V-twin lineup, at a time when the revived Italian manufacturer is known to be working on a forthcoming IOOOcc
V4 Superbike, which presumably will spawn a family of
other high-end models.
Aprilia says it's targeting a rather different customer for the new Tuono R than the sort of late-20s
trick cyclist for whom burnouts and stoppies are the
chosen modus operandi on two wheels. Instead,
says Aprilia's marketing staff, they're content to
leave the under-35 age bracket to the Triumph
Speed Triple and KTM Superduke, while focusing on
the more, ah, mature streetfighter rider who's
focused instead on outright performance and allaround technical allure.
The 2006-model Tuono R is even more of a strippedoff sportbike than any of its predecessors in the Tuono
family, even the limited-edition Corsa with radial brakes
and Ohlins suspension. which Aprilia introduced 18
months ago as a streetrod supreme. That's because it has
complete sporting synergy with the revised full-fairing
RSV-R that Aprilia is set to launch at the Milan Show in
November. with which the Tuono shares the same twinspar aluminum chassis. 43mm Showa upside-down forks
with twin 320mm Brembo radial front brakes. fully
adjustable Sachs rear shock, and, above all, the same
improved state of tune for the company's ROIaX-built.
eight-valve, 60-degree V-twin engine. In the 2006-model
Tuono, this now delivers 8 bhp more than in its predecessor. with 133 bhp at the crank at 9500 rpm - albeit a little
less the I39-bhp RSV-R, thanks to a 25mm-longer intake
manifold in the I0.3-liter Air Runner airbox, which gives
slightly reduced power in return for increased midrange
torque. This is now raised to 10.4 kgm/l 02 Nm at 8750
rpm while still meeting forthcoming Euro 3 norms via a
three-way catalyst and lambda sensor in the 2-1-2 stainless-steel exhaust system with its twin tucked-in silencers
- a genuine achievement by Aprilia's engineers, headed by
project leader Mariano Fioravanzo, since the lean burninjection settings needed to beat the Euro 3 goalposts
appear to be hard to achieve without sacrificing torque.
