This Aprilia rendering shows a semi-naked sports bike inspired by the Aprilia Shiver, which the artist has called the RSL 750 Cuvert, and which is more interesting for what it says about the future motorcycle market than the model itself. This year we’ve seen the return of an important acronym in the bike sector: the CBR600F.

The Japanese can almost see into the future it seems, and could be readying themselves for the decline of powerful superbike models, and the return of mid-size sports bikes. The latter haven’t exactly been enjoying a heyday of late, but with the industry in crisis, the world economy still jittery and a change in motorcycle culture, these kinds of sports bikes could make a comeback. In the early 2000’s we saw the market push for what we have come to now - race-oriented, powerful superbikes at the expense of gentler road going models.

The idea of building a new 600F off the back of a naked bike such as the Hornet was widely discussed, and it looks like the concept has reached market acceptance. After all, you get decent performance out of an engine that isn’t over-the-top and at a reasonable price. Not everyone likes naked bikes, but the nakeds of today easily have a similar performance to the sports bikes of a few years ago. And if you want a faired or semi-faired version?

Continue reading: Aprilia sports bike rendering: the return of mid-size sports bikes?

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