Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1190846
PIKES PEAK-WINNING APRILIA TUONO 1100 RSV FACTORY R I D E R E V I E W P108 ter with a good tug on the handle- bar, while shifting your body in the seat. However, the braking is superlative thanks to Brembo's best, with the twin 330mm float- ing front discs gripped by four- piston radial M50 Monoblock calipers and a race-spec Brembo master-cylinder, with the stock Bosch ABS disconnected. Just a single finger on the lever slows the Aprilia down from hard in sixth gear to third, leading into But- tonwillow's first blind hilltop turn, where the Tuono's confidence- inspiring handling let me choose the precise line almost inch- perfect every lap, after I'd learned it by following the local track-day experts. Thanks, guys! There, despite the slipper clutch I'd gained welcome added engine braking in shifting down to third just before climbing the short incline on the same race mode Rennie says he used for the race. That's where the unique engine braking map which Nicola Marcato dialed in really came to the fore. Basically, from the 12,500 rpm rev limiter, which, thanks to the short PP gearing, I was hitting twice per lap at But- tonwillow, down to 9000 revs the Tuono essentially freewheels, but from there on down to around 4000 rpm there's constantly increasing engine braking. This not only helps stop the bike, but also pulls you nicely into the apex of the turn, with the slipper clutch ready to help prevent any rear- wheel chatter. Moreover, there's little trace of instability even when leaning on the brakes, which does indeed cause some front- end dive thanks to those soft but compliant suspension settings, but not at the expense of direc- tional control. That glorious engine is as much of a gem in the PP-winning bike as I've grown used to it be- ing on my various rides with it in Italy. The V4 motor starts deliver- ing serious performance as the tacho needle hits the 5000 rpm mark, and engine acceleration starts to pick up faster. From 7000 rpm upwards acceleration becomes explosive—it's the only word to use for it—in the sport mode Rennie used for the race and with peak torque delivered at 9000 rpm, I found that was where the front wheel will start to pop up lazily off the tarmac exit- ing a turn in second gear, making me glad I had the Ohlins steering damper well wound up. Rennie must have switched off the AWC/ anti-wheelie program, besides dialing the eight-stage TC down to level 1. But then hold the gear and at 10,000 rpm there's another dose of top-end power that will send you rocketing forward as Cathcart came away from the test beaming.