APRILIA TUONO 660 FACTORY (2022 - on) Review

Out go the standard Tuono 660’s rebound and preload-adjustable suspension components and in comes a pair of fully adjustable 41mm KYB forks and a Sachs rear shock.

Not only more adjustable than the base bike, the new kit works brilliantly with the Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II tyres - providing a composed ride that allows you to fully exploit its twin-cylinder engine without tying yourself in knots.

There’s no aggressive head shaking through the bars or squatting at the rear under acceleration – an issue sometimes found on its fully-faired RS660 sibling – giving you the confidence to push on after a handful of miles in the saddle.

Granted, it can be a little crashy over serious dents in the tarmac, but to cater to those would be to the detriment of its sporting prowess.

On top of the handling, Aprilia also say the Factory has been on a diet, dropping around 2kg for a claimed kerb weight of 181kg – making it one of the lightest in class and helping to offset its lack of power when compared to the similarly priced 117bhp Yamaha MT-09 and 114bhp KTM 890 Duke.

Without riding it back-to-back with the standard Tuono, I’d be lying if I said I could tell the weight difference, but it does feel incredibly nimble between your legs – flicking from left to right almost telepathically as you push against the wide upright bars.

It’s also a doddle to move around and easy to hold on one foot, making it more accessible to a wider range or riders.

The Factory gets a claimed extra 4.9bhp, taking it a step closer to rivals like the £9400 Yamaha MT-09 and taking it out of the realms of A2 licence compliance.

Much like the weight saving, it’s difficult to say just how much effect the boost has had, but in isolation it shines as a tractable unit that encourages you to chase the revs far into the red. It really is a cracking motor that remains engaging well past the honeymoon stage – something I can vouch for after spending 2021 with an RS660 in the garage, which shares the same base unit.

Although torque remains the same, the Factory drops of tooth on the front sprocket for more urgency, too – yowling back at you like a wannabe V4 as wind the throttle to the stop for maximum road-going thrills, without fear of losing your licence.

Being a new bike, it’s hard to predict quite how the Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory will fare long term. However, having lived with an RS660 for a year, I am confident in saying it will stand the test of time.

Afterall, the Factory shares much of the same components as the RS, and all I had to do all year with that was adjust the chain twice. That said, it did suffer with thin paint around the matt petrol tank (the Tuono is gloss) and sprang a tiny oil weep at around 6000 miles that was easily rectified back at Aprilia HQ.

What’s more, owners’ reviews of the standard Tuono 660 score the bike an average 4.3 out of five stars for reliability and build quality – scoring the bike down for some finishes and fasteners.

The Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory is brilliant fun to ride, but £10,000 is an awful lot of money for a twin-cylinder naked producing less than 100bhp.

Two grand less and it would get five stars from me for value, but at that price it becomes a rival to the Yamaha MT-09 and KTM 890 Duke which both produce over 10bhp more.

The Yamaha in particular also benefits from a stronger dealer network too.

Away from the asking price though, the Aprilia can be incredibly frugal where needs be. We weren’t able to test a full tank of fuel during our time with the Factory, but the fully faired RS660 will happily return 50mpg on sedate tanks of fuel. Expect the rear Pirelli tyre to square off in around 2000 miles though.

Unlike the sporty RS660, the electronics on the standard Tuono 660 are not lean sensitive out the box and the quickshifter and autoblipper are an optional extra.

And, while the base machine can be upgraded with an IMU for said lean sensitivity, the Factory gets all of these goodies as standard. That means multi-map cornering ABS, anti-wheelie, traction control – it goes on. You also get cruise control, front LED cornering lights and five customisable riding modes.

With less than 100bhp on tap, you could argue that all this is overkill – with our test bike having the traction and wheelie intervention switched off and remaining perfectly manageable.

What’s more, the autoblipper will protest unless used at high revs – failing to change down with a lazy prod of the lever below around 5000rpm. It’s slick going up the box though, delivering a lovely pop from the exhausts as you move between cogs.

As you’d expect from a Factory model, the 660 also gets its own special paint job, plus a rear seat cover for a more aggressive look (the standard pillion seat and pegs come in the box too, though).

Finished in a glossy black with licks of red on the rims and jagged bodywork, it’s more understated than the £9700 standard bike and helps attract more attention to the new rear shock, which is finished in Öhlins-mimicking yellow and gold.

The screen is also blacked out, which helps keep the light off the full colour TFT dash, which is used to control your electrical goodies. Although too low to hide behind at speed, it also helps keep some of the wind off your chest – making motorway work that slightly more bearable than on a fully pared back naked.