Aprilia Tuono V4 R

FROM THE BIKE WHICH DOMINATED THE WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP, APRILIA EXTRACTS THE FIERCEST NAKED EVER SEEN.

 V4 162 HP ENGINE, THE MOST ADVANCED CHASSIS TO ATTACK ANY PATH, APRC ELECTRONIC MANAGEMENT TO CREATE A "CUSTOMISED" BIKE FOR EVERY RIDING SITUATION.

 The heart racing, soul stirring naked.

 After creating the best superbike of the new millennium, Aprilia revolutionises the supersports naked segment with its astonishing new Tuono V4 R. A bike that goes beyond the wildest dreams of even the most hardcore enthusiasts - the rider who, given the chance, would use a race bike just to go for a coffee.

For riders like these and for those with power in their veins, Aprilia has created a motorcycle with the indomitable spirit of the RSV4 in a feline body that is in its element when accelerating and braking with unimaginable violence, that eats up curves of any radius and swallows straights whole.

Characterised by the brazen exhibition of the V4 65° engine framed by the brushed aluminium elements of the dual beam frame, the Tuono V4 is a naked dressed with the bare necessities to mount up and instruct according to the rider's capabilities.

Adding yet another touch of aggressiveness is the aerodynamic new top fairing tipped with two polyelliptical headlights at the sharp end, which gives the bike the unequivocally mean, daunting stare that you'd expect from a machine with an incredible 162 horsepower.

Tuono V4 R boasts power never before installed on a naked, obtained by reconfiguring the RSV4 Factory APRC SE four V cylinder.

The Tuono V4 R inherits features from the Special Edition including the new exhaust system with bypass valve, which is two kilos lighter than the system used on the RSV4 R, and latest generation Ride by Wire throttle control. Differences from its race track sibling are closer spacing between the three first gear ratios a maximum torque of 110 Nm on tap 1000 rpm lower. The Tuono V4 R maintains the family feeling with the WSBK double title champion's tail fairing, saddle, tank and side panels, one of the best examples of made in Italy motorcycle design in the last decade for its formal beauty and functionality ratio. The racer, because that is what anyone who approaches a fireball like this one should be called, will be taming this beast from a riding position tailored to create a symbiotic relationship between the body and the bike, for unparalleled feedback through the three points of contact - the saddle, footpegs and handlebars.

Staying in the saddle and gripping the biconical handlebar, the rider comes into contact with the APRC (Aprilia Performance Ride Control) joystick, the second generation electronic dynamics control package developed by Aprilia to get as close as possible to the physical limits of riding: State-of-the-art in bike dynamics performance controls, a patented system which makes the winning Superbike technology available to any biking enthusiast. All of this with absolutely simple and intuitive management which allows the Tuono V4 R to be customised every time the rider gets on it, making it a truly "tailored" bike for each rider, the desired performance and the riding conditions. 

 APRC is based on an automotive inertia sensor platform, with two gyrometers and two accelerometers allowing the ECU to determine the dynamic state of the motorcycle and control engine torque accordingly to help the rider exploit the full performance potential of the bike in all conditions.

The APRC package includes ATC traction control (Aprilia Traction Control), with eight selectable levels, which controls sliding when accelerating out of a curve in relation to bank angle and throttle aperture, AWC (Aprilia Wheelie Control), which helps the rider control extreme wheelying by gradually bringing the front wheel back to the ground, and AQS (Aprilia Quick Shift), which allows instantaneous upshifts without closing the throttle or using the clutch. Completing the suite of four functions is the most exhilarating of all: ALC (Aprilia Launch Control). Simultaneously pressing both buttons on the joystick on the left hand handlebar arms the system, as confirmed by the specific message on the display. From this moment on, all 162 horsepower of the beast from Noale are ready to slingshot the Tuono V4 R like a missile as soon as the rider releases the clutch, unleashing the astonishing power onto the tarmac through every available square millimetre of the 190/50 rear tyre.

 For every day street riding and for those who are not yet accustomed to the miracles of the vehicle's dynamics software, Tuono V4 R offers great satisfaction from a biking hardware point of view.

In fact, the extraordinary new Aprilia naked is equipped with the best components available on the market: Brembo brake system with radial callipers and 320 mm floating discs at the front (220 mm at the rear), aluminium wheels with an all-new design weighing 2 Kg less than those on the RSV4 R, Sachs upside down front fork with 43 mm stanchions coated with titanium nitride for reduced friction, and Sachs shock absorber with separate piggy back nitrogen canister featuring adjustable spring preload, compression and rebound damping and length, to modify the setup of the bike to suit different riding styles or for two-up use.

Review

Let’s cut to the chase. If you want the best sounding, best handling, highest performing naked bike then head to an Aprilia store, because the Tuono V4 APRC is it.

For the life of me I can’t work out how Aprilia got this bike through the noise police to gain ADR compliance but thankfully due either to some bureaucrat’s temporary deafness or a loophole for European bikes, it did. This is the best sounding standard bike on the market. Fire it up of a morning and it makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, not quite the blood curdling and almost frightening cackle of an open-piped Desmosedici, but still raucous enough to make you grin like an idiot and have evil thoughts.

Despite possessing a (claimed) 162hp (119kW) at 11,000rpm and sounding like a manic banshee, the Tuono V4 APRC is anything but frightening. It is actually very easy to use and not at all threatening. Its light steering and smooth throttle response makes the Aprilia a doddle to cruise around on.

Get up it and the Aprilia reveals a very serious side to its nature thanks to its astonishing speed, excellent suspension and superb brakes. This is the naked bike for track days, no doubt about it.

On the features front, the Tuono holds virtually all the aces. Eight-stage traction control, wheelie control, launch control, slipper clutch, adaptive quick-shifter (the harder you ride the quicker it shifts), three power modes, fully-adjustable suspension, radial calipers, axial master cylinder, steering damper… The electronic aids can all be switched off when the mood for silliness strikes. The only things missing from the Tuono are ABS and electronically adjustable suspension.

Where the Tuono does give away some ground to a lot of the opposition is in low down grunt, where a fewer number of cylinders or much larger capacity is always going to win the day. That is all forgiven once the revs rise, of course, but still worth noting for those that prefer to lug engines around at low rpm, rather than shuffle through the slick gearbox and rev a wailing V-4 motor hard.

In spite of its tiny appearance the Tuono actually proved quite comfortable for my 178cm frame and the seat surprisingly supple. I don’t think a pillion would be keen on spending too much time on the back, however, for the rider the accommodations are quite reasonable. The 840mm seat height would seem quite tall but a slim profile makes putting a foot down at the lights easy work.

In comparison to the donor RSV4 superbike the engine sits a little lower in a new chassis and gives away around 18hp up top (longer intake runners to boost torque, heavier flywheel, different cams) but gains some meaningful extra shove in low and mid-range response which, combined with shorter gearing, makes the Tuono spritelier at street speeds compared with its sibling. Slightly different chassis geometry (rake relaxed by half a degree extending the wheelbase and trail slightly) makes the Tuono a friendlier street mount and for anything but track duty, the Tuono is by far a nicer motorcycle to live with than the superbike. The first three gears are all shorter than its racetrack focussed cousin which makes the stellar acceleration even more accessible.

The tiny performance loss given away at the extreme upper end of the performance spectrum at the racetrack are well worth it, given the payback realised in the real world. In actual fact, I suspect that for most the Tuono would also be the better track mount with only very fast riders able to extract better performance from the Superbike than they could manage on the easier-to-ride Tuono.

The only remotely challenging things about the Tuono come from a limited amount of steering lock, which makes parking and low speed work somewhat of a chore, and the constant battle in your head between Mr Evil and Mr Sensible. Seriously, keeping your licence on the Tuono is going to be hard work.

This bike isn’t about touring though. Strapping luggage to the machine would be a headache and highway work would eventually get tiring but then that’s not what naked bikes are about, anyway. Still, if you are looking for a naked bike with a healthy dose of touring practicality, the ability to take a pillion in relative comfort and still remain fairly close to pretty much everything else on the road in the speed stakes, BMW’s K1300R is still my top pick of the naked bike category due to its added practicality with KTM's 990 SMT also a great option with outrageous fun factor combined with comfort and luggage amenity. If ultimate racetrack level sporting ability is your prime motivator the Aprilia will towel those two and any other machine in this category with relative ease. This really is an open class sportsbike without clothes in a fashion that no other manufacturer has quite managed.

At $23,790 ride away, the Tuono V4 APRC is not cheap, but it is the benchmark for naked bike performance and if that’s what you’re after, go and fire one up at an Aprilia store, because if you are already leaning towards the Tuono, once you hear that note I guarantee you will be riding out $23,790 poorer, but much richer in many other ways.

There are few bikes with this outright level of performance that prove so easy to use and that is the defining point for me which really makes the Tuono stand out as a class act.

Source mcnews.com.au