What the Aprilia Tuono 660 Concept Tells Us of the Future

We always knew that the Aprilia Tuono 660 was coming, ever since last year when the Noale brand took the covers off its RS 660 concept, and started teasing us with the idea of a high-horsepower middleweight twin motorcycle.

From there, it was quick to understand that Aprilia would need to make its “half an RSV4” into a platform, with other models soon to come. The most obvious next step then was a naked “Tuono” model.

That brings us to today, where not only do we see the Aprilia Tuono 660 concept looking basically ready for production at EICMA, but the Italian brand is also coyly showing us its plans for its next middleweight model, the Aprilia Tuareg 660.

Conceptually Not a Concept

Before we get too deep in analysis, let us take a minute to realize that what Aprilia showcased at EICMA wasn’t really a concept, it was a pre-production version of its Tuono 660 design.

This gives a strong indication that while the RS 660 model still has a number of months before its official release (I am being told second-half 2020 for the US market, though probably early-Q2 for the European markets), the Tuono 660 will surely come out shortly thereafter.

As such, there is a real possibility that the Aprilia Tuono 660 could come to the US market at the same time, or near enough, as the Aprilia RS 660, which makes these bikes a solid one-two punch for the Italian brand.

So Much Fairing

Visually, what is interesting to me is how much of a full-fairing bike the Tuono 660 looks like.

Now granted, Aprilia (and the rest of the streetfighter space, largely) have been fudging the numbers when it comes to their “naked” bikes, with half-fairings and three-quarter-fairings becoming the norm.

Still, I can’t help but feel that Miguel Galluzzi and his team have intentionally given the Tuono 660 a larger fairing, not only to tie the bike visually to the Tuono V4 1100 series, but also potentially to leave space in the product lineup for a “true” naked motorcycle.

While I would still expect a Caponord 660 (to just borrow a name), aka a long-travel suspension road-focused tourer, before I would expect to see anything else as a fourth middleweight model from Aprilia, I do think there is room in the lineup now for a Shiver 660.

Which then just makes me hope for a Dorsoduro 660…and at that point, Aprilia should just join the Pokemon franchise, because I would have to collect them all (if you don’t understand that reference, ask your kids, and then tell them to get off TikTok).

Back to that Fairing

Sorry, I got lost there…where was I? Right, the Tuono 660 and its not-so-naked fairing. Positioning wise, I really see that Tuono 660 as the street version to the track-focused RS 660.

That sounds obvious, so let me make that distinction again through an Italian motorcycle comparison: the Aprilia Tuono 660 is the Ducati SuperSport, while the Aprilia RS 660 is the Ducati Panigale V2.

Still a sport bike, still a “full fairing” but just watered down enough to be more of an every day rider that is comfortable on the track, but prefers canyons and highways.

With 95hp on tap, Aprilia seems to be thinking the same thing, and this is why I come back to my thoughts from above, where there is still room in the lineup for a very torque-centered Shiver 660, with maybe only 75hp to 80hp on tap, fewer electronics, and price tag south of $10,000.

Tuareg Cometh

I am getting ahead of myself here though, because of course we should be talking about Noale’s third 660 model, the Aprilia Tuareg 660.

I have a strong suspicion that this bike will fall right in-between the Yamaha Ténéré 700 and the KTM 790 Adventure R – on spec-sheet, on off-road performance, and on price.

There is talk that the Aprilia RS 660 will come to the US with a price point of $12,500…maybe even $11,999 MSRP. That is a pretty strong position, considering what you get for your money, and it will give the KTM 790 Duke a serious run for its money.

Now, it we extrapolate that pricing out, this means that the Aprilia Tuono 660 should come in around $11,000 or even cheaper. I wouldn’t expect a sub-$10,000 bike here, because again, the Tuono 660 to me is just another stab at making a full-fairing sport bike.

The US Dealer Play

The real value in the Tuono 660 and its siblings is what the 660 lineup can do for Aprilia in terms of dealer development. These bikes make a strong argument for dealerships to carry the Aprilia brand, once again.

For starters, these bikes are cheap – at least in comparison to the top-selling RSV4 and Tuono V4 models. Comparatively, they are half the price, which means dealers can carry half the debt when they order them from Aprilia USA. That’s always an easy argument to make to a motorcycle dealer.

More importantly though, the bikes are red hot right now (which can’t be said for Aprilia’s current twin-cylinder lineup), with Aprilia clearly finding the price and performance sweet spot in this category, just as KTM did two years before.

Where there is customer demand, the dealerships will follow. Who wouldn’t want to be the seller of a class-leading machine that customers are knocking down door to buy?

Third, and perhaps most important, these bikes were built to be a platform, and that means a big common parts bin that is going to ease supply chain issues, while also making repair and warranty work more accessible and easier to train for…and that has been a big sticking point for US dealers when it comes to carrying Aprilia on their floor.