aprilia tft display quotation

A new exhaust, motogp inspired swingarm, 5” TFT display, and a slew of electronics never seen before round out many of the talking points. While those carry along in the limelight, the forged aluminum wheels and semi active ohlins suspension ground us to the realization that this bike is a redesign genius off of the 2020 platform.

There is a difference between motorcycle and cars though. Currently the TFTs motorcycles have is the only display, that shows speed, gear, revs, riding mode, etc. If CarPlay is supported that TFT would be used entirely for that. So, a secondary display would be required to show this vehicle information while the main TFT displays CarPlay. Not impossible as Honda, Indian, HD are already doing it on some of their models. But I guess a hurdle for motorcycle manufacturers none the less.

There is a difference between motorcycle and cars though. Currently the TFTs motorcycles have is the only display, that shows speed, gear, revs, riding mode, etc. If CarPlay is supported that TFT would be used entirely for that. So, a secondary display would be required to show this vehicle information while the main TFT displays CarPlay. Not impossible as Honda, Indian, HD are already doing it on some of their models. But I guess a hurdle for motorcycle manufacturers none the less.

The 2021 Aprilia Tuono V4 has been revealed. The motorcycle comes with several major updates both in terms of design as well as in mechanical and technical aspects. It is now Euro 5/BS6 emissions compliant and we expect a global launch to follow.

The Aprilia Tuono V4 has always been one of the most versatile motorcycles in the world. Thanks to its advanced chassis, electronics, and that gem of an engine, it has always been a brilliant ride out on the racetrack and on the twisties. This is one superbike that has always managed to put a wide grin on the rider’s face no matter how short or long the ride is.

Now, Aprilia has updated the Tuono V4 for the 2021 model year. The motorcycle has received quite a comprehensive update. The design and styling have been updated for the motorcycle to fall in line with the latest Aprilia design language. This new design language first appeared on the Aprilia Rs 660, then the Tuono 660 and now the flagship RSV4 and Tuono V4 have received the same design language.

Up front is an LED headlamp. Aprilia has stuck to the old tri-headlamp setup, but it now has more curves and is more gorgeous. It makes the motorcycle more modern and lovely. Right above it is a large flyscreen and a rather upright handlebar. On both sides of the motorcycle is a bikini fairing that cleverly encloses the winglets.

At the bottom is a large engine cowl. The beautifully crafted frame is exposed and it makes for a visual delight. The rear is rather simple yet attractive to behold. The 2021 Aprilia Tuono V4 is powered by the same engine as the outgoing model. However it is now Euro 5/BS6 emissions norms compliant, yet, it hasn’t lost out on power.

It is a liquid-cooled, 1,077cc, V4 engine with a maximum power output of 175bhp and a peak torque output of 121Nm. A 6-speed gearbox drives the rear wheel. The 2021 Aprilia Tuono V4 gets a truck-load of electronics and rider aids.

Firstly, it now features a larger full-colour TFT screen that displays a plethora of information. The Tuono V4 now features six riding modes— three for the road and three for the racetrack. It also features traction control, cornering ABS, wheelie control, engine brake control, six-axis IMU, etc. The IMU works in conjunction with the Magneti Marelli ECU to monitor and control the traction control and cornering ABS.

The 2021 Tuono V4 also gets top-shelf suspension and brakes. It features semi-active Ohlins Smart EC 2.0 suspension at the front and rear. Braking is taken care of by twin discs up front and a single disc at the rear. The 2021 Aprilia Tuono V4 is expected to be launched in Europe within a few days while the India launch will happen at a later date.

The Aprilia Tuono is the original crazy superbike-based super-naked, with the V-twin version first appearing nearly twenty years ago in 2002. And for its 19th birthday, the Noale firm has given the current V4 edition a hefty update.

A new fuel tank shape and rider saddle gives more space and comfort for longer rides, and perhaps surprisingly, Aprilia has given the pillion some thought, providing a larger passenger seat and lower footpegs.

Away from the Tuono’s sensible features, there’s a new APRC suite of rider aids, again shared with the 2021 RSV4. A larger TFT LCD dash controls the latest Marelli 11MP ECU, with a new six-axis IMU unit and an expanded range of riding modes.

Cruise control, up/down quickshifter, Bluetooth connectivity, and much more – the Aprilia electronics package is one of the best out there. Add in Brembo Stylema brakes, and a new lighter, stiffer swingarm based on the unit in the Aprilia RS-GP MotoGP racebike, and you have a very tempting package indeed.

Aprilia rolled into 2021 with an all-new addition to its stable of race-capable street-legal machines, the Tuono 660. Billed as a cross between the Tuono V4 and the RS 660, this bike carries a mid-size parallel-twin with all the appropriate ride-control and safety electronics, all under a wind tunnel-tested bodywork style inspired by its larger race-tastic stablemates.

Aprilia pulled the newly-designed engine out of its RS 660 and plugged it right into the Tuono 660"s frame. The factory says this won"t be the last model powered by the 660 mill either, so we have that to look forward to.

Aprilia bills the Tuono 660 as a naked sportbike. To quote Iñigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) in Princess Bride, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Behind the smoked glass is a color TFT screen that bundles the instrumentation with all of the onboard ride-control systems and a double handful of idiot lights to cover all the bases. The system also networks with your smartphone for hands-free calls underway, pull up a navigation map, or pipe in your favorite tunes.

The 2022 Aprilia Tuono 660 costs $10,499. If this looks like your cup o" tea, you have a choice between Concept Black with red trim or Iridium Grey with red and black. At the top of the range is the Acid Gold over black that fetches two more Benjamins with its $10,699 sticker. If you"re looking for a Tuono 660 for sale, they hit dealers last spring.

Okay, so Aprilia wants to call its newest Tuono a “naked sportbike,” and that"s fine, but I don"t necessarily feel compelled to play along. I grabbed a proper naked from Triumph, the Trident 660.

Like the Tuono 660, the Trumpet is a rather compact package. Perhaps it"s even moreso as it bears none of the fairings that the Aprilia pushes, leaving it the more conservative of the two. As a matter of taste, I think the Trident is the sharper and cleaner-looking of the two, but form follows function on bikes like these. I concede that Aprilia"s bodywork actually makes it faster.

Both bikes come equipped with LED lighting and digital instrumentation but Triumph slips early in the game with a weaker electronics suite. I mean sure, it comes with riding modes but only two of them, and while the traction control and ABS are nice, Trumpet has no answer for the Aprilia"s wheelie control and engine-braking control.

ATC (Aprilia Traction Control) has eight levels and can be changed on the move. This is easy to do via the toggle finger-and-thumb switch on the left bar. There is AWC (Aprilia Wheelie Control), which has five levels and like the TC can be changed while on the gas. The lower levels allow the front to lift slightly and none abruptly cut the ignition. There are three different engine maps (AEM), plus the mentioned engine braking levels (AEB).

As before there is Aprilia Launch Control (ALC) and Aprilia Pit Lane Limiter (APL), not forgetting Aprilia Cruise Control (ACC). And lastly, the brilliant (AQS) Aprilia Quick Shift, which has a new operating strategy for 2021 that even allows downshift with the throttle still open. It’s an impressive line-up of electronic goodies that majors one easy access and being straightforward to operate.

As you’d expect, Aprilia offers a range of racing parts, exhausts, brake guards, and carbon front air vents which look very trick. But there are more practical options like side panniers, 22.5l capacity in total, a USB port, and even a ‘comfort’ touring seat.

I’m unsure on the drab-ish looks, which lack the desirability of the Factory, and I’d like a larger tank range given the excellent comfort levels of this excellent bike, but this is a really big step by Aprilia to produce the most practical Tuono to date.

When I first met the Aprilia Tuareg 660, it didn’t make much of an impression. It was the 2019 EICMA show, and the bike was quietly on display in a glass box, covered with plants and vines.

The display was so nondescript, that thousands of attendees and hundreds of journalists passed by the Tuareg 660 without even noticing that it was there.

Nothing is subtle about the Tuareg 660 now though, as the middleweight adventure bike is riding the wave of success that has come with Aprilia’s previous two models from its 660cc platform.

Add into that notion how popular the middleweight ADV space has become recently, and we can begin to see why the Aprilia Tuareg 660 is one of the most anticipated motorcycles for the 2022 model year.

So to test its mettle, Aprilia brought us to the Italian island of Sardinia, where the winding mountain roads make for challenging and technical riding on the street.

And to get our feet dirty too, we tackled some rough gravel roads/trails, as well as an off-road circuit that Aprilia created with a good mix of sandy, rocky, wet, and bumpy conditions.

But, the Aprilia Tuareg 660 does seem to inhabit the Goldilocks zone of the middleweight ADV space that should impress many, and leave quite a few riders reaching for their wallets. Let me explain.

That is to say, Aprilia knew going into its 660 platform development that its parallel-twin engine design would need to suit a variety of uses, including being used on a middleweight ADV bike.

The 5″ TFT dash is bright and clear, and while the screen’s layout isn’t going to hang in the Louvre, it is easy to read, and even easier to navigate, as most settings are a single button-push away.

The lighting is full LED (as is customary now), and includes a daylight running light as an accent. The windshield is fixed in place, with no adjustability, but different screen heights are available in Aprilia’s parts catalog.

Swinging a leg over the Aprilia Tuareg 660, and heading to the tight and twisty roads that Sardinia has to offer, I can summarize the experience in one word: surprising.

A raked out front-end with a 21″ wheel and 50/50 tires should not be a machine that one finds spritely moving through tight and technical road apexes, and yet here we were, railing the Aprilia Tuareg 660 with surprising speed.

On a dual-sport motorcycle, you expect to give up some road prowess for off-road capability, but Aprilia has kept the Tuareg 660 close to its heritage of making capable sport bikes, and we thank them for it.

With the torque nice and low in the rev range, and a short gearbox, acceleration is what the Aprilia Tuareg 660 does best, though on more open and sweeping terrain, one might begin to see the limits of the quoted 79 hp power figure from the Tuareg’s engine.

The fully adjustable suspension from Kayaba is a nice touch to the Tuareg 660, and another item that Aprilia has selected that helps make this ADV bike stand out from its direct competitors.

The Aprilia Tuareg 660 isn’t going to replace the sport bike in your garage, but you are also not going to have a boring time on the road, while getting to the trailheads for your next adventure.

An optional item for the Tuareg, I would generally rave about having a quickshifter on an ADV to save on the clutch pulls, but would perhaps downgrade my opinion from my usual “must-have” in the case of this Aprilia.

Long-distance riders will be happy to hear that the Aprilia Tuareg 660 is mostly vibration free, while still having some character. However, we did notice some harsh vibrations in the footpegs through out the rev range. Having thick ADV boots on almost mutes the vibes, but those with street soles on their feet will certainly feel them.

These four complaints are minor in the long-run though. Overall, the Aprilia Tuareg 660 makes for a spirited and fun ride on the street, and the bike is more than up to the task of embarrassing unsuspecting fellow riders when in the right hands.

For as good as it is on the street, the Aprilia Tuareg 660 is clearly a motorcycle built with off-road conditions in mind, and the shining feature of the Tuareg when you get to the dirty stuff is the bike’s 449 lbs wet weight.

Easy to maneuver at low speeds, the Aprilia Tuareg 660 is a confidence-inspiring machine. The big 21″ front wheel helps tackle bigger obstacles with ease. Even in a dreaded sand wash, the Tuareg 660 feels in control.

Aprilia makes the transition from road to dirt very easy too, as the dedicated off-road map is selectable from a single button, and it automatically disables the rear-wheel ABS.

Along that same vein, Aprilia has done a good job of making almost all of the key electronic features a top-level single-button affair, which wins some big UX points from my fickle scoring sheet (loyal A&R readers know what I’m talking about).

Even Aprilia’s traction control settings seem to work well enough in the dirt, keeping the rear tire inline while not hampering one’s ability to hill climb or tackle loose surfaces. I was genuinely impressed by this fact, as so many other manufacturers get this point wrong.

For those who were worried that this sport-bike born engine would have poor off-road manners, we can quiet those fears – Aprilia’s extensive re-working of the 660cc platform makes for a more-than-suitable off-road power plant.

Another change seen on the Aprilia Tuareg 660 is the higher air intake, which sits at the top of fuel tank cover and is protected from water and debris. The engine has also been rotated backwards 9° to get the weight distribution right.

Whether it was done for science, or a moment of ambition outweighing talent, I did have an opportunity to see how the Aprilia Tuareg 660 copes with a modest crash in the dirt, and the results were favorable.

With hard luggage options, auxiliary lighting, and a full crash cage available from the Aprilia dealer catalog, the opportunities to farkle and beef up the Tuareg 660 exist straight from the factory, should your heart so desire.

Our ride wasn’t aggressive enough to know the full capabilities of the Aprilia Tuareg 660 in the dirt, but we did get enough opportunities to see that the Noale’s creation has serious off-road chops.

Balance that against the surprising on-road performance, even with 50/50 tires mounted to the wheels, and Aprilia has a potent machine out of the gate. It’s not my favorite street bike (no ADV bike is going to be), but the lightweight and usable torque makes for a fun ride that soothes a familiar itch.

I would ding some points for the Aprilia Tuareg 660 at least not offering a cornering ABS option, and there are some rough spots with the gearbox, engine calibration, and optional quickshifter, but none of them are deal-breakers to my eye.

The obvious comparison to make is to put the Aprilia Tuareg 660 against and Yamaha Ténéré 700 and the base model KTM 890 Adventure, and against those three the Aprilia hits my criteria the best.

The base price of the Ténéré 700 is pretty damn attractive, but again by the time you work-around the places where Yamaha cut corners to get a sub-$10,000 bike to market, you get close to an Aprilia or KTM price tag.

The biggest selling point on the KTM is its near-100hp power figure, which is a 25% bump over the Aprilia and over a 40% increase to the Yamaha’s quoted horsepower.

Coming back to the Aprilia, it wins points for being the only bike of the three with fully adjustable suspension, the lightest curb weight, and with the best price-point concessions.

I can see how it would be easy for riders to discount the Aprilia in their ADV discussions, especially with the perception of Italian fragility. But, the truth of the matter is that the Italian brand has not only made a bike that is hard to ignore in the space, but that it might also be the Goldilocks of choices in this complex segment.

Just as Yamaha has brought out a farkled Ténéré 700 option to the market, and how KTM offers a grand total of three flavors of the 890 Adventure series, I think Aprilia would do well to bring an up-spec version of the Tuareg 660 to the market in the coming model years, but that’s just my unsolicited advice.

Such an up-spec bike would be for the niche though, and today we have a bike for the masses. The Aprilia Tuareg 660 is an impressive machine. It is fun to ride at speed on the road, and it is confidence inspiring in the dirt.

To those desires, the KTM still has a siren song for my ears, but Aprilia’s package here is very, very strong, and at the end of the day, the Tuareg 660 is going to be considerably cheaper to put in your garage and enjoy.

For those who skipped to the ending, I was very surprised by the Aprilia Tuareg 660 when riding it in Sardinia. It’s not a perfect motorcycle, but it might perfectly blend what is needed in the middleweight ADV category. Where do I sign?

I’ve been riding and reviewing heavyweight and mid-size adventure bikes for a while now. I’ve also had the privilege of riding and working with many top pros over the years, and through impressive displays of skill have been able to witness first-hand what motorcycles in the adventure segment are designed for, and what they aren’t.

Enter Aprilia’s Tuareg 660 and Yamaha’s Tenere 700. These are two machines which occupy this space in the market, but don’t behave like traditional adventure bikes at all. Like seeing a dinner date wearing an evening dress but you know the whole time she would rather be wearing jeans and a t-shirt — both of these motorcycles can pretend to be adventure bikes, but they seem to have an enduro soul.

I am an unapologetic fan of KTM’s 950/990 Adventure platform, so I’ll start with the T7. This bike feels like someone took a 950, stuck it in a dryer with a bunch of softener, and set the temp to shrink-wrap. Yamaha’s T7 has similar ergos and overall feel as the original 950, but in a much smaller and more manageable package. The dash furthers this throwback feel, with a somewhat rudimentary and even clunky appearance — almost like a Radio Shack Tandy video game from the 80s. The simplicity comes across as a breath of fresh air in a world of amazing but ubiquitous TFT displays.

Cut to Aprilia’s TFT display. This is how TFT should be done. Straightforward, to the point, and guiding a machine with capabilities we will get to shortly. Where the T7 has a more overall aggressive “Rally Bike” appearance to me, the Tuareg looks more like an “adventure bike.” Therefore, I presumed an “adventure bike” experience was to come. I was very wrong (more on that later).

Aprilia’s Tuareg 660 also features a parallel-twin engine with a 270° crank and 21”/18” spoke wheels. The powerplant numbers are surprising because the Tuareg’s engine is 30cc smaller in displacement than the Tenere, at 659cc, however produces 80 horsepower — seven more than the Tenere. The Aprilia also bests the Yamaha with a slightly better torque number at 51.63 ft-lbs. Considering the Tuareg’s engine is a detuned version of the 100-horsepower engine featured in Aprilia’s RS660 Sport Bike, the power difference is perhaps more understandable.

While the chassis specifications between these two bikes are in the ballpack from one another, the electronics packages are worlds apart. In stark contrast to the more rudimentary display of the Tenere, the Tuareg boasts a color TFT offering access to ride modes, fuel maps, adjustable engine braking, various ABS modes, slipper clutch, and an optional quick shifter.

I’ll start here because of that “showroom” impression idea. When you climb aboard each bike, at a standstill they give one impression, but that all changes when you start moving — this applies more to the Aprilia than the Yamaha. The T7 immediately feels light and aggressive, like the dwarf 950/990 mentioned earlier. Once you start rolling, it lives up to this impression. In turn, pulling the Tuareg off the side stand gives the initial impression of a heavier, larger motorcycle, but then you start moving and realize it might be the most capable mid-sized adv bike you’ve ever ridden (more on that later).

Seated and standing positions between the two bikes feel very similar. Which is the preferred vibe would depend on the type of rider. In broad strokes, the Yamaha seems targeted at satisfying the initial impressions of the purely off-road crowd, while the Tuareg has more “adventure bike” DNA. Hands-down, the T7 offers the impression of “race.” Narrow, high bars, the feeling of sitting “in” the bike with a cockpit resembling a rally tower in stock form… this bike screams rally, in street-legal fashion. Wider bars, larger fuel tank, more advanced TFT display, and overall bigger presence makes the Tuareg feel more like an adventure bike versus a Dakar contender, until you ride the thing. This is a comparison with many surprises.

Where the Tenere’s refreshingly simple display only offers one ride mode (call it “on”, perhaps), the Tuareg features adjustable power delivery in three engine maps, three levels of engine braking, and four levels of traction control including the ability to disable TC entirely if desired. Urban, Explore, and Off-Road are three ride modes pre-defined by Aprilia and a fourth mode, called “Individual,” allows for full customization of parameters to suit one’s riding preference. For those riders wishing for some tunability without needing to completely invent their own engine profile, the Tuareg’s “Explore” mode (equivalent to “Sport Mode” on similar bikes), offers a pre-defined engine map with the ability to adjust throttle response.

Throttle, braking, acceleration characteristics, shifting, suspension… each individual thing about the Aprilia seems like it was built for you. Entering every corner I found myself wanting to mash the shifter down just to see how well the slipper clutch would manage things. The Tuareg never let me down. Aggressive, slipper-clutch-challenging road sections also helped reveal the braking characteristics of each bike. As for braking, the Aprilia has the edge on power with its larger discs (twin 300mm vs 282mm up front and single 260mm vs 245mm rear) and better braking feel.

As far as highway cruising, it’s always such an interesting question for me. I’m a dirt guy who has spent many thousands of highway miles crossing states. I have done several “ironbutt” rides (1,000+ miles in a day), the longest of which was 1,257 miles on a stock KTM 950 Adventure. Comparing these two bikes in this arena, I would have to give an edge to the T7. It has a smaller, more rudimentary windscreen, but the overall chassis is just like that 950 I mentioned. You sit in the bike, versus on it. The Aprilia offers more wind protection, but how that is appreciated is based on body type perhaps. For my part, the T7 felt more comfortable and smoother on the road from a wind perspective. From a cockpit visual perspective, both bikes offer a GPS mounting location so setting up a navigation system is easy to do while retaining a clean cockpit environment.

Interestingly, in an acceleration test the differences between the two bikes were not as drastic as was expected, given the claimed horsepower numbers. By the numbers, we expected the Tuareg to walk away from the Tenere. While it did achieve the better acceleration times, the Aprilia only inched away from the Yamaha, rather than taking big steps into the lead. Both bikes use a 15T countershaft sprocket, so the best reason we can think of at this time for the close results is the Tenere’s larger rear sprocket (46T versus 42T on the Tuareg) giving it extra grunt off the line.

For long highway miles, the seat is always the question. Softer is not always better. I did not have a chance to test either of these bikes on a 1000+ mile day ride, but did gather the impressions I needed to think about this after several highway rides. The Aprilia’s seat is arguably more comfortable with its wider profile and deeper cushion. Would that be the preferred seat for the long haul? Time and miles will tell.

Included in any discussion of cockpit creature comforts, the fact the Tuareg features both electronic cruise control and a Bluetooth-ready TFT display which can connect to your phone through the optional “Aprilia MIA” multimedia platform for all the Bluetoothy things such as navigation, music, and phone calls gives another point to the Aprilia for long-highway miles.

A “scalpel” is the best way to describe the Yamaha’s off-road character and with some tuning, could possibly be the king. The Aprilia on the other hand, is something that rolls out from the showroom leaving very little to be desired. You think it will be heavy, but it isn’t. You think it will be ungainly, but it works with you in a perfectly understated way.

On the other hand, the Tuareg is a sleeper in every sense of the word. This bike fools you into thinking it is a “big” adventure bike, then dominates everything on the trail. It’s honestly weird. It doesn’t immediately feel nimble, until you just realized you rode through a stupid section of awfulness on the trail and really didn’t notice. The Aprilia soaks up the trail and turns the most technical sections into smooth paths.

The Tuareg, however, seemed to care less about the influence of the wash. Point it in a direction, and crack the throttle… that’s all. Stability is the key characteristic of the Aprilia in deep sand. The bike tracks straight, and can still change direction on a dime. Fortunately, both bikes were shod with Heidenau K60 Rangers. This is a very good tire in sand, and both bikes being equally fitted made for a more accurate comparison.

As far as whoops, there really is no comparison between the two bikes at speed. As amazing as the T7 is, 185 pounds of me often found the limits of the suspension when the going got really rough, but I almost never hit the bump stops on the Aprilia. With its longer and more-progressive suspension travel, the Tuareg appears to have been designed for big hits, with a plushness engineered into the suspension that smoothes out everything in between.

Discussion of ABS systems on adventure bikes has come a long way, as the systems have advanced rapidly in recent years. Outside of really pushing the bikes hard in more extreme terrain, both the Yamaha and Aprilia’s ABS systems rarely seem to interfere with control of the bikes off-road. The Tuareg’s more robust system offers front and rear-wheel ABS in Urban and Explore modes, and Off-Road mode defeats ABS to the rear wheel while tuning the front wheel’s braking to a more appropriate level for riding in the dirt. Fortunately, the Tuareg also allows for ABS to be completely shut off to both wheels when in Off-Road mode. Much more simple, the Tenere has a single button you hold for three seconds to turn off ABS to both the front and rear wheels. It is refreshingly simple, but does require a three-second button party every time the key is cycled if you want to ride with ABS off.

Struggling to find a summary between the two, the T7 feels more nimble, more aggressive, but this is felt mostly at slower speeds. On flowing singletrack, the T7 felt very much at home. Once the trail started getting rougher, and faster, the T7 could be felt getting knocked around while the Tuareg felt like it wanted to speed up, and remained entirely smooth and composed. The Tuareg initially feels heavier and larger, even though by the numbers it is actually lighter. On the trail, the Aprilia is simply smoother and the suspension is without question better. I rode trails in a better way on the bike than I would have expected on any bike in this class. All these thoughts are based on the stock form of the motorcycles. Back to Pol Tarres’ team… I want their checkbook, and some time to play with both of these machines.

A big wide sweeper shoots the rider back toward the start and through the big whoops section again. Half-way through the course you are feeling the weight of both bikes, gritting your teeth to maintain focus and push ahead full speed. More descents, big g-outs, a long continuous set of whoops again, then into a sandy single track. Here on the tight trail we figured the Yamaha would have an advantage with its more-agile feel but the choppy terrain seemed to hand the advantage to the Aprilia and its ability to absorb punishment. Full throttle through the last sandy section and you’re back at the start again, completing the loop.

Yamaha’s Tenere 700 and Aprilia’s Tuareg 660 seem like motorcycles that were destined to be compared with each other, and will likely result in much debate. Out-of-the box, the Tuareg’s performance in engine, suspension, and braking exceeds the Tenere. That said, the Tenere also has a $1,700 lower price tag, so the question arises how close could these two motorcycles be if one took the price difference and threw it at the Yamaha in the form of aftermarket bits?

One ironic plus about the Yamaha is its comparative simplicity. In the current world of TFT-driven and feature-saturated adventure motorcycles, having a bike come along with this level of performance and the least amount of computer intervention of any bike in this class is refreshing in the minds of many. There are two sides to this coin — a more simple electronics package potentially bodes well for reliability, as there is simply less complex machinery there to fail. This simplicity also means the Tenere lacks the tunability, versatility, and safety features of the Tuareg.

Swinging the pendulum back to the Tenere in terms of reliability, Yamaha’s CP2 engine platform has been used for several years in several different motorcycles, and it has become known as one of the most reliable powerplants on the market. Another feather in Yamaha’s cap is a more expansive dealer network in the U.S. to assist should any problems arise. More than just subjective notions about the Yamaha’s reliability, the recommended service interval numbers back this up — Aprilia recommends valve checks on the Tuareg’s engine more than twice as often as Yamaha recommends for the Tenere (every 12,400 miles for the Tuareg versus every 26,600 miles for the Tenere).

Four traditional, analog round instruments are included together with a modern 10.25” TFT display: from fuel level indicator to map navigation, you have all the information available at a glance.Power Reserve

Aprilia Tuono 660 is a street bike available at a starting price of Rs. 13,09,000 in India. It is available in only 1 variant and 3 colours. The Aprilia Tuono 660 is powered by 659cc BS6 engine which develops a power of 93.67 bhp and a torque of 67 Nm. With both front and rear disc brakes, Aprilia Tuono 660 comes up with anti-locking braking system. This Tuono 660 bike weighs 183 kg and has a fuel tank capacity of 15 liters.

The Aprilia Tuono 600 has been introduced in India by Piaggio to cater to the growing needs of Indian buyers. There’s a sudden interest in the middleweight category and the Tuono 660 fits in rightly.

The Aprilia Tuono 660 gets its power from a 660cc parallel-twin liquid-cooled motor that features a 270-degree firing order to replicate the V4 sound. While this motor is the same as the one on the RS 660, it is slightly revised and gets a shorter final drive than the latter. It produces 95bhp of power as compared to the RS 660’s 100bhp unit. This motor is mated to a six-speed gearbox.

This Italian is loaded with some nice electronic aids. The Tuono gets ride-by-wire, traction control, wheelie control, cornering ABS, engine brake control, cruise control as well as five ride modes. The full-colour TFT display looks quite nice too.

The Aprilia Tuono 660 is available in three colour options - black, grey and gold. This bike will compete with the Triumph Street Triple RS which is more powerful and has better specs too.