Aprilia RS660
New bargain-priced twin-cylinder sportsbike signals a shake-up for the Italian brand. We like...
WHAT IS IT? A new sportsbike to ‘rediscover the pleasure and joy of everyday riding’, heading up a range of new middleweights.
WHAT’S NEW? Everything. The eight-valve parallel-twin motor is based on the front cylinders of the V4 in the RSV4 1100, with a rumbling 270˚ firing interval and 100bhp. Aprilia wouldn’t say more as we went to press, other than contradicting themselves with its ‘660cc’ but has the V4’s ‘measurements’. The RSV4’S engine has an 81mm bore and 52.3mm stroke to give 1078cc, so two cylinders would be 539cc. So they must have fiddled. Assuming the RS is a real 660cc, reaching it with a larger bore is unlikely. It’d need to be 89.65mm, which would give a wild bore/stroke ratio, more oversquare than Ducati’s V4 R. Might be impossible too: the 1078cc is already an overbore of the 999.6cc V4, and so fatter pistons might rub together. So they’ll have stretched the stroke. Increasing the crank throw by 11.7mm sounds quite a leap, but the resulting 81 x 64mm would be reassuringly similar to Suzuki’s SV650 (81 x 62.6mm) and give 659.6cc. Keeping mean piston speed to 24.5 m/s (near the edge, but still safe) would mean a 11,500rpm rev limit – and, low and behold, it’s where the redline is on the dash. Aprilia claim a ‘high torque value’, and while 100bhp from 660cc is less specific power than 217bhp from the 1078cc V4, it’s 25bhp more than any comparable twin.
The alloy frame has no pivot plates, the swingarm hanging from the load-bearing motor. Forks are 41mm Kayaba; the shock has a progressive action despite no linkage. Using a ruler and protractor, head angle looks identical to the RSV4 at 24.5˚and the crank centreline is in the same place, suggesting V4-esque handling. It’s 169kg dry. The old RSV Mille was 189kg and had 112bhp on our dyno – so the RS has the same power-to-weight. Yet the RS660 is friendly too. Handlebars are higher and closer than on an RSV4. The ‘spacious’ seat is lower, ’pegs are lower and further forward, and Aprilia mention lots of steering lock. Half old RSV Mille, half Honda CBR650R? Yes please. Electronics? Traction and wheelie control, modes, cruise, quickshifter and cornering ABS. The TFT dash connects to your phone to show navigation. It has LED headlights, cornering lights and indicators hidden in the daytime running lights, too. The RS660 is the first of a range of new mid-size twins using the same platform. Aprilia had a Tuono 660 concept alongside the RS660 at EICMA to highlight the point.
WHEN IS IT IN THE UK? No idea. But an Aprilia man said it’ll be CBR650R money, plus a couple of hundred. So that’s £8000. Ooh...
Bike says: ‘It’s a performance bike that’s also friendly. Half old RSV1000, half Honda CBR650R? Yes please’