VOLUME 57 ISSUE 31 AUGUST 4, 2020 P69
Y
ou know those times when
you meet an old friend, and
you hit it off straight away?
The time apart is inconsequential,
you start reminiscing about the
good times and get straight down
to the business of enjoying each
other's company once more.
That's kind of how it is for me
and the Aprilia Tuono 1100 Factory,
for it is this model that I raced in
last year's Pikes Peak International
Hill Climb. That race on that bike
was the best I've ever ridden in
my 37 years, and my love for this
machine was cemented on top of
America's Mountain that day.
My racer was extremely close
to the production machine—all
we changed was fitment of the
Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory forks
and shock, put some bodywork
on, exhaust, Power Commander
and ECU change, a thumb
brake and different front master-
cylinder, added some rearsets,
and shortened the gearing
dramatically.
At one point, we'd even con-
sidered running the electronic
Ohlins suspension that comes
on this production machine but
thought the conventional Ohlins
was the way to go.
HOME
SWEET HOME
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK I PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER
APRILIA'S TUONO HAS BEEN A STAPLE IN
THE V4 LINEUP FOR OVER A DECADE, AND
IT'S AS GOOD AS EVER
Any day is Wheelie Wednesday on
an Aprilia Tuono 1100 Factory.
