Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory (2021-on) Review

Rode the NC500 in Scotland on it at pace over a week, been on B-Road blasts with it, weekends away, Snake Pass in the Peak District regularly. It does it all and is a comfortable place to be whilst riding.

Engine is addictive and the low-down torque is unreal. Only issue I've had is a rough idle at times when sat at traffic lights, quick blip of the throttle regulates it.

Side stand sensor failed leaving me stranded for 6hrs.Gearbox failed spectacularly leaving me without the bike for 6 months.Fueling system is now failing outside of warranty due to, according to Aprilia, E10 fuel.

Servicing is reasonable for the highly strung nature, just difficult finding a decent dealership.

The Ohlins suspension is like riding on a magic carpet, seriously great setup. Rider modes are also helpful when in the city and open roads, tour mode is perfect for city riding as it mutes down throttle input significantly making it easier to ride at slow speeds. The bike is excellent on Metzler tyres over anything else. Tried Supercorsas and Michelin Power 5/6s now but keep returning to Metzler's.

Comfortable for a full 12 hour + day in the saddle. No passenger seat on mine but don't expect any passengers to want a second ride on the back of this bike. Front brakes are excellent, rear brake is typical superbike best saved to assist with riding / handling not as device to actually stop the bike.

If you use if for what it was made to do it's the finest motorcycle engine currently available. It will go for a ride out with 125’s and then put you comfortably in the fast group on a track day. It's getting a bit long in the tooth now and the recent changes made to make it emission compliant are starting to impact on the way it works. Don't be tempted to dismiss the bike due to its ‘low’ 175 bhp output. It’s all about how and where the power is made. The bike makes power and torque all the way through the rev range. The 200+ bhp machines need to be worked to reach the power. The sound of the V4 is spine tingling – more so with the optional Akrapovic race exhaust kit.

It’s Italian, there will always be a quirk or a story behind any Italian bike / car. See above reference coolant, airbox, chain and mapping etc.

Dealers are not great. After a recent service, the invoice showed that a genuine oil filter was fitted but a budget Chinese item was fitted to the bike. See above ref chain and coolant changes. You don't buy one of these to look at fuel economy but expect low to mid 30's mpg if ridded with any enthusiasm. Standard tyres lasted just under 3000 miles. Front brake pads 3200 miles.

The quality of the components used are excellent from Dellorto TB's to the Ohlins suspension, it's all top quality kit. The electronic package on the Factory work perfectly. If you are die hard luddite that doesn't need tech on a motorcycle I urge you to think again. Everything from the abs to multi axis IMU work seamlessly to enhance the performance and rider experience.

Exceptional ride quality when moving at speed, twisty roads with no traffic is where this bike truly shines.

The engine is masterful. It has a beautiful torque curve with gobs of power everywhere across the rpm range. The Achilles heel of this engine is they have done nothing to reduce friction or mitigate the heat it produces. It quickly overwhelms the cooling capacity and will overheat and shut off on you as soon as the road starts to slow.

The build quality is among the worst of any bike i've seen. Body panels bulge and don't align leaving gaps compared to rivals, the fit&finish looks bargain bin cheap. Oil leaks from intriguing places. The engine just... leaks. The oil pan gasket leaks, the drain plug leaks, the spark plug weep holes leak. The bike constantly bleeds oil, as long as you keep it topped up, reliability should be fine but for longer touring rides you'll need to bring a quart of pricey oil with you.

Valve job's come way too early compared to rivals inline 4 engines and you will spend a fortune topping up the oil after every ride. Where that oil goes is anyone's guess.

You get the Ohlins EC2 suspension on the factory version which is nice, if not a bit stiff but that's about it. Aprilia's software lets you configure certain aspects about the engine like engine braking and running map but there's nothing stand-out over the the competition. If you want the ability to log statistics and track your rides, you'll need the MIA module, which is overpriced. The turn-by-turn navigation the MIA module gives you requires an undisclosed cost subscription or one-time purchase after 2 years, the price of which isn't mentioned anywhere.

Handling is good enough to be frustrating on a track day, get them on the corners and be overtaken on the next strait.

Would be 5* but I just know that the only reason they didn't go to 1099 is because they are saving it for the next upgrade :-( Also getting a bit fed up with the low speed throttle jerkiness which is reminiscent of the early big bang Yamaha's. The engine is not as fluid as the previous model. This version feels more peaky.

Here we go then: First ride was into London after picking up the bike, overheated at every set of traffic lights. Cause was apparently that someone at the factory had filled it with neat anti freeze. Next the engine light kept coming on, this took months to fix and I still haven't had an explanation as to why!! All you other owners who think the quality is any good should now take a look at the fastenings on the bike, you will find that the screws are now starting to go rusty. Self coloured screws are a budget cut too deep for what is supposed to be a premium brand. Headlights are poorly adjusted from the factory. Paint is probably the softest I have ever seen on any machine, seems like it should have been baked on but bypassed the process. Generally QC at the factory is nearly non existent and not as good as the 2019 Tuono I traded in but the switchgearis now MUCH more in keeping with the bike and doesn't look and feel like it was left over stock from a Piagio scooter.

Considering the quality it's not brilliant value but if you want great value and quality you buy Japanese. This bike has something that can't be judged on quality and value.

OK so it's not go heated grips but if you are buying this bike to ride in the winter you are going to end up with a rusty heap and you are going to miss it's finer points. The power delivery and tires are not the best for winter riding. Good to see a fuel guage even if it's not accurate. The new electronic package is now as good as a 2018 Panegale V4, doesn't just cut the power off anymore and feathers it quite nicely. I PX'ed my 2019 Tuono for the new model because it seemed like they had gone through my list of dislikes and sorted them all. Lights, Switchgear, Electronics etc. Shame they have replaced the old problems with new ones!

Semi active suspension is fantastic as it can soak up the bumps but you can also sharpen it up if you want to without mechanical adjustments. Front brakes are incredible. Rear brakes are average and squeak occasionally but I’m told different pads can remedy this.

It’s a fantastic engine. Loads of power and torque. It just pulls like a train. Fantastic sound maybe only rivalled by the Yamaha cross plane.

No problem’s so far but early days.

Only had first service so far. I believe the big one at 12k is around £500

I think I’d have to say the electronics. You know they are working away in the background but they don’t seem to interfere noticeably. Lots of adjustments available. A real shame there are no heated grips.

Brakes and handling sublime.

Smooth and powerful.

This is an amazing bike, but build quality, not as good as another Italian manufacture or German manufacturer.

Surprisingly comfortable for a "super naked". It's best at speed and does a decent job of wind blast from the small screen. I can and do ride it all day. Brakes are excellent on the front, the rear is almost non existent but enough for trail braking. I wouldn't subject a pillion to a ride on this bike. The pillion seat provided is tiny and the pegs really high. This is a solo rider bike.

The engine is a masterpiece. Super smooth delivery of power, sounds fantastic and pulls like a train.

No Issues, owned since December 2021. No faults.

It's a very thirsty bike. 17 litre tank will get around 100 miles before considering refuelling. But you forgive it this small inconvenience when you open that throttle.

Great electronics. Excellent display screen and easy to navigate. Came supplied with Akrapovic exhaust which I'd recommend as the weight difference is huge over the stock pipe. Pirelli supercorsa tyres are great in the dry, although changed mine at 2k miles for Rosso 3 which are just as good in the dry, but better in the wet. Worked great at a wet Knockhill. (I live in Scotland).

Only had 1st running in service so far (650 miles) which I thought a bit steep in price, but I suppose it’s the type of bike.

Handling is straight out of the super bike handbook. Solid at speed, superbly balanced in the middle of sweeping corners. Quick, compact changing of direction is the only area where you feel the bike needs a bit more effort, but we’re talking ‘thinking about it’ rather than the usual telepathic method this bike requires to steer. Suspension is auto and/or manual, and is very plush. Brakes are one finger good, nothing else to say about the Brembo M50’s that hasn’t been enthused about before.

If I could give it a 10 out of 5, I would. The sound. Oh how good the bike sounds, and even better with a factory Akrapovic with Aprilia race map to suit. Power whenever you need it, oodles of torque for the road, the Euro 5 regulations don’t show up like they do in other manufacturers bikes. Fuelling is creamy smooth, how other manufacturers can’t get it this right is an oddity. Gearbox is hot knife through butter easy, the up/down shifter the best I’ve ever ridden.

Bike looks brilliantly put together, but lacks some of the quality touches of previous models. Carbon isn’t to everyone’s taste, and I’d rather good suspension over tacky add-ons, but a splash of carbon wouldn’t have gone amiss when the asking price is north of £18k. As said before, get a tank protector as the lovely paintwork isn’t covered by the thickest lacquer but show me a new model these days that doesn’t scratch at the point where a jacket regularly touches the rear of the tank. The bike is too new to me to judge on reliability or quality of components, but like many my Tuono won’t be seeing salty roads whilst I own her. I’ve owned previous models which were mixed bags, though no worse than other European manufacturers.

Servicing costs are pretty much on a level with all super bikes / nakeds / modern litre plus machines. They’re not cheap bikes to run. First service is about £270, which is middle of the road for this type of bike, then every 6000 miles with a valve inspection at 12000 miles, a bigger valve maintenance service at 24000 miles.

Dash has a fuel gauge, a mighty step for Aprilia when others have managed it for decades!! There’s virtually zero under-seat space. You could store an Ace of Spades card under the pillion seat and that’s roughly about it. Talking of pillion, if your pillion finds it comfortable to sit on the torture contraption disguised as a pillion seat/cover as the bike comes out of the box, they need to see a doctor because there’s something wrong with the shape of their backside. The supplied additional pillion seat is comfy enough, but the stock version is straight out of a sado masochism handbook.

this bike is at its best for me on A and B roads.....yorkshire dales, lake district and even the single track type passes in the lakes it is easy to ride them all.... i am finding that a break is needed around every tank of fuel......100 to a 150 mile range. not been on track yet so cant comment. brakes are fantastic on the road.

awsome power delivery right through the rev range....great sound from the v4....if i had a minor gripe it would be running at low revs in traffic.

on taking delivery of my brand new tuono factory from via moto in sheffield i gave it a very detailed clean and check over and could not find fault with it....they even supplied the bike with an akropovic silencer and decat along with a race map to suit for the same price as other dealers standard set up.( the standard can came with the bike also). only 700 miles on the clock as yet so no issues to report. the tuono seems really well built............time will tell.

would say that the tuono will not be any more expensive than its super naked rivals....bmw or triumph of course yearly costs will depend on the millage you do. i have given 4 out of 5 for value because of a couple of missing extras that i listed above being that the aprilia is top of the price range. have to say though when you see, hear and ride this machine it all makes it worth the extra cost. this machine really is a weapon!

love the suspension and brakes.......would recommend tank pads/knee grips as you seem to get pushed into the tank on this bike. for road use and if you are a tall rider bar raisers may be a good idea because the standard is more track orientated.