Aprilia Tuono RSV4 1100 Factory

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MacRR

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Took a Tuono Factory out for a spin this morning, beautiful looking bike and for 2017 it comes with a colour TFT dash, sporting lean angle display etc, an autoblipper (hurray!), cruise control, riding modes, separate traction and wheelie controls and updated (but not active) Ohlins forks and shock. It also comes with the least unattractive Euro 4 exhaust can I've seen with a fabulous V4 rasp :cool:
I've always thought that RSV4's look tiny and they are indeed compact but I found this surprisingly roomy, foot peg position is less radical than the gen3 Sthou but still 'sporty', the straight bars are er straight but immediately feel much more comfortable than your usual sports bike fair. I've got the bike in race mode (there's also sport and track) to start with and head off out of town, the fuelling seems Ok, not quite as smooth as the S1K but certainly not snatchy like some other bikes I could mention, the quickshifter and autoblipper work fine, just like the Beemer the action is slicker the more rev's you use.
The Tuono feels light, I don't know what it weighs but it feels rather less than my S1000 and has light, sharp steering which I guess is also helped by the additional leverage you get from wider bars. One thing I'm not overwhelmed by is the harshness of the Ohlins suspension which is a bit of a surprise because I expected this to be a strong point, OK I'm used to DDC but I'm feeling pretty much every bump, which isn't a huge issue but it does feel the least refined of all the big capacity sportsbikes I've ridden in the last couple of years. I'm sure its just a set up thing but it would need sorting if I was to buy the bike.
So 'is it fast mister?', well yes, it certainly has a broad spread of power and an angry top end which feels stronger than the KTM 1290 R I rode a couple of weeks ago but not as strong as the S1K - not many bikes do! The gearing feels quite tall, not as stratospheric as the current R1 where you find yourself using 1st a lot of the time on the road, but nonetheless I'd say there's scope for playing around with sprocket sizes to give it even more vim although it's plenty quick enough as it is. It also sounds damn good even with the Euro 4 can, an Austin racing GP1 equipped bike would be awesome!
Comfort wise it gets a big tick, the small fairing keeps off most of the wind blast up to a ton at which point licence cushioning wind blast starts to take hold if you're sat upright and the seat's nicely shaped and padded.
So what's the verdict? It's really fun to ride, sharp handling, great to chuck about, plenty of accessible power, all the latest gadgets (apart from heated grips - doh!) and looks and sounds very cool. The suspension needs setting up and I guess if I got one I'd go for some Gilles adjustable rear sets to optimise the foot/peg/gear lever ergonomics but otherwise there's little to criticise. It's more sportsbike like than the KTM Superduke R and overall I prefer the Aprilia because of that, I get back on my S1000RR and straightaway it feels bigger, heavier and less roomy than the Tuono, no question the BMW has a lot more oomph and remains a formidable bit of kit but the RSV4 has more 'character' and is easier just to tool about on at road speeds which for me is becoming more of a priority for nowadays.
 
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Fantastic write up Mac, am very glad to hear you enjoyed it!

So, could there be an Aprillia in your garage in the not too distant future? Or are there any other bikes you plan to test this Summer?

Oli
 
I was out for a ride on Tuesday with a chap who had one of these and I was most impressed by it.
 
Fantastic write up Mac, am very glad to hear you enjoyed it!

So, could there be an Aprillia in your garage in the not too distant future? Or are there any other bikes you plan to test this Summer?

Oli

Thanks Oli, I sold my GSA this morning (under 24 hours on ebay!!) as I can't justify having 2 bikes any more as I don't have the spare time for that much riding. No plans to test ride anything else this season, I think the S1K is the best sports bike so I wouldn't change it for another one but increasingly I'm considering having something that is still fast and capable but a bit kinder on my aging bones and that won't so easily land me in jail so it's more a question of whether I keep or change the S1K. Don't know the answer to that at the moment but if I do change the Aprilia will be top of my list.
 
I was out for a ride on Tuesday with a chap who had one of these and I was most impressed by it.

Yes it is a smart bit of kit, while the 2017 Tuono looks similar to previous evolutions it now has virtually all the features that you could reasonably want
 
Thanks Oli, I sold my GSA this morning (under 24 hours on ebay!!) as I can't justify having 2 bikes any more as I don't have the spare time for that much riding. No plans to test ride anything else this season, I think the S1K is the best sports bike so I wouldn't change it for another one but increasingly I'm considering having something that is still fast and capable but a bit kinder on my aging bones and that won't so easily land me in jail so it's more a question of whether I keep or change the S1K. Don't know the answer to that at the moment but if I do change the Aprilia will be top of my list.

That's great the GSA sold so quickly, they're always in demand as are such a popular model.

I agree the S1K is the best sports bike, and like you I am also thinking of something that's still fun and capable on road, but more comfortable and less inclined to do triple digits than a super bike ... Will be test riding the new KTM SDR 2.0 soon, and will have another go on the XR at some point.

Best of luck with your potential new bike decision, I always find it deeply frustrating contemplating a new bike as go round and round in circles, too many good options lol! Would be so much easier to just win the Euro lottery and have several!

Oli
 
The only thing I don't like about it is the colour schemes there a bit boy racer, I'd much prefer something a bit more subtle
Have you considered a Mt10sp ?
Don't think it has a auto blipper though but believe it's great fun
 
I'm sure the MT10 is a riot to ride but I can't get past its horrendous looks (a marmite bike if ever there was one) and tacky finish.
 
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