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There’s something that makes the middleweight naked category so enticing. Here, manufacturers combine technical know-how and performance of open-class machines with the approachability and user friendliness of smaller-displacement bikes. A prime example? It’s hard to argue the all-new 2021 Aprilia Tuono 660. This middleweight is an exciting new offering from the Italian manufacturer that eases the barrier of entry into the premium brand while still offering a heck of a riding experience.

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The Tuono 660 has been dubbed a direct descendant of the popular 1100 V4. A bold designation by Aprilia, and not to mention, just the badging alone leaves serious shoes to fill. It follows in the footsteps of Aprilia’s other recent introduction, the RS 660 middleweight supersport, sharing an identical engine platform but receiving a number of tweaks aimed at optimizing its performance and personality.

Like the RS 660, the Tuono is powered by a 659cc DOHC parallel-twin engine that’s been derived from Aprilia’s legendary V-4 powerplant. Engineers chopped the rearward cylinders, increased the stroke measurement of the remaining cylinders, and tuned the mill to suit its intended application. Ran on our in-house Dynojet 250i dyno, this middleweight cranked out 87.0 hp at 10,600 rpm and 45.0 pound-feet of torque at 8,900 rpm.

There’s a strong rear-wheel connection via the Tuono 660′s throttle-by-wire system that translates to addicting and confidence-inspiring acceleration. Power is plentiful and approachable at nearly any rpm, but the combination of exhaust note and intake growl combined with impressive delivery around 8,000 rpm is remarkable and reminiscent of the V4 as it lifts the front tire skyward. It truly offers a taste of the almighty 1100 in a half-sized platform with less risk and more approachability. In fact, the Tuono is a delightfully smooth and comfortable ride at normal speeds, and only a hooligan when coaxed...

Find out more: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/reviews/2021-aprilia-tuono-660-mc-commute-review/

Videography/edit: Bert Beltran

Photography: Jeff Allen

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Sports
Transcript
00:00 Good morning everyone and welcome to this week's episode of MC commute where we'll be
00:04 riding an all new motorcycle and one that I'm particularly excited about not only for
00:10 myself but ready to share with you guys and that being the 2021 Aprilia Tuono 660 that
00:17 you see here behind me.
00:19 Now, this is an all new bike for Aprilia, an attack at the middleweight market, and
00:24 it's got big, big shoes to fill with that Tuono name badge.
00:28 So we got a lot to talk about.
00:30 Why don't we hit the road?
00:32 All right, ladies and gentlemen, the 2021 Aprilia Tuono 660 and what a beaut of a machine
00:40 this is if I may say so myself, it has a tremendous amount of premium fit and finish feel that
00:47 you'd expect from the Italian manufacturer.
00:51 That 659 CC parallel twin engine that we'll talk about once we get on the road.
00:57 It's got Brembo brakes up front, a nice TFT dashboard behind the handlebars.
01:04 And one thing that I have to know is I'm just taken away by this in my personal opinion,
01:10 but the look of this machine, the colorway, and not only that, but you got these aerodynamic
01:16 winglets that we've also seen on the Aprilia RS 660.
01:21 I think Aprilia has done an incredible job, but that's just my personal opinion.
01:24 So why don't we fire this thing up and get on the road?
01:29 Ooh, man, not quite a 1100 V4, but damn, does this thing sound good.
01:41 Man, a little bit performance oriented, but I love it, man.
01:50 This bike is a really neat take at that middleweight naked segment, kind of offering Aprilia's
01:57 performance, all their technical know-how of their V4 machines like the Tuono V4, the
02:05 RS V4, but placing it in a more approachable, more affordable package as such being the
02:11 Tuono 660.
02:14 As we've mentioned before, the Tuono 660 along with its super sport cousin, the RS
02:22 660 is powered by a 659 CC parallel twin engine that's essentially been derived from Aprilia's
02:31 1100 V4 platform.
02:34 They got rid of the two rearward cylinders, stroked out the remaining two cylinders, and
02:40 what you have is this power plant.
02:43 We threw it up on the motorcyclist dyno recording horsepower and torque measurements where this
02:48 recorded 87 peak horsepower and about 45 foot pounds of torque.
02:55 Now that's an impressive figure for this displacement, and we're going to show you what this thing's
03:02 got out on the real roads.
03:06 Wow, man, it sounds so good when you hit 7, 8,000 RPM.
03:16 I don't know if it's just the combination of the exhaust note and the intake, but it's
03:21 kind of reminiscent of that V4 sound characteristic that makes that Tuono 1100 and the RS V4
03:29 for that matter, just so addicting.
03:32 Now as we've mentioned, it shares that same power plant with the RS 660.
03:37 Now it's important to note that there are a couple differences, not necessarily in the
03:43 power plant itself, but the electronics package that is used to control this power plant.
03:52 So the Tuono 660 along with the RS 660 uses a Prelia Performance Ride Control Rider Aid
04:00 Suite.
04:02 Now what the Tuono does not have in comparison to the RS 660 is the inertial measurement
04:09 unit or the IMU.
04:11 It also does not have a quick shifter fitted from the factory.
04:17 Now both of those can be equipped as accessories for $200 each.
04:26 Thankfully for us, as you can see, we have the quick shifter fitted to this test unit.
04:33 The lack of the IMU means that the electronics package is just slightly simpler in comparison
04:43 to the RS 660.
04:45 That means that the traction control, the 8-level traction control and the wheelie control
04:50 are now linked.
04:52 So on the RS 660, you could use traction control but turn off wheelie control or vice versa.
04:59 You could leave on wheelie control but turn off traction control because the IMU, it's
05:03 going to sense movements in the motorcycle and react accordingly.
05:10 Now without the IMU, that means you either have traction control and wheelie control
05:13 on or you have both of those turned off at the same time.
05:18 Is it a huge deal?
05:20 Not in my opinion.
05:22 But if you were to really want the IMU, which maybe extracts a little bit more performance,
05:29 maybe tailors the motorcycle a little bit more to your liking, especially when you're
05:33 hauling butt on the back roads, that $200 accessory is, I'm going to say, well worth
05:41 it.
05:42 But obviously in comparison to that RS 660, which is the super sport version of the 660
05:52 platform that Aprilia has created, the Tuono is the naked version.
05:57 So what you have is a lack of fairings, a lack of windscreen, but also the ergonomics
06:03 are obviously revised as well.
06:07 Let's hit this.
06:08 Wow.
06:09 Man, this thing is so addicting.
06:19 It really is so addicting to just get on the pipe and let this thing loose.
06:23 But what I have to say is it's not going to get you, it's not as troublesome as maybe
06:29 going wide open throttle and getting addicted to the Tuono 1100 V4, especially out on these
06:37 public roads.
06:39 Anyways, back to the ergonomics package.
06:42 The Tuono 660 obviously comes equipped with this one piece motocross style handlebar that
06:50 gives it a better sense of control, a little bit more upright position.
06:57 That's more comfortable for the daily commute for the longer haul than maybe the RS 660.
07:02 The foot peg position is also slightly downward and forward.
07:08 That takes a little bit of, I don't know, cramping away from your lower stance.
07:15 That's not to say that the RS 660 was cramped by any means.
07:19 It's actually relaxed in comparison to the competing middleweight super sport segment,
07:26 but the Tuono obviously takes that a step further.
07:31 But wait, there's more changes for this Tuono 660.
07:35 Aprilia essentially optimized the steering geometry of this machine in comparison to
07:41 the RS 660.
07:43 So the steering is actually a little bit steeper, a little bit more aggressive.
07:48 They've also shortened the wheel base, something like five millimeters to give it a little
07:54 bit different characteristic on the road in comparison to that RS.
07:58 Now I have to applaud Aprilia for doing that.
08:01 I think they could have easily just phoned it in, threw an upright handlebar on it, took
08:06 the fairings off of it and probably sold a heck a lot of these.
08:12 But they didn't.
08:13 They actually did their best to specialize this Tuono in what it should be.
08:21 And I think they've done a killer job.
08:22 In fact, I actually prefer the 660 platform more in the Tuono version than the RS 660
08:30 version.
08:32 Just the personality and characteristic of the chassis and overall ride feel better suits
08:40 my liking.
08:41 And I think that the 660 engine better fits the application of the Tuono rather than the
08:49 RS.
08:51 Along with the steering geometry, Aprilia also gave the KYB front fork its own internal
08:59 damping settings that, in my opinion, offer a better ride down the road than the RS.
09:07 I believe that it is slightly softer and in my experience, it handles the small chatter
09:14 bumps and just supports better overall small bump compliance than the RS 660 and adds a
09:21 lot of confidence, especially when the road gets, or the asphalt is imperfect.
09:28 I think that they did a really good job.
09:30 In fact, I'd probably like to see that same internal setting applied to the RS as well.
09:37 Let's see if we can get it.
09:40 Ooh, yellow light.
09:42 We made it though.
09:51 Man that thing sounds so good.
09:52 I love the quick shifter on this Tuono as well.
09:56 For a $200 accessory, I think it's well worth the extra cost.
10:01 It's a bi-directional quick shifter, so I'll show you guys here in one second just how
10:06 it works for clutchless downshifts as well and auto blips that throttle to offer seamless,
10:18 nearly seamless downshifts on deceleration.
10:24 Now, one quick note I would like to make is that there is an $800 Delta between the Tuono
10:31 660 and the RS 660.
10:35 This Tuono starts at $10,499 while the RS is $11,299.
10:45 If you were to fit this Tuono with the accessories that we've mentioned, the IMU and the quick
10:51 shifter, you're still left with a $400 price difference cheaper than the RS 660.
11:00 Kind of a nice touch.
11:01 I thought I'd add that in there.
11:03 We've been pretty good about red lights, but what that's going to give us is the opportunity
11:10 for more acceleration.
11:15 These people kind of looked at me like I'm freaking crazy just talking to myself.
11:19 Little do they know, we're reviewing motorcycles.
11:23 Alright, one more.
11:32 So good.
11:33 So good.
11:34 I love this bike.
11:36 Alright.
11:38 Let's see.
11:43 Boys and girls, let's see if we can get this roundabout, our favorite roundabout, onto
11:49 the freeway with clear racetrack in front of us.
11:53 Let's put this Tuono 660 to the test.
11:57 403 pounds, fully fueled on the motorcyclist scales.
12:02 Let's see how these Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa 2 tires do.
12:08 How the suspension handles the bump.
12:12 The infamous bump right here.
12:14 Wow.
12:15 That's not half bad.
12:17 While taking it, this bike still remains composed, kind of justifying its sporty nature and sporty
12:24 suspension settings.
12:27 Cruising about 72 miles an hour in top gear, 6th gear, rolling right around 5,000 RPM.
12:37 Now what I have to compliment this bike on is it's an overall pleasant ride.
12:44 Not much vibrations, if anything, just a tidbit feeling through the pegs.
12:51 But overall a very comfortable and, I don't know, practical feeling ride as we head down
12:59 the freeway here.
13:01 5,000 RPM obviously leaves us a lot of room to work with in terms of passing power and
13:09 getting by traffic if need be.
13:13 Now we also have this TFT dashboard that you can see here in front of me.
13:20 I really enjoy what Aprilia has done with this.
13:26 I think that it's very easily readable with important information.
13:33 Obviously you have speed, you have gear indicator over there on the right, which big gear indicators
13:40 are my favorite.
13:41 I always like to know which gear I'm in.
13:45 And the rest of the information that's easily navigated through over here on the left handlebar
13:50 cluster.
13:52 Another important note about this bike is that it comes with cruise control, which I
13:57 love cruise control on motorcycles.
13:59 I think that it's one of my favorite things.
14:01 It takes a little pressure away from the right wrist on the long haul, on the commute, as
14:06 long as there's not too much traffic around.
14:08 I think that it is a neat feature as long as you keep your focus.
14:14 But unfortunately, just like the RS660 that I have ridden hundreds of miles aboard, the
14:21 Tuono 660 has quite buzzy mirrors.
14:26 This test unit maybe isn't as bad as the RS that I have experienced, but really anything
14:31 above 5,000-6,000 RPM, if we were going a little bit faster down the freeway, I don't
14:36 want to say they become useless, but they really struggle to paint a picture of what's
14:40 going on behind you.
14:42 Kind of a shame, but it is what it is.
14:47 We got a 3.9-gallon fuel tank on this Tuono 660.
14:51 Now during our testing, I see about an average of 42 miles per gallon.
14:58 I do have to admit, sometimes it can go a bit higher, but the characteristic of this
15:03 motorcycle makes you just want to get on it and wail.
15:07 This thing is so addicting to open the throttle, hear that parallel twin just kind of roar,
15:14 and in turn kind of hurts your gas mileage.
15:17 So in all honesty, I think that you could get 150 miles out of a tank pretty comfortably
15:24 if you aren't just wailing on it, but I think that the minute you guys get on this motorcycle
15:29 and experience what it has to offer, that's going to be a hard thing to hold yourself
15:33 back from.
15:35 Now one thing I forgot to mention in terms of ergonomics is the relatively low 32.2-inch
15:42 seat height that we measured on the motorcyclist lift back at the office.
15:47 Now as you know, I'm short.
15:49 I'm racer-sized, as I like to joke, a 5'7" stature.
15:53 I find myself pretty comfortably navigating slow speeds and stops on this bike.
16:02 The seat itself is a little bit narrow, so maybe a 32.2" seems just slightly tall to
16:10 you guys.
16:12 What I have to say is that that narrow shape of the seat, like I really kind of, even just
16:19 now, just for funsies, I stop to put my feet down and I'm pretty comfortable.
16:25 Maybe not flat foot, but I'm pretty comfortable.
16:27 The narrow shape of that seat lends itself to feeling a little bit shorter, offering
16:33 more contact, if that's the right word, at the ground.
16:39 So you know, it's pretty approachable.
16:43 Ladies and gentlemen, we're approaching the MC Commute Motorcyclist wheelie zone as we
16:49 get here to the office.
16:52 Now it wouldn't be a real Tuono if we couldn't pop some serious wheelies, so we're going
16:58 to put this thing to the test for you guys, but I have very high hopes, very, very high
17:03 hopes for this machine.
17:05 All right MC Commute fans, let's hit it.
17:07 Let's give this guy a show.
17:12 Wow.
17:13 Yup, it rightfully earns its name, the Tuono 660.
17:20 I knew it was going to happen, as I'm sure you guys did too, but what a bike this machine
17:24 is.
17:26 All right, our MC Commute on this 2021 Aprilia Tuono 660 is coming to an end.
17:36 This thing has quickly gained my liking, my love for this bike, as I've always loved the
17:44 Tuono V4, and this thing looks like a Tuono, it feels like a Tuono, and it rides like a
17:49 Tuono, but in a more approachable, more affordable package.
17:55 It doesn't come with that big V4 horsepower that might get you into trouble with the law,
18:02 with yourself.
18:05 Now that being said, I probably wouldn't recommend this to a brand new rider, but I think for
18:11 riders looking as a stepping stone up to maybe a Tuono or a Hyper Naked, an open class Hyper
18:17 Naked, this could be a worthy option.
18:21 Now again, back to the Aprilia stance on that, this thing is $10,499 MSRP without that quick
18:29 shifter fitted.
18:31 Ours was $10,699 as tested.
18:34 To put that in comparison, the Tuono 1100 V4 is $15,499 I believe, so quite a price
18:43 difference in comparison to those models.
18:48 It's also relatively somewhat expensive though in comparison to similar middleweight models,
18:54 but that being said, the Aprilia Tuono 660 has that premium fit and finish as we've discussed.
18:59 I think that they've done an incredible job providing that in this lower cost, lower displacement
19:08 model.
19:09 Now, that 659 cc power plant is awfully addicting.
19:13 87 horsepower up on our dyno as we said.
19:16 Very tractable, very easy to use, but at 8,000 RPM it really kind of takes life.
19:22 And that exhaust note, the intake, it just is somewhat reminiscent of that V4 and it
19:27 just becomes so addicting.
19:29 Now the chassis, they've done an incredible job with the chassis.
19:32 They made those revisions specifically focused at the Tuono platform.
19:36 They could have easily stepped away from that, delivered it as is, as the RS 660 with an
19:41 upright handlebar and a little bit different foot peg position.
19:45 But I have to give kudos to Aprilia on that one.
19:48 I think they've done an incredible job.
19:49 The 660 really, it utilizes the Tuono and the personality that comes with it is just
19:59 unbelievable.
20:01 So that is it for our time aboard the 2021 Aprilia Tuono 660.
20:07 I hope that you guys liked it as much as I did.
20:10 I hope that you all have the chance to at least swing a leg over this at least once
20:14 because it really is an unbelievable machine.
20:18 Now if you like this video, like it, comment, we want to hear from you and subscribe to
20:23 the Motorcyclist YouTube channel.
20:25 Head over to MotorcyclistOnline.com to read the full story and we'll see you guys next
20:29 time.
20:30 Bye.
20:30 [00:05:00] [END OF AUDIO]
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