Swap between SXV and RXV

[2001f4s]

Is it just a matter or tires to make an SXV into an RXV or are there more differences.

Thanks

[Ed / AF1 Racing]

there are quite a few differences bewteen the two bikes

different wheels
different swingarms
different engine cams
different transmission gear ratios
different brand of forks
entirely different front brake setup
different shocks

I think there are a few more I missed...

[altaic]

The frame also has a different part number, but I'm guessing that's just a clerical difference (due to the VIN) or some such.

The bikes don't seem that different, though. Change the gearing, wheels, suspension, and maybe pads (put some in that are filed down to provide less braking surface/power), and it's pretty similar, IMHO.

[rlmoon61]

I have been having similar thoughts my impression is this,if I buy the sxv and want to go offroad it should be an easier transition than taking the rxv to the pavement.
With the wider swingarm on the sxv you could install spacers with the rxv wheels but the sxv wheels would not fit in the rxv swingarm.
The final drive gearing could be altered to compensate for the taller gearing on the sxv,and the other differences I don't believe would be an issue offroad.

[altaic]

The argument I've heard against it is the RXV's suspension would be better suited to tarmac than the SXV's to dirt. Can't back that statement up, myself, just regurgitating it. I personally have the SXV, and come spring I'll probably do a little suspension work for off-roading.

I haven't been able to find knobby or dual purpose tires for the SXV wheels, and I suspect they don't exist, but getting a pair of off-road wheels I don't think would be too terribly expensive. I'm thinking buy an SXV rear and an RXV front, then have a wheel builder lace on an 18" rim on the SXV rear hub. Otherwise, you'd need axle spacers and a sprocket spacer to get the proper chain line.

[Ed / AF1 Racing]

I've thought it would be easier to take a RXV and use it like a motard. The SXV swingarm might have enough clearance for a larger diameter off-road wheel/tire

get a set of 17" custom wheels in normal motard size (160 rear) and put them on the RXV. Lower the suspension a bit if you want to.

[altaic]

Ed, can you make any size/brand recommendations for larger diameter wheels/tires for the SXV? I'm thinking a wider rear tire than the RXV's would be better for dual purpose. There are a slew of sizes to chose from, though, and I'm not sure which would be best.

[Ed / AF1 Racing]

I'm not sure...havent tried anything yet. Not a whole lot of wheel choices yet either, everything is sort of custom right now.

[altaic]

Oh, I meant if I got a rear rim to lace on an SXV hub for dual purpose, what size do you think would be best? I'm thinking 3x18" rims with 140/80-18 Metzeler Enduro 3 tires. With that rim size, there seems to be a wide selection of tires.

[Ed / AF1 Racing]

will a 140/80-18 fit in the SXV swingarm?

[altaic]

Let's see... 140/80 is ~4.5" high, for a total diameter of 27" on an 18" wheel. The stock SXV tire is 180/55, which is ~4" high, for a total diameter of 25" on a 17" wheel. IIRC, there's roughly 2" between my SXV tire and the swingarm, so it should fit with an inch to spare.

I thought the only difference between the RXV's swingarm and the SXV's is the SXV's is wider. Since it shouldn't be shorter, it should fit the same tire diameter, right? IIRC the RXV's rear tire is 140/80-18.

[rxv]

Let's see... 140/80 is ~4.5" high, for a total diameter of 27" on an 18" wheel. The stock SXV tire is 180/55, which is ~4" high, for a total diameter of 25" on a 17" wheel. IIRC, there's roughly 2" between my SXV tire and the swingarm, so it should fit with an inch to spare.

I thought the only difference between the RXV's swingarm and the SXV's is the SXV's is wider. Since it shouldn't be shorter, it should fit the same tire diameter, right? IIRC the RXV's rear tire is 140/80-18.

I was looking at the SXV "leftovers" at AF1 so I took a look at an SXV side by side with an RXV at the dealership to run down the spec sheet (to see what it would take to "toggle" my RXV over to street duties) and pretty quickly realised it was going to take a lot of fiddling and a lot of dollars to do it "factory." I think I'll just get some decent wheels and live with the compromise.

[ow595]

I was comparing the two (RXV / SXV) side by side, also thinking the same thing, comverting a SVX for off road (Supermoto parts are more expensive then off road).
But noticed that even the left rear frame plate is wider on the SVX to accomidate the wider swingarm and the longer output shaft so the countershaft sprocket will clear the 180 rear tire.
Not here nor there but one more difference from the SXV to RXV.
Seemed if aprilia was smart to save money they would have use the same platform for both bikes. The RXV looks like it would accept a 160 rear tire.(norm in Supermoto), all that differences just to have a 180 tire? 65HP is not really enough power to tax a 180 rear.

I would prefer to have the 48mm forks and slightly shorter suspension for off-road use.

Cheers,

William
Santa Cruz, Ca

[Olof Eriksson]

Word is that Aprilia will come with kits to convert sxv to rxv and maybe the other way around. That means just wheels tho, no other suspension, swingarm etc etc.

I would go for a RXV to SXV conversion if I'd choose. You are probably not that serious about racing supermoto if you buy a RXV to begin with so the suspension both in height and in shims is good enough to ride supermoto.

If you go the other way around you will end up with a bike that kicks the shit out of you when the ground is other than flat. Trust me, I do alot of motocross on my CRF 450 supermoto, both with slicks and with motocross tires. It tires you out alot faster and its alot more painful to do anything but perfect.

Riding supermoto with enduro suspension tho, is so nice. Sure it will dive alot more and will not hold grip as deep as with the supermoto suspension but its a soft and nice ride

[rxv]

I was comparing the two (RXV / SXV) side by side, also thinking the same thing, comverting a SVX for off road (Supermoto parts are more expensive then off road).
But noticed that even the left rear frame plate is wider on the SVX to accomidate the wider swingarm and the longer output shaft so the countershaft sprocket will clear the 180 rear tire.
Not here nor there but one more difference from the SXV to RXV.
Seemed if aprilia was smart to save money they would have use the same platform for both bikes. The RXV looks like it would accept a 160 rear tire.(norm in Supermoto), all that differences just to have a 180 tire? 65HP is not really enough power to tax a 180 rear.

I would prefer to have the 48mm forks and slightly shorter suspension for off-road use.

Cheers,

William
Santa Cruz, Ca

You're lucky to be in SC -- two good Aprilia shops over there.

As for two bikes, two designs, it seems to me that engineers see the world through different lenses. While I could imagine a single "platform" and two bikes from it, but a review of materials and design quickly uncovers unavoidable elements that will be different and then it becomes a cheaper solution to have two very similar yet quite different products and run them in parallel. I was a product manager for two decades, ran my own company, worked for multi-nationals etc. This kind of product development (with parallel lines) lends itself to a third development effort focused on how to leverage the work going into each product line against parallel lines. Crazy stuff, but one you piece it all together, you end up with advantages in relationships with vendors and OEMs, product recalls impact fewer customers, incremental advances can be woven into multiple products without increasing the set of parts, service and support investment is defrayed by multiple product line sales and markets, etc. etc. You end up throwing all this into the meat grinder and finding that a single product can be more expensive when it occurs in multiple "instances" instead of having multiple, parallel products with shared platforms.
Anyway, that's enough on that topic! Bury those old skeletons!