ROAD NEWS
MOTOGP RIDERS LET LOOSE ON APRILIA RS660
I t ’ s one of the new models we ’ re most looking forward to in 2020 , and now Aprilia ’ s MotoGP riders have been set loose on the new RS660 to help keep the flame of excitement alive as the world waits for the official release in a few months time . With the bike planned to go full production next month , the MotoGP trio of Aleix Espargaró , Bradley Smith and Lorenzo Savadori were sure not to miss out on the chance to put a preproduction example of the hot new Aprilia through its paces . The verdict from the factory riders was unanimous , Aprilia is on to something special with the RS660 . Aleix Espargaró said : “ It ’ s extremely stable and the engine really pushes hard . I really liked the quick shift feature .”
A smiling Bradley Smith commented : “ After the first two corners , you have total confidence . It ’ s incredible how you can push hard straight away .” Lorenzo Savadori added : “ More than anything , I was astonished at the comfort . I discovered a sport bike that was unexpectedly comfortable .” The RS660 marks the beginning of a new era for Aprilia and is the first model of a new generation of lightweight and high performance medium engine capacity bikes , supported by the electronics and technology of the Aprilia Racing department . With the litre class continuing to fall out of favour with buyers , the middleweight market is where the next big surge from manufacturers is going to take place in terms of development . Based on half the V4 engine from Aprilia ’ s leading RSV4 and Tuono models , the Aprilia RS
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