Okay, so it may be around £2,500 more than the stock Tuono, but what you get for that money far outweighs the £40 or £50 more you’ll be paying on a PCP or HP deal. The Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 semi-active suspension is the best in the business. It’s a sublime mix of on-road functionality and on-track performance. It’s definitely worth the extra cost alone.
On the road it’s a magic carpet ride over bumps, potholes and sun-dried horseshit. Then on the track it’s everything you’ll ever need, to carve a line through Craner Curves and keep up with the sports bike heroes.
And it’s not just the handling either. The riding position is only slightly adjusted from one model to the next, with the stock Tuono gaining slightly higher bars, a softer seat and a flyscreen – the latter can even be bought and added to the Factory should you wish. It’s so close you’d need to be really critical to notice much of a difference.
And for the vain amongst us (I’m talking to myself here), the Factory version is the one that comes in the paint schemes that you actually want, Aprilia Black (as ridden), and the uber-sexy and stealthy Ultra Dark.
