It’s fair to say that Aprilia’s Tuono 660 is an impressive machine – it blew us away when we had the chance to throw a leg over one last year. But the standard model did have its drawbacks. Although it was based on the RS 660 platform, it dropped a bit of power and also lacked some of the tech that Aprilia had given its fully faired sibling. But now? Well it all looks to be rectified, with the introduction of the Tuono 660 Factory at a price that’s just £300 higher than the standard model, at £10,000.
The Factory edition of the Tuono 660 shares much of the same components as the standard baby Tuono, so you get the V4 derived parallel twin engine that is now untouched in terms of its power figures, giving it 100bhp rather than the 95bhp on offer from the standard model. It’s also been given a shorter final drive for better acceleration, achieved by changing the front sprocket to 16 teeth instead of 17, and a lightweight lithium battery to reduce the overall weight of the machine by about 2kg. Combined, it means that the power-to-weight ratio has been drastically improved too.
Alongside this Aprilia have given their Tuono 660 Factory the full suite of electronics from the RS 660, which the standard model doesn’t have. This means that you now get the majority of the APRC kit, including a six-axis IMU, five rider modes, all the riding aids you can think of and now, a quickshifter and autoblipper as well. To top it off, it’s been given some better suspension which is not semi-active, but is fully adjustable, alongside some dark, mean looking graphics and a single-seat unit.
And even with all these all changes, the Tuono 660 Factory costs just a nip above the standard model at £10,000 on the dot. So, with these changes, is the latest, baby Tuono one of the best middleweight machines that money can buy? Well, we just had to find out for ourselves.
As far as the ‘middleweight’ sector goes, it’s hard to find a bike that looks as aggressively glorious as the Tuono 660 Factory. It has an edgy, aggressive look, but its big-bike stature makes it appear more like its higher-capacity brother, the Tuono V4, than a toy-like budget middleweight. It’s got a real quality finish up close too, with everything from mini winglets on the fairings, to a nicely lit and intuitive TFT dash. The new colours and the single seat unit are nice additions to the Factory too.
Just like the standard model, the riding position feels instantly perfect for my 5’7” frame, as the handlebar and footpeg position combines just the right level of comfortable and sporty, with more than enough space to fit in if you’re built bigger. The cockpit, in general, is a lovely place to be, and for a ‘naked’ bike there’s a fair bit of wind protection from the little screen, which combined with the cruise control, makes the 660 a surprisingly effective mile muncher.
In fact, the 660 feels like a serious bit of kit. The motor is fairly wide and although it’s not weighty, it feels every bit a proper machine and not just a middleweight naked toy. That very same feeling continues with the engine – even though it’s ‘just’ a 660cc twin, it’s got a roar that’s reminiscent of the RSV1100 V4 engine with which it shares so many of its parts, and a hefty dose of DNA too. The thing is, with that little extra injection of power, a dash less weight and the gearing change, the 660 Factory is that step-up in terms of excitement, that propels the baby Tuono out of the middleweight category, and into something much, much more.
The same goes for the handling, as those subtle tweaks make for an even more pliable and responsive ride, on a machine that already handles incredibly anyway. When coupled with those incredible Brembo brakes, Pirelli tyres and that glorious chassis, the Tuono 660 Factory is an absolute peach in the corners, that will hang with just about any other machine on the market. I know there’s a fairly chunky price tag attached, but if you ignore the spec sheet and go off riding experience alone, it feels way more like a higher capacity machine in terms of its characteristics – it really is just a nice step up from the standard model.
And that’s also because Aprilia have given it the full monty in terms of electronics too. Although the standard Tuono 660 did come with some goodies, the biggest advantage for me comes in the form of the standard quickshifter and autoblipper, which transforms the ride and works very well both up and down the gearbox. Couple the slight weight reduction (which isn’t really noticeable when riding, but does play a part) and the already great Tuono 660 really has been taken up in notch, in near enough every aspect, while not going crazy in terms of price.
Conclusion
Pricing aside, the Tuono 660 was by far the best naked middleweight capacity machine on the market, although it was missing a few finishing touches. Now, Aprilia really have addressed that and made the Tuono 660 Factory the all-round package; it really is a genuine contender in the realms of KTM’s 890 Duke, Kawasaki’s Z900 and Yamaha’s MT-09, and for a price that isn’t far north of the standard model either. It may sound like a lot of cash for a 660cc motorcycle, but it really is a lot of bike.
