, the space shuttle has inspired many to go places they otherwise wouldn't have gone,” Aprilia explains. “Crossing performance boundaries never thought possible and forging new frontiers in innovation, making and racing motorcycles wouldn't be entirely alien to the people that created a bridge between earth and space.”

Some interesting comparison facts are highlighted in the video below, including:

• the Space Shuttle costs $1.7 billion dollars while a RSV4 can be bought for just $16,999
• there are 230 miles of electrical cable going in the Space Shuttle, as compared to that of 1,640 feet which goes into a RSV4
• the Space Shuttle was the first aircraft to use a fly by wire system, while Aprilia’s RSV4 was the first motorcycle to use a ride by wire throttle system
• with rockets, the Space Shuttle weighs 4.5 million pounds, while the RSV$ only weighs 394 pounds dry
• while the shuttle’s combined rockets produce 81 million horsepower, the RSV4’s 999cc V4 engine develops 180 horsepower
• a 0-60 mph is done by the space shuttle in 4.6 seconds, while the RSV4 needs just 2.5 seconds.