FIRST LOOK: Aprilia Tuareg 660 unveiled as it guns for Yamaha Tenere
The Aprilia 660 Tuareg middleweight adventure breaks cover as the third model to be derived from the Italian firm's 660 platform
Aprilia has offered up a first look at its all-new Aprilia Tuareg 660 middleweight adventure motorcycle, the latest model to be spun-off from the 660 platform.
Revealed as a render on its Instagram account, the 660 Tuareg marks a return to the off-road arena for the Italian firm and revives a nameplate last used back in 1994.
Set to go on sale later this year, the Tuareg 660 bears a striking resemblance to its main rival, the Yamaha Tenere 700, with its chunky aesthetics and upright stance, combined with Aprilia’s more synonymous traits, including a variation on the familiar triple headlight arrangement.
It also harks back to the original Tuareg, which was a mainstay during the early years of the Paris-Dakar Rally, with its white, blue and red colour scheme, together with the splash of its signature purple.
For now Aprilia is giving little away as to the specification of the Tuareg 600, but the firm has previously said it is designed to be a serious off-roader, albeit without losing the ‘sporting spirit’ Aprilia is renowned for.
“It will be very off-road oriented, which is why it will also have 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels,” Aprilia’s Cristian Romeo Barelli told Motociclismo in June.
“There was a lot of work to have a low weight. The 660 platform was born with sporting and fun contents. Even the Tuareg will follow that imprint.”
The Tuareg 660 represents a shift in ethos for Aprilia as it continues to reorganise its range and diversify from its larger sports-orientated models.
The new model comes just as the Shiver and Dorsoduro models are discontinued due to tightening Euro5 emissions regulations. Aprilia says it is currently considering a fourth model - potentially a reimagined Pegaso dual-sport - derived from the 660 platform that will replace both.
