Aprilia RS660 gets a track outing with MotoGP rider test
The Aprilia RS660 has had its first official track outing with Aprilia factory MotoGP riders in the hot seat
THE Aprilia RS660 has been given a thorough shakedown on track at the hands of the official Aprilia MotoGP riders.
Aprilia RS660 walk around | EICMA 2019
Aleix Espargaro, Bradley Smith, and Lorenzo Salvadori had the enviable task of giving the RS660 a good going over at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. The test took place between San Marino and Rimini’s Coast GP (last weekend) and this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
With production beginning in October, the bike has already been thoroughly tested, and widely photographed, on the road, although the chance to get the bike on the track with such experienced pilots must have been too good to miss.
Aleix Espargaro was suitably impressed with the new middle-weight sports bikes engine and gearbox, he said, “it’s very stable and the engine pushes really hard. I really appreciated how the quickshifter works”. Bradley Smith on the other hand was happy with how quickly he was able to exploit the high-tech, 100bhp machine. “After the first two corners the confidence is total,” he said, “it’s amazing how you can push hard right away.”
While the Aprilia isn’t aiming for out and out supersports glory, Aprilia is aiming for a more all-around road bike dynamic, the poise the Aprilia seems to be showing on track will approve those looking to the machine as an option for road racing and super-twin championships.
The RS660 is a bit of a new dawn for Aprilia, as it marks their first foray into the middle-weight sports bike sector. It’s not going to be the only model either, Aprilia is working up a naked Tuono 660 too, featuring all the bells and whistles of its faired sibling.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
