Sunday Afternoon Moto News - Phil Bell, NZ Superbike and a Rare Aprilia

Phil Bell has a hard time holding onto passengers for his sidehack, but he does not give up. For the 2010 Battle of Britain F1 Sidecar Championship, he has finally secured the help of Ashley Hawes. After his dreadful 2009 season - with the notable exception being the Jock Taylor race at Knockhill - he is ready for a good season in the seat of his race machine.

http://tinyurl.com/ygovbz9

Now, we have results from the first race weekend of the New Zealand Superbike Championship, and it seems that Andrew Stroud has taken the first lead - winning race 2 and finishing fourth in race 1. Aussie Robbie Bugden's weekend started well, with a win in race 1, but he crashed out of the second race and that is where Stroud took his advantage. The two victors, and most of the podium, all rode Suzuki motorcycles. It was a great race and was well worth dealing with the bad weather during the first day just to see the Sunday events. For more, take the links.

http://tinyurl.com/ygf82em

Next is a story on a Rare SportBike for Sale - from the site of the same name. This is said to be an Aprilia prototype, believe it or not; the photo on the listing does show a #1 VIN, so it may be true. Either way, it is a well-equipped 1995 Aprilia RS250. I would check to be sure, but this machine does appear to be one of the most rare machines in the industry and it is certainly worth what is being asked presently. Unfortunately, the bike is in Italy, so you will have to have it shipped to you if you want it.

http://tinyurl.com/yjmpumn

Northern California 1995 Aprilia RS250 For Sale

A true racebike if ever there was one, but this one is street-legal and has only been ridden there. Finding these two-strokes in the US is rather hard to do, so take your chance now while there is a very nice model up for sale! (However, it is priced a little high, so you may want to look closely before you buy.)

http://tinyurl.com/ylo6gak

Craigslist Find: 1996 Aprilia RS250 For Sale in Los Angeles

Not many of these around in the United States, but here is one for sale in southern California. It's also silver, which is not a common livery for the RS250. A big plus is that it was street-legal when it was purchased, so no worries about registering it where you live. If you are looking for a very quick and fun twisty companion, this is the bike for you!

http://tinyurl.com/yc5caby

Another Aprilia RS250 For Sale - Los Angeles

It is a 1995 Aprilia RS250 Reggiani Replica with only ~4100 miles on the clock and a recent service. It looks like the person selling her has taken very good care of the big RS. It was originally posted on Craig's List, but I have linked the Rare SportBikes for Sale site. It really is worth a look! Only US$7000...

http://tinyurl.com/yjhrtkn

Craig's List Find - 1998 Aprilia RS250 for Sale in USA

You don't see many of these for sale in the United States - at least they hardly pop up on the classified pages - but this one is located close to me in Washington state. A very well-preserved, and apparently not raced, Aprilia RS250 for sale for only US$8500 with just 1,822 miles on the clock...

http://tinyurl.com/yhooq3h