Aprilia Shiver 900 To Be Revived Under the Gilera Name

[Admin]

Aprilia’s Shiver 900, which was dropped back in 2020, seems to have grabbed a new lease on life as a Gilera. (Aprilia/)

Back in March, a patent appeared showing an updated version of the 896cc DOHC V-twin, last seen in Aprilia’s Shiver and Dorsoduro models, now wearing the Gilera badge on its covers. Recently, prototypes have appeared on the road, confirming that the legendary name is to make its way back into the motorcycle market.

This Gilera project is being undertaken by Piaggio’s Chinese partner Zongshen, which currently manufactures Aprilia-branded bikes for the Asian market. It’s by far the largest-displaced bike that the company’s Chinese arm has yet to tackle.

First signs of the project appeared last year when Zongshen showed its RA9 concept bike, which wrapped the old Aprilia Shiver chassis and engine in eye-catching styling. With a single-sided swingarm and completely new bodywork, it was nearly unrecognizable when compared to the machine it is based on. Alongside that machine, which carried Zongshen’s high-end “Cyclone” badge, was an engine on a stand that was adorned with the Gilera badge, but there was no explanation why it was there. At the start of 2022, Italian management visiting the Chinese factory confirmed that it would be manufacturing a 900cc V-twin engine later this year—shortly before the patents showing the Gilera-branded Shiver engine were published.

Last year, patent drawings appeared confirming that a rebranded Aprilia engine will power a Gilera-branded, Chinese-made version of the Aprilia Shiver. (Gilera/)

Recently, a pair of prototypes have been photographed parked on a busy street in China, wrapped in the usual black-and-white distraction camouflage. Images of the bikes have been published here. The attempt at disguise doesn’t hide the fact that the two bikes are visually identical to the Aprilia Shiver. In fact, a simple set of Aprilia badges would be a far more effective way to hide what was under camo.

Badges are what reveal these prototypes to be Gileras rather than Aprilias, despite the efforts to hide them. While the bodywork is wrapped and more black-and-white camo hides the branding on the clutch cover, the name “Gilera” is inscribed on a horizontal split element underneath the headlight lens, and again on the instruments.

The instruments themselves, like pretty much every part of the prototypes, are taken directly from the Shiver, while the headlight is visually similar to the old Aprilia’s but has been updated to adopt LED-lighting technology, including new running lights on either side.

Unlike the old Aprilia, however, the new Gilera is to be made by Zongshen-Piaggio in China—a move that presumably slashes the manufacturing costs and eliminates import taxes when the bikes are sold in the Chinese market, which is increasingly hungry for larger, more expensive motorcycles.

What’s unknown at the moment are Piaggio’s wider plans for the Gilera brand. The Aprilia Shiver 900 was dropped in 2020, but it’s still a relatively modern bike, the latest iteration having been launched in 2017. With a lower price thanks to Chinese manufacturing, it could be a tempting option globally if Piaggio decides to sell it in more markets. Since China’s emissions rules are already quite strict, meeting requirements for sales in Europe or the US shouldn’t be a significant hurdle.

The reintroduction of the Aprilia-designed DOHC V-twin engine also opens the door to other models. It was previously offered in other capacities, including 750cc and 1,200cc versions, and featured in the Aprilia Dorsoduro and Caponord as well as the Shiver. It seems inevitable, given the interest in adventure-style machines, that those have a strong chance of being revived under the Gilera name in future.

Gilera itself is among the oldest brands in Piaggio’s portfolio, with an illustrious history dating back to 1909. It was also the company that spread Piaggio’s ambitions into the high-performance motorcycle arena—until Piaggio bought Gilera in 1969, its focus had been the Vespa scooter. Gilera, in contrast, had six 500cc GP titles to its name, all achieved in the 1950s (it would add a 125cc title in 2001, and the 250cc championship with Marco Simoncelli in 2008).

At the turn of the millennium, Piaggio was pushing to return Gilera to the sporting forefront, developing a 600cc four-cylinder supersport machine, but Piaggio’s purchase of the Aprilia group (including Laverda and Moto Guzzi) in 2004, put an end to that plan and Gilera has been increasingly sidelined since.

View the full article