In recent years, emission norms have killed many of our beloved motorcycles. One such bike was the Aprilia Shiver 900, an Italian naked that was almost as easy to ride as a Suzuki SV650 but with a bit more oomph. Unfortunately, the bike didn’t find many buyers, and the investment to make it emission complaint didn’t seem worth it for Aprilia.
It found new life in China when the Zongshen-Piaggio joint venture announced it would launch a new 900cc twin-cylinder motorcycle. Zongshen first gave a glimpse of it in the Cyclone RA9 concept bike and a V-twin engined Gilera naked. We even saw some test mules with Shiver’s V-twin and the Gilera badge, along with two design registrations for the Shiver 900 and GLR900.
Now, the bike is finally here, and Zongshen-Piaggio has decided to stick to the Aprilia badge, given its premium appeal. The new Shiver 900 looks similar to its last iteration but has a few nifty upgrades. Its styling has been slightly revised, and it now has a new tail section, LED lights, and keyless ignition. Underneath the bodywork, it still produces 94 hp @ 8,750 rpm and 90 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm. It weighs 220 kg. In China, the new Aprilia Shiver 900 costs 68,800 yuan, equivalent to ₹8.2 lakh.
While the new Aprilia Shiver 900 looks tempting on paper, there’s a catch—the Zongshen-Aprilia joint venture is currently only manufacturing it for China. That’s a shame because this motorcycle had even come to India (though few bought it). Today, many would buy it — our market has evolved, and so has our spending power. What hasn’t changed, though, is our perception of Chinese motorcycles.
