Aprilia kicked off its 660cc twin cylinder middleweight family with the impressive RS660 sportster in 2021 and subsequently followed that up with the similarly powered Tuono roadster and Tuareg adventure bike. All neatly filled the gap in the Italian brand’s range between its V4 1100s and the later 457cc A2 offerings, giving a manufacturer previously noted for racy learner bikes and exotic superbikes a more complete range than it’s ever had before.
Of the bunch, the Tuareg is possibly the most overlooked and underrated – partly because the middleweight adventure bike class is now so competitive with rivals such as the Yamaha 700 Ténéré, Honda Transalp, Suzuki V-Strom 800 and BMW F750GS, as well as smaller (and less powerful) new A2 offerings like the BMW F 450 GS and Kawasaki’s KLE500, not to mention dozens of Chinese offerings.
But all of Aprilia’s 660s were updated in 2025, meeting the latest emissions regulations and upping the spec even more. the Tuareg is better than ever and has proven itself in world rally racing, which is where this Rally version comes in. A replica of Aprilia’s production-based rally racers, it’s got more off-road focus than the standard model.
To achieve that extra rugged, more off-road dimension, the Rally gets longer travel, beefier, fully adjustable Kayaba suspension, heavy duty wire wheels, and SC Project performance exhaust, raised front mudguard, stronger bash plate, higher handlebars and replica livery of Aprilia’s race version. With plenty of traditional Italian style, great dynamics and good componentry at surprisingly affordable prices, it would have been rude to have turned down the manufacturer’s offer to take its latest offering for a spin.
The Rally’s 659cc parallel twin is essentially identical to that of the regular Tuareg, being a retuned version of the engine which debuted on the RS660 sportster and Tuono 660 naked in 2021. That engine, in turn, was derived from Aprilia’s long admired 1100cc V4 and even boasts the same 81mm bore, albeit with a slightly longer 63.9mm stroke.
In Tuareg trim it received revised valve-timing, induction and exhaust to boost low and mid-rpm performance at the slight expense of high rpm peak power with the result being peak power of 79bhp at 9250rpm (compared to the RS’s 99bhp at 10,500rpm) and 51.6lb-ft of torque at just 6500rpm (compared to the RS’s revvier 8500rpm). In Rally trim, thanks to its SC Project performance exhaust, that’s upped slightly to 80bhp, not that you notice it.
But there’s nothing wrong with that. As before, and although down on the 750 Transalp’s 91bhp, the Aprilia never feels wanting and delivers gutsy, characterful drive throughout the range aided by four riding modes (Urban, Explore, Off-Road and a customizable Individual). and made slicker still with an optional quickshifter. Braking is equally impressive thanks to twin 300mm front discs grasped by conventional Brembo twin-piston calipers with a single rear all aided by the obligatory ABS.
Handling-wise, the Tuareg is fairly typical mid-weight adventure bike with a tall riding position, soft, long travel suspension and large and narrow semi-knobbly tyres, but this Rally version is more extreme. The longer travel, uprated suspension helps make it all round taller, with slightly raised handlebars to match and the Pirelli STR tyres are more off-road orientated, too.
But the ride is relatively plush and controlled, the steering, though light, is sufficiently secure and the whole plot has an air of refined quality and confidence some more overtly budget rivals (certainly the Chinese, but most of the Japanese as well) can’t match. It’s still a more than capable, versatile road bike and, even though due to time constraints, we didn’t get the opportunity to sample the Rally in the dirt, we’ve every reason to suspect it’s up there with the best if you do.
The Tuareg offers largely familiar middleweight adventure bike ergonomics. Being a parallel twin it’s manageably slim and reasonably light (204kg ready to go) but as an adventure bike with big wheels, long travel suspension and an upright riding position, it’s also quite tall which can make it awkward for shorter riders.
The standard bike’s seat is 860mm tall, which is just about ok for most, but the Rally’s, due to its different suspension, is 913mm which can be quite a stretch with slightly higher ‘bars to match. Once on board, though it offers a commanding riding position, enough protection from the mid-sized (but non-adjustable) screen to make motorway touring acceptable, a slick dash and, thanks to its lighter exhaust and wheels, it is actually 5kg lighter than the standard version so has less of the imposing bulk and weight of full-size litre-class adventures.
Adventure bikes of any capacity are inherently practical, which is a large part of their appeal. Larger, over 1000cc versions have been British best sellers for the best part of 20 years but since 2019, when Yamaha’s first Ténéré 700 arrived, middleweight adventures have proved increasingly popular for that same versatility but with less daunting manageability due to their reduced size and weight – combined with more affordable prices.
The Tuareg delivers that all-rounder skill set as well as any other and, arguably, has added ‘Italian exotica’ appeal (although you pay a slight premium for it) while the newer Rally version offers genuine off-road credibility and even more rugged style. It’s not perfect, an adjustable screen would be welcome and it’s not quite as fast, affordable and manageable as, say, the Transalp, but, if you like the spec and style, it truly does it all.
Often middleweights tend to skimp on equipment in order to be more affordable than full-size adventure bikes. That’s certainly the case with Honda’s Transalp, for example, but it’s not true of the Tuareg and definitely not of the Rally. Where the Transalp is Honda’s mid-range offering and needs a degree of separation from the more expensive Africa Twin, Aprilia don’t make a large capacity ADV, so this 660 Rally is actually their flagship model in the sector.
The base Tuareg already boasts not only high quality, fully adjustable suspension and Brembo brakes, but also four-riding modes, flash TFT dash and bags of Italian style while the Rally goes further still with its uprated suspension, bigger bash plate, better wheels and bespoke graphics. An adjustable screen is an obvious omission, but otherwise it has virtually everything you actually need.
As we write, the standard Tuareg is pegged at £10,495, which is slightly pricier than the £9899 Transalp and £10,108 Ténéré 700, although not by much and it does offer extra Italian style and arguably a slightly higher spec. The Rally version, meanwhile, costs £12,445, or £1950 more than the standard version, for which you get, as mentioned, uprated suspension and wheels, different mudguard and bars, fancier graphics and the SC Project titanium can which, by our reckoning, is reasonable value. As a fairer comparison the Rally version of Yamaha’s Ténéré 700 comes in at £11,108, with the highest spec World Raid retailing at £11,924.
If you’re tempted by the recent trend towards middleweight adventure bikes, the Aprilia Tuareg remains one of the best. Its powertrain is evocative and effective; its chassis reeks quality; it has all the equipment you need and it’s also stylish and Italian. While the Rally version goes further still with more off-road ability and rugged style. If you need that dirt ability and can manage the high seat, it’s one of the best middleweight adventures you can buy.
Aprilia Tuareg Rally 660 Specification
Price: £12,455
Engine: 659cc parallel twin, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, liquid cooled
Power: 80bhp (59kW) @ 9,250rpm
Torque: 70Nm (51.6lb-ft) @ 6,500rpm
Transmission: Six-speed, chain
Frame: Tubular steel trellis
Suspension: (F) 43mm USD Kayaba telescopic forks, fully adjustable (R) fully adjustable Kayaba monoshock.
Wheels: HD alloy rimmed wires, (F) 21” x 1.85” (R) 18” x 4.0”
Tyres: Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR (F) 90/900 x 21, (R) 150/70 x 18
Brakes: (F) Two x 300mm discs, two-piston Brembo calipers, (R) 260mm disc, single piston Brembo caliper ABS
Weight: 199kg (wet)
Wheelbase: 1525mm
Seat height: 913mm
Fuel tank: 18 litres
Fuel consumption: N/a
Service intervals: 6000 miles/12 months
Warranty: 24 months unlimited mileage
Contact: www.aprilia.com
Words: Phil West
Photos: Aprilia
