Aprilia Tuono V4 R – first road impressions

Aprilia’s eagerly-awaited new Tuono V4 R is currently on test in Spain in the hands of MCN Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves. Find an Aprilia for sale

After sampling the awesome new super naked on track this morning he’s been riding it on the road this afternoon. These are his first road impressions.

“I’ve been riding on the road this afternoon – 150km in all covering the mountains, towns and motorways – and everything in between.

“Everything about the new Aprilia Tuono RSV4 is about the engine. It’s power delivery is lovely and smooth. There’s not too much bottom end to upset the chassis but there’s lots of midrange and top end, all accompanied with a MotoGP-style exhaust soundtrack.

“The Aprilia’s traction control is very useful on the road – coming in when you hit slippery surfaces like manhole covers, and there’s anti-wheelie, too – although for the purposes of being a hooligan I left it turned off!

“But where the new Aprilia Tuono V4 R probably scores most over its rivals is in terms of stability – there’s none of the bar-shake at high speed which mars bikes like the Ducati Streetfighter and Triumph Speed Triple.

“The only downside I can see is comfort – the Aprilia’s seat is rock hard and the pegs are too far back. It’s not cramped – it has all the dimensions of the RSV4 superbike but is roomier – it’s just too hard. My bum still aches 30 minutes after getting off!

“Overall, though, on this evidence the new Aprilia Tuono is one of the best sportsbikes you can buy for the road – read my full report in next week’s Motorcycle News.”