TUONO 660 CONCEPT
M
aking its public debut next to the
new Aprilia RS660 was its naked
stablemate, the Tuono 660 Concept.
While this was by no means a big surprise,
since Aprilia traditionally has a naked Tuono
variant of its sportbikes, the thinking behind
the bike breaks new ground for Aprilia.
While the RS660 is an all-out sports machine
with great power to weight ratio, Aprilia plans
on releasing the Tuono with a 47.5hp (35kW)
learner version alongside the full 95hp tune.
This would put Aprilia into the LAMS class
here in NZ with a cutting edge modern bike to
revitalise the now rather stale offerings of the
upper capacity bikes of the learner class.
With an alloy frame and a new 660cc engine
derived from the front bank of the Aprilia
Tuono 1100’s V4 engine along with a suite of
modern electronics including a six-axis IMU and
associated rider aids (including traction and
wheelie control), the Tuono 660 Concept has all the
goods to become THE bike of lust for learners.
This will likely come at a price, however, and
while the pricing isn’t confirmed (the bike being
a concept and all), with the RS660 expected to
be around the $20,000 mark the Tuono 660
will likely enter the market at a similar price
bracket. That will mean any learner version which
makes it to our shores will directly compete with
Triumph’s Street Triple 660 LAMS, already the
most expensive bike in the LAMS category.
The Tuono 660 Concept isn’t likely to make
its debut until 2021, as the base RS660 isn’t
destined for our shores until late next year
with the NZ market set to be one of the first
in the world to sample the new platform.
KIWI RIDER 25