EVER since Aprilia plonked a box full of foliage on the main stage at EICMA 2019, the two-wheeled world has been itching to get a look at the adventure bike that lay within.
It didn’t take much to figure out that a 21st century Tuareg was about to be unleashed, but the final design and specs were to remain a mystery. Well, wonder no more, as the new bike can be seen on the road in the clearest images yet as Aprilia’s engineers give the RS 660 (and Tuono 660, which happened to be revealed today) powered machine an on-road shakedown.
2021 Aprilia RS660 - REVIEW
What do we know about the Aprilia Tuareg 660?
The new bike will for the muddy corner of a three bike triangle includes the RS660 and the newly revealed Tuono 660. Taking a leaf out of Yamaha’s book of tricks, Aprilia has cottoned onto the idea of using its lightweight and adaptable twin-cylinder plonking it into multiple models.
Engine aside, the new bike looks like a seriously rugged bit of kit, leaning much more to the utilitarian side of adventure biking – it is definitely not just a show pony. Up-front we have a set of decent spec long-travel forks that carry radially Brembo calipers. The yellow bars that shroud the engine are unlikely to remain, although the front end bodywork is likely to be that of the final model. When road-testing it’s RS and Tuono 660 models prior to launch, Aprilia really did very little to hide the final form of the bike. We’re assuming that this is also the case with the new Tuareg.
Beneath the skin the bike uses the same RSV4 derived twin-cylinder engine. In its highest state of tune it’ll produce around 100bhp, although for this bike, that is probably not the case. For the Tuareg, the tune is expected to be much softer, with a focus on useable torque and delivery rather than outright power.
The high-level exhaust of the bike you can see is also not going to make it into production. The bike will still have an adventure-spec high-level item fitted, but not the clumsy-looking item in the images.
If the Tuareg is anything like the other bikes in the 660 range, it should be absolutely bristling with tech. Think wheelie control, slide control, cornering ABS, and a whole host of riding modes dedicated to hitting the dirt sideways. If Aprilia get this bike nailed, it could be the closest competitor to the Ténéré 700 and 890 Adventure yet.
