This V-four is just as
thunderous and even more
of a stormer. With anything
from 6000 revs on the tacho
it pulls really hard all the
way through to 11,000rpm
and it’s ridiculous fun
RIDING
Having already ridden the 217hp RSV4 I was
expecting the Tuono 1100 to feel a little, umm,
underwhelming… but it doesn’t. There’s a very
healthy 175hp at the top of the revs which is
still a huge amount of power, the power litre-
class sports bikes were making only a handful
of years ago. Peak torque is within a gnat’s cock
of the RSV4 but it makes it 2000rpm lower in
the rev-range, so there’s huge grunt off the
corners no matter what the gear. There’s no
problem letting the revs drop or being in a gear
too high, the Tuono just grunts its way out of
the corner.
Tuono is Italian for ‘thunder’ and although
the original Tuono was a V-twin, this V-four
is just as thunderous and even more of a
stormer. With anything from 6000 revs on the
tacho it pulls really hard all the way through to
11,000rpm and it’s ridiculous fun. Where the
RSV4 is a no-holds-barred, seat of the pants,
50 KIWI RIDER
200hp-plus take your breath away experience,
the Tuono is a stormingly fast and fun machine.
I had one session where Phil Cjaz, who races an
RSV4 in ASBK, and I chased each other around
the track on a pair of Tuonos. After a few laps
we both came into the pits with huge grins on
our faces, which is what the Tuono is all about
– it’s a great road bike that can more than hack
being ridden extremely hard on track. The
beauty of Aprilia’s traction control is that in the
track-oriented settings it’ll allow the back tyre to
squirm and slide a little but won’t let it get out
of control. Following Phil and seeing his bike
lay down fat black lines out of each corner was
hilarious and slightly disconcerting because my
bike was doing the same – the electronic brain
letting me feel for and experience the moment
of it starting to slide, making the ride as much
a rider training session as it was just a blat
around the track.