FIRST RIDE: TUONO FACTORY
It’s always been great, however the new Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory is the best road sportsbike you can buy
Aprilia’s new Tuono V4 Factory is much more than a stripped sportsbike.
APRILIA’S TUONO V4 1100 is much more than just a strippeddown RSV4 superbike fitted with a cow-horn handlebar. With its longer wheelbase, altered steering geometry, upright stance and lower seat the Tuono is far more road-biased than the race replica, and its 1077cc V4 engine is tuned for even greater torque, delivered 2000rpm earlier in the rev range. Yet despite its undeniable usability the Tuono still howls like a Motogp bike and thrills you like a superbike.
It was hard to imagine how the existing Tuono V4 1100 could be improved, especially the fancy Factory version. But
Aprilia have tried anyway by adding semi-active Öhlins suspension, similar to that on the Ducati Panigale V4 S and the Yamaha R1M. This puts a grand on the list price – now £16,999 – but also makes the Tuono one of the finest roadgoing sportsbikes.
The Tuono Factory can be calm and relaxed one minute, then a speed-crazed psychopath the next. It ticks every box for the discerning thrill seeker: a brain-fizzing 1077cc, 173bhp V4 motor overflowing with grunt and power, an exquisite chassis with perfect ergonomics, the finest electronics, and the best offerings from Brembo, Pirelli and Öhlins, too. And the Factory is now even more impressive in the corners, with a supple magic-carpet ride offering plushness with control. During ‘normal’ riding the new semi-active suspension doesn’t make a huge difference, as the previous model’s regular forks and shock were hard to fault. But when you want extra comfort, grip or control the electronic system really comes into its own.
With the ability to choose between soft, medium or hard set-ups you’ve got the mouthwatering prospect of multiple Tuonos, each tailored for specific situations. Smooth or bumpy roads, motorway cruising, flat-out on track, there’s a setting to suit. In the sporty ‘A1’ mode on Italian Dolomite roads we’re riding on the bike’s launch, the V4 has grip, poise and agility that few machines can get close to. The way it rolls into turns, pumping you with confidence and feel, is simply sensational.
Apart from subtle paint tweaks, the suspension graphic
‘Few machines get close to the Tuono’s grip, poise and agility’
on the colour dash and wires spouting from the forks, shock and steering damper are the only changes from last year’s model. So you still get that addictive V4 engine, flawless up/down quickshifter, savage brakes and wailing soundtrack, plus footpegs that are a little high for some people. Whether you actually have the confidence/inclination to buy a new Aprilia is personal preference. Certainly existing Tuono owners are polarised by their bikes – some have nothing but praise for their machine and dealers, others are the opposite. What’s certain is this latest Tuono V4 1100 Factory justifies its price hike with the versatility the new Öhlins semi-active suspension brings. Aprilia have done the difficult thing and improved a bike that was almost perfect. Though for the most part it’s not a big leap forward over the previous machine and its brilliant conventional suspension – and there are stonking deals to be done for box-fresh examples of the outgoing model.
It is at the extreme ends of fast and relaxed riding that this bike comes into its own. It provides extra support when you need it and additional comfort when you crave it. And though it costs more the extra grand isn’t going to make much of a difference if you are shopping at this price point. Especially as the V4 Factory is such an impressive, high-tech, road-ready sportsbike.
For more First Rides turn the page for BMW’S new R1250R. A great naked for considerably less than the Aprilia…