TUONO 1100 FACTORY
This was another spot-the-difference game I
was forced to play when I arrived at the track to
try the Tuono. Umm… “slightly different graphics
and no winglets…?” was my first assessment. It
wasn’t until I saw the wires coming out of the
fork tops and rear shock that I found
the headline update for 2019 – Ohlins’ semi-
active suspension, the new version two of the
Swedish system.
ELECTRONIC SUSPENSION
New for ‘19 is ASC (Aprilia
Suspension Control), which is based on Ohlins’
new Smart EC 2.0 system. The setup controls
both the rebound and compression damping
in the front forks and in the rear shock damper
unit. Compared to version 1.0 of the system,
version 2.0 breaks a corner down into three
areas for damping – braking, cornering and
acceleration. Traditionally, suspension is a
compromise between these three areas but
with this system, each three are dealt with
individually, so you can dial up the braking
support if you want less dive under brakes,
but still have supple suspension mid-corner.
The theory is that this is really the best of both
worlds by having damping that’s
suited to whatever riding you’re doing.
There are three active modes… A1 (track), A2
(sport), A3 (road/comfort), and three manual
modes… M1 (track), M2 (sport), M3 (road/
comfort). In active mode, the system analyses the
bike and rider inputs and adjusts the suspension
accordingly. In track mode the system can be
adjusted by bike characteristics rather than by
adjuster or clicks. Through a simple plus/minus
interface, a rider can adjust brake support,
acceleration, mid-corner, front fork, shock
absorber and steering damping. These are all
independent, so if you increase brake support it
doesn’t make suspension too stiff mid-corner.
KIWI RIDER 49