+ Everything , it ’ s awesome .
– Nothing . enough to genuinely find fault with it . Sure , I would prefer a more colourful paint job than the one on our test machine , but they are available and its hardly a fault . Likewise , I could complain that after a couple of hours , more leg room would be nice for my aging giraffe-like body . But that is not a fault of the Aprilia either . Yes , for all that this bike is designed to do it is beyond excellent ! So , while I cannot tell you that exiting a turn sideways at 210km / h , the TC intervention in Race mode is a bit crap and that I ’ d like slightly more drive , and perhaps a whisker more engine inertia to smooth the slide … I CAN tell to you this Aprilia is a wonderful ride . Strangely , riding away , the first thing I noticed was the brakes . The front brake to be exact . Instantly powerful with fantastic feel and arm collapsing power . It is awesome . Perhaps it ’ s a subconscious thing in the self-preservation department … to check out the brake ’ s performance before opening the throttle in any meaningful way . Or simply because they are so bloody good I couldn ’ t help but notice . Either way it is a win-win for the rider . Huge 330mm twin discs with top-drawer Brembo M50 fourpiston calipers don ’ t really give the Tuono any choice but to stop hard if you want it to . But their feel is such that they never overwhelm and are a joy to use . The rear is a single 220mm disc with twin pot Brembo caliper and worked just fine .
RAW . POWERFUL . Four pistons arranged in a 65 ° v-configuration . 1077cc , twin overhead camshafts with four valves per cylinder . A four into two into one exhaust system fed by a front dynamic airbox and 48mm throttle bodies producing 172hp at 9000rpm . This all leads inexorably to … an engine note that is wonderfully evocative and a strong , exciting power delivery . Of course , any machine over 150hp is not suitable for learners and any rider should treat the power with respect , but that doesn ’ t mean it ’ s not user friendly or the power can ’ t be used meaningfully on the road . Just above idle the fuelling makes it feel a
KIWI RIDER 57