SINCE its announcement in 2019, the Aprilia RS 660 has been a bike that many considered as a danger to the established competition in the Super Twins class of racing.
With a shade under 100bhp as standard, the little Aprilia provides riders with an already capable platform right out of the box. The trouble for riders using MT-07, Z650, and SV650 powerplants is that their engines start life producing around 75bhp – and dragging 25-30 extra ponies from an engine is time-consuming and expensive.
NEW Aprilia RS 660 Review [2020]
Aprilia’s new sports bike might just be the ticket though, as it’s proving to be a very capable machine in the right hands. It’s just locked out the podium at the technical Laguna Seca circuit in the United States and already filled the top three slots at the previous first round of the series at MotoAmerica.
Are we about to see an influx of Aprilia RS 660 race bikes at the TT?
The likelihood is that we will, and most of it comes down to how cost-effective the RS 660 is proving to be. The bike in the UK costs around £10,000, and already produces a healthy 90-odd BHP at the rear wheel. Some light fettling and that should be fairly easy to get above 100bhp at the wheel -exhaust, ECU, and air filter changes. To get the same out of a Z650 engine (the favourite of the paddock until now), you’d be looking at throwing some serious amounts of cash at a specialist engine builder.
And with all that money you’ve saved on replacing the oily bits, you can either put into upgraded suspension, brakes or other go-faster goodies to help you tackle the mountain course. All in a front running Super Twin of Lightweight TT bike can cost getting on for £30,000. The little Aprilia could allow people to half that outlay and still remain competitive.
