Aprilia’s RS660 has been a big hit for the firm, with its smart ‘half an RSV4’ parallel twin engine and sporty chassis. And now the Noale firm has released more details on the Tuono (Italian for ‘thunder’) version, which uses the same 95bhp engine in an upright naked chassis, weighing in at 183kg ready to ride.
That motor uses a 270° timing to give a lumpier V-twin style power delivery, and is a compact, advanced design with DOHC, eight-valve head, ride-by-wire throttle and full Euro5 emissions compliance.
Aprilia had announced the Tuono 660 as a prototype at the 2019 Milan show, and we’d no doubt have seen it finalised in the flesh if there had been any 2020 shows. In these pics though, you can see the overall feel – very similar to the traditional Tuono and RSV model, with minimal mods to the sportsbike for the naked machine.
There’s a series of minor tweaks to the chassis: the Kayaba suspension has been rejigged to suit, riding position is obviously very different with higher, wider bars and the fork offset has also been changed.
The half-fairing has full LED triple headlights and the side fairings have Aprilia’s double-layered aerodynamic layout, to guide air round the bike more effectively and improve stability.
The final drive ratio has been altered too, giving lower top speed but sharper acceleration, and there are five fine-tuned riding modes on the full colour LCD dash – three road and two track. The rest of the electronics package is the same as on the RS – a high-end APRC system that includes multi-level traction control, wheelie control, cruise control, engine brake and selectable engine maps, plus an advanced ABS setup.
Brakes are the same Brembo radial-mount four-piston front calipers, and the suspension is adjustable for preload and damping. There’s also a 35kW restricted power version available for A2 licence holders.
No final word on availability yet but we’re expecting the 660 in the shops soon, with a very decent price of just £9,700. We’ll be getting a spin on one as soon as Covid and the weather permits!