A new dawn
Will Aprilia’s new RS660 herald a return for the middleweight sportsbike?
Aprilia don’t always get the credit they deserve but the Noale factory has amassed 54 world titles, dominated 125 and 250GP racing to the point the organisers were forced to change the rules, built a V4 to enter into WSB where it took three world titles and are only a fraction off the pace in MotoGP. It’s fair to say that when Aprilia put their mind to something, the results can be spectacular. Will this be the case with the new RS660? Could it prove the catalyst that makes us fall in loves with supersport bikes all over again? Looking at the three bikes before us on this very damp MCN250 you have to say Aprilia have got the
RS660’s positioning nicely in the middle ground. Honda’s CBR650R appears very much a do-it-all middleweight sportsbike while the MV Agusta F3 Ago clearly has little in the way of compromise (and proudly shows off the fact MV have won 37 world titles).
Despite boasting top-rate components the Aprilia does, visually at least, appear more relaxed than the MV while sportier than the slightly budget-looking CBR. A fact its price reflects as it sits roughly in the middle. And it is a bike that fellow testers Bruce Dunn and Martin Fitz-Gibbons are very excited about.
“Litre bikes are too savage for the UK’s roads, they have too much performance,” says Bruce. “I love the idea of a top-spec 100bhp sportsbike that you can wring its neck and enjoy.”
“I’ve been sold on this since it was first announced, I’m an Aprilia fan but they have always lacked a middleweight sportsbike,” adds Martin. “The RS660 looks and comes with a premium spec list to make it feel special in a way that a Ninja 650 or even the CBR650R can’t. It’s a grown-up middleweight, an SV650 for the modern age, and I’m seriously considering buying one.”
I get where they are both coming from but I’m still to be convinced by the RS660 as £10,150 seems a lot of cash and there are details on it that, to my eyes, look a bit budget. It will be interesting to see if after 250 miles in some pretty horrible weather whose mind will be changed – and if Martin finishes the day signing up to a PCP package. Starting on the Honda I’m instantly eased into the MCN250. With the heated grips (a £340 option) the CBR does that typical Honda thing of just getting on with the job in hand. You don’t have to think too hard or worry about
riding modes, traction control levels or if your phone is connected to the dash. It is simple hassle-free riding at its very best and aside from the dash, is hard to fault.
I’d happily recommend the CBR to anyone who wants a day-to-day sportsbike that is far from cheap and nasty despite its fairly reasonable price. Does it thrill? You can make it exciting if you wind the revs up but it’s not really a bike to get your pulse racing. If you want that, you need to look towards the sporty Italians. Having breezed through the first chunk of the MCN250 on the CBR, swapping to the MV was always going to be a bit of a shock to the system. Bruce’s glee as he hands over the key was more than apparent and even before letting the clutch out, the cramped seating position, rock-hard seat and low bars saw a small trickle of water enter into a location on my body that had previously remained dry. But it wasn’t all bad news.
There is no way you can ride an MV triple and not want to rev it hard as the exhaust note is intoxicating. Most F3’s I’ve ridden before also come with a horrific throttle response, which isn’t ideal on a damp day such as today but this one, which has MV’s latest software, was a joy. Gone is the lottery of how it will respond at slow speed, replaced by a connection that is spot on and delivers exactly what you ask of it. With this worry banished the MV can be enjoyed and, while not exactly fun in these conditions due to its sporty riding position and performance-targeted chassis set-up, it wasn’t as bad as I was imagining it would be. As long as you didn’t have to perform a U-turn in the road or ride a long distance.
“Some people enjoy the pantomime of imagining they are a racer, which is a personal choice, but that’s not me and the RS lets you look and feel like you are riding a sportsbike while doing so in comfort,” says Martin, eyeing up the F3 as he grudgingly gives me he Aprilia’s key. Within a few miles I can see what he is getting at. Based on its silhouette I was expecting the RS to be as compromised as the MV in terms of its seating position, but nothing could be further from the truth. With low pegs and high bars, the RS is more relaxed than the CBR and you can easily cover big distances on it, helped by having cruise control (although sadly not heated grips) as standard and a smooth parallel twin motor. And when you get to your destination you can have some serious fun.
On the twistier sections of the MCN250 the RS gave a tantalising hint at what is in store come the summer months and dry roads. Light to turn, very agile and with a lovely balance between the motor’s performance and the chassis, the RS660 requires little effort for lots of reward in terms of enjoyment. I thought it might feel a bit budget but aside from the shock being slightly below par (the bars also trap your hands on full lock, mainly because it has so much turning circle) it gives little impression of being budget at all. Which is probably because at just over £10,000 it isn’t. “Can we call the RS a ‘super-budget’ bike?” muses Martin at the end of the ride. “It has all the parts you could never add to the budget CBR or a Ninja 650 such as the IMU-controlled electronics, but it lacks