The suspension is compliant and controlled both on and off-road . Also , it has an overall firmness of progression providing good bottoming resistance for jumping and G-outs . Off-road , wheelies and slides come naturally to the Aprilia . Riding it this way feels almost as relaxed and normal as on a big dirt bike . Sliding on gravel to rear wheel steer is just a throttle twist away - something this old dirt racer really enjoys . As I said earlier , even the seat feels dirt bike firm and narrow-ish , which may not bode quite so well for long term touring comfort . The 21 / 18-inch wheel combination offers a huge tyre choice for all types of terrain . Aprilia has a range of accessory comfort seats in three heights - standard , + 2cm and -2cm to tweak the bike for the majority of riders . Braking comes in the form of quality Brembo calipers . There are twin 300mm discs at the front and a single 260mm disc on the rear wheel . Braking actuation is great for both strength and feel . While real dirt-bike ability for a twin cylinder machine is a strong point on the Tuareg ( it won the Africa Eco Race this year , which follows the original Dakar Rally African route to Senegal - beating the Yamaha Tenere in the process ), it must be mentioned that it is also an extremely
pleasant road machine . As mentioned above , the engine is smooth and there is decent weather protection and a relaxed riding position , so the journey to the serious offroad riding will be just as enjoyable as the dirty stuff . If you are new to adventure riding , but love your road riding and are keen to progress your dirty side of life then the Tuareg should be a serious option .
WHERE IT ’ S AT Aprilia ’ s Tuareg 660 is an excellent adventure machine . While it is the smallest capacity middleweight , twin-cylinder genuine Adventure bike on the market , that is probably its greatest strength , not a weakness . I ’ m sure there are plenty of riders out there who find their 1200cc-plus machines more than a handful when the going gets tough . Who doesn ’ t want a lighter weight machine in tricky going ? No one , that ’ s who . The 660 is plenty quick enough , smooth , and comfy on road and its off-road abilities are only bettered by single-cylinder machines . The Tuareg niche is that of a quick and comfortable mile eating all-roads machine that has genuine dirt credentials – perhaps the very best of both worlds .
62 KIWI RIDER