Aprilia’s new Tuono V4 – 20% MORE midrange
To make the new Tuono into a rideable, useable and fun 175bhp naked roadster with a full 20% more midrange was nearly impossible… but you know what, they’ve only gone a done it. | £14,635//175bhp @ 11,000rpm//89lb-ft @ 9000rpm//65˚ V4 cylinder 1077cc with
The Tuono has always been one of those motorcycles that divides opinion. Depending on where you were, bikeskills wise, when the first Tuono appeared it was either a devil or a saint.
That original Tuono was all about the motor. An unfettered lump of Italian brutality that delivered delicious great globs of power with each movement of it’s almost telepathically linked throttle.
So, if that was the sort of bike that appealed to you then this new Tuono had a real job on its hands for two main reasons; it absolutely had to maintain that wonderful ‘full-of-power’ feel and still keep its character but also it had to be more rideable and user-friendly. A paradox for the engineers as power levels inevitably creep up.
For this new model the bike makes 175bhp and has a revamped chassis allied with a whole raft of new electronics.
Yep, impressive gains – in fact all of that adds up to about 20% more midrange at 8000rpm when you crack the throttle. And you really feel it when you wind the new Tuono on. The flatter torque curve means that in the real world you have acres of ooomph that you can wind on and enjoy, it’s very useable at speed.
The riding position is revamped, you now find yourself pitched more forward than on the older bike thanks to a one-piece taper-section handlebar and 15mm lower seat. But don’t think that this new ‘more prone’ position isn’t comfy – it’s fine for some time in the saddle (the seat has been redesigned and carries more padding, this helps a lot). The lower footrests also give you a lessstressed sit-in position which feels very well thought out.
The riding modes are pretty familiar fare if you’ve been out on anything big and Italian recently, three modes (R for race, S for sport and T for track) give full power in a wonderfully aggressive way or a less manic but still full-power option or an intermediate power delivery depending on which you choose. For me, the T mode with its intermediate power delivery was spot on for the iffy road surfaces around Misano on which we rode the bikes – full power and torque yes, but a smooth delivery made it ideal to just sit on the bike and roll the throttle on and off as needed.
From 4000rpm to just north of 11,000 the Tuono scoops up and delivers an almost effortless wave of power. And the chassis is sublime. By giving the Tuono a longer wheelbase but wide bars there’s plenty of leverage to manhandle the bike into corners yet the stability and manners are impeccable. Take the pedigree of the racetrack RSV4 superbike’s chassis and lengthen it to be able to cope with the machinations of Italian Tarmac laying out in the sticks.
That’s not an easy thing to do, but the Tuono pulls it off with ease.
A common issue with big naked bikes is that once you get up to higher speed, the sheer windforce you have to cope with can cause issues. That’s why Aprilia spent a lot of time on the revised cockpit fairing, which is mounted to the frame and not the forks, to ensure that the wind-cheating properties remain.
Suspension-wise, the Tuono can’t be faulted. You’d have to be a real nitpicker to find anything wrong with the nitrogen rear shock with variable-rate linkage off the RSV4 or the 43mm forks (compression and rebound adjustable with 110mm of travel).
The latest incarnation of the Tuono has pulled off what seemed a very difficult task; it’s recaptured some of that mad-as-a-bucket-of-frogs nature of the original bike with just enough refinement to make real world riding real world fun again. You can tailor it to be as crazy or as easy-going as you and your style suits. To that end, this is by far and away the best Tuono yet, and one that you could easily live with on a day-to-day basis.
Even with 175bhp and 80% more mid-range torque on tap. As mad as that sounds.