prilia is feeling lucky. After two straight years of dominating 125cc and 250cc racing, the Italian

company has announced a new street bike that will hit the road by the end of this year and crash the World Superbike party in time for the 2009 season.

In race form (seen here at its unveiling in Milan– click to enlarge), the 65 degree V-four literbike promises “ride by wire” technology and “well over 200 horsepower.” Though Aprilia’s press release is deliberately vague, they do suggest the electronics-heavy powerplant will offer “almost infinite possibilities for controlling power output and traction”– sounds like traction control to me!

Whether this new kid on the block will beat the likes of Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki or Yamaha remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the battle for superbike supremacy is about to get more epic.