Aprilia Dorsoduro

The Aprilia SMV750 Dorsoduro is the latest in a small number of road-legal motorcycles taking their inspiration from the supermoto form of motorcycle racing - essentially motocross, or dirt, bikes fitted with slick road racing tyres and raced over a half-tarmac/half-dirt circuit.

This exciting but minority form of racing had not seen road bike applications until a few years ago, when Austrian bike-maker KTM began to produce bikes which could trace their heritage back to supermoto machines. Unusually, the popularity of road-legal Supermoto bikes caught the motorcycling press somewhat by surprise. In fact it was one of the rare occasions when the hype didn't arrive until after the event itself.

Supermoto bikes, in their racing form, are extreme machines. They have all the huge power and light weight of motocross bikes, but channel that subsequent speed to the road through huge racing tyres. However, the popularity of the road-going versions stems not only from their extreme power-to-weight ratios, unusual looks, and individuality, but from a practicality not envisaged by the manufacturers: on-road supermotos enjoy the high seating position of off-road bikes, giving excellent visibility, together with the sharp handling of sports bikes (but with a better turning circle) making them excellent (if somewhat hardcore) commuting machines for those who want all the speed of a traditional sports machine with a little more urban practicality. Add to this the long suspension travel Supermotos enjoy and you have what for many is the ultimate way to work (although, it has to be said, not too much further - long-distance machines they are not). Italian manufacturer Aprilia has a long and successful racing history in Supermoto. The concept suits Aprilia's desired corporate image as performance-related but not ordinary. The Dorsoduro was the company's first attempt to transfer that race pedigree to road bike sales.

SMV

SMV may refer to:

In computer science

Other uses

SMV (band)

SMV is a bass guitar supergroup formed in 2008. The group's name comes from the first initials of each of its members, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten. The collaboration gained momentum when the three first played together at a concert held by Bass Player magazine in New York City in 2006, where Miller and Wooten joined Clarke on stage to present him with the magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award. SMV's debut album, Thunder, was released on August 12, 2008, with a supporting world tour beginning the same month.

References

External links

Milan

Milan (English /mᵻˈlæn/ or US /məˈlɑːn/;Lombard, Milanese variant: Milan [miˈlã]),Italian: Milano [miˈlaːno]), the second-most populous city in Italy, is the capital of Lombardy. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area (the 5th-largest in the EU) comprises an estimated 5 million people (former Provinces of Milan and Monza-Brianza, with other Comuni included in the former Province of Varese). The enormous suburban sprawl that followed the post-war boom of the 1950s–1960s has resulted in a polycentric metropolitan area, known as Greater Milan, of 7 to 10 million people, stretching over the provinces of Milan, Bergamo, Como, Lecco, Lodi, Monza and Brianza, Pavia, Varese and Novara. The Milan metropolitan region is part of the so-called Blue Banana, the area of Europe with the highest population and industrial density. In terms of GDP, Milan has the third largest economy among EU cities (after London and Paris) and the largest among European non-capital cities.

Scuderia Milano

Scuderia Milano was an Italian motor racing team run by the Ruggeri (or Ruggieri) brothers that raced Maseratis in the early post-war period. They participated in a single Formula One Grand Prix as a constructor in 1950. The team scored two World Championship points, with a best finish (in its debut race) of fifth for Felice Bonetto at the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix.

Scuderia Milano modified two Maserati 4CLT single-seaters with a shorter wheelbase, De Dion suspensions, larger brakes and an engine redesigned by Mario Speluzzi, refitted with two-stage superchargers, racing them in the 1950 and 1951 F1 seasons. One Scuderia Milano 4CLT was redesigned as the Arzani-Volpini in 1955.

Complete World Championship results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

* Constructor's Championship not awarded until 1958.

References

Milano (disambiguation)

Milano (in English ‘Milan’) is one of the largest cities in Italy.

Milano may also refer to:

People with the given name Milano:

People with the surname Milano (a name which implies ethnic origin in Milan, Italy):