After the success of 1985, the development of the Aprilia 250, which had now been given the name AF1, was held up when Reggiani had a serious road accident.

The rider from Forlì was replaced by Manfred Herweh and Stefano Caracchi, and returned to the track only in Spain.

It was not a lucky season, the bike was not competitive and only the expert Herweh picked up a few points.