The versatile twin
It was hardly an appropriate scenario for a bike called Tuareg. I’m riding around the crowded M25 in a downpour on a stormy evening, two-up with son Freddie on the pillion. Visibility is horrendous, not least due to the spray being thrown up by the tyres of the trucks in front. Needless to say this doesn’t feel remotely like the Sahara.
But all things considered, the Tuareg 660 is handling these demanding conditions very well. Its engine has the power and flexibility to more than keep up with the traffic, and to provide a burst of acceleration when needed to get past a spray-spewing artic. Its chassis is keeping the bike in my chosen lane as I battle against the rain and wind, which seems intent on blowing us off the road.
That M25 madness – which thankfully lasted only a few junctions – wasn’t the scenario I’d had in mind when planning a week with the Tuareg, but at least it almost qualified as an adventure. My attempt at an off-road evaluation had ended prematurely, a few days before, when on some local trails I’d been forced to concede that this wet week had made the going too heavy for Pirelli’s road-biased Scorpion Rally STRs.
After some sliding around and one walking pace tip-off in the mud I’d reluctantly given up and returned to Tarmac, though not before the Tuareg had shown plenty of off-road potential. Aprilia has certainly put its best efforts into making this revival of the Tuareg model name a genuine all-rounder. Whereas the RS660 and Tuono are so closely related both mechanically and in performance, the Tuareg is almost as different as it could be while essentially sharing an engine.
The powerplant itself is a big part of that, of course. Unlike, for example, Yamaha’s Ténéré and Ducati’s DesertX, which match the power outputs of their sportiest siblings the R7 and SuperSport 950, the Tuareg is 20bhp down on the RS and Tuono at the top end, but significantly stronger low down.
Like the DesertX it also has a reworked gearbox, in this case a shorter first gear.
The softer engine characteristics merely exaggerated the impression I got the moment I threw a leg over the Tuareg’s seat: of this being a very different bike to the other two models. That seat is quite slim but supportive, at the expense of being 40mm taller, at a not outrageously high 860mm. The bars are very wide and the footrests low, giving a very roomy riding position.
All of which made the Tuareg feel much more relaxed than even the Tuono. On the road it was pleasant and easy to ride, if not particularly exciting. It was fun in a not-toohurried way on narrow country lanes, where that flexibility was welcome.
On faster roads I generally found myself short-shifting through to top gear, from which point I rarely needed to change down. The bike was happy to pull from 40mph to three
figures if requested, though it started to run out of puff by that point, short of its top speed of about 115mph.
Like the other twins, it comes with an informative TFT display, decent mirrors and cruise control as standard.
The Aprilia’s fairly generous wind protection also contributed to its laid-back feel, and I didn’t suffer from too much turbulence although, as with so many mid-sized adventure bikes, its screen is not adjustable. The bike does at least have solid and usefully protective hand-guards, along with a respectably strong looking bash-plate.
Other practical touches include a respectably generous 18-litre tank, good for at least 170 miles at my average of about 55mpg. But not everything is well-thought-out. My wet M25 trip was not improved by the fact that son Freddie is roughly my height and weight, and was perched on a narrow pillion seat with nothing solid to hold. When riding solo I even struggled to find tie-down points to bungee a bag on to the seat.
At least I was quickly able to adjust the shock preload via the remote knob, and the Aprilia’s chassis generally impressed. With more relaxed geometry and a longer wheelbase it couldn’t match the agility of its roadster siblings but its steering was neutral and fairly light.
At 204kg with fuel the Tuareg is respectably light (albeit 20kg heavier than the other two), and despite all that travel its suspension was sufficiently taut to make twisty roads enjoyable. A firm squeeze of the front brake inevitably made the front end dip, but the 43mm KYB forks gave plenty of control and feedback, and the same firm’s shock did a good job of soaking up bumps without feeling too wallowy.
That front brake is plenty powerful, thanks to four-pot Brembo calipers biting 300mm discs. The relatively narrow 21-inch Pirelli has plenty of work to do, and I was occasionally conscious that the Tuareg couldn’t match the roadsters for stopping power. Despite having an IMU it lacks their cornering ABS, too.
It does have most of the electronic functions though, including four riding modes, one of which is customisable, and all of which keep the full 79bhp maximum. The sharper road mode is called Explore; the Offroad mode gives softer delivery, maximum traction control and engine braking, and disables rear-wheel ABS. Front-wheel anti-lock can also be turned off.
For my money the Tuareg’s electronics give it a distinct off-road edge over more basic rivals such as the Ténéré. And they’re backed up by the engine’s impressive low-rev chuggability, which is combined with crisp fuelling, a light clutch and that low first ratio. I found the high bars and low pegs made it comfortable for riding when standing on the pegs, and the slim tank and generous steering lock aided manoeuvrability.
I’d have loved the chance to fit some knobblier tyres and take it for a more demanding ride in the dirt, though first it would have needed toughening up, ideally with some accessory crash-bars. It’s a pretty bike, especially in the blue/white colour combo that costs an extra £500 but, like any factory-fresh adventure bike, it could be easily damaged.
As standard the Tuareg costs £10,600, so is only slightly more expensive than its roadster siblings, and competitively priced against its main rivals including the Ténéré (which costs slightly less in standard form). It’s arguably the best value of this Aprilia trio. It’s certainly a stylish and thoughtfully designed bike, and a seriously useful all-rounder.