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/1305997
2021 APRILIA RS 660 ($11,299) ENGINE Aprilia parallel 2-cylinder forward facing, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled with water-oil radiator and heat exchanger, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder DISPLACEMENT 659cc BORE X STROKE 81 x 63.9mm FUEL INJECTION Electronic fuel injection system. Full ride-by-wire 48mm throttle bodies COMPRESSION RATIO 13.5:1 POWER (CLAIMED) 100 hp at 10,500 rpm TORQUE (CLAIMED) 49.4 lb-ft at 8,500 rpm EXHAUST 2-into-1 TRANSMISSION 6-speed w/Aprilia Quick Shift CLUTCH Multi-plate wet clutch w/ mechanical slip system ELECTRONICS 6-axis inertial platform, APRC package containing ATC (Aprilia Traction Control), AWC (Aprilia Wheelie Control), AEB (Aprilia Engine Brake), AEM (Aprilia Engine maps) and ACC, (Aprilia Cruise Control); five Riding modes (Road and Track, three fixed and two customizable) CHASSIS Aluminum dual beam chassis with removable seat support subframe FRONT SUSPENSION Kayaba 41mm fork, aluminum radial caliper mounting bracket, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION Aluminum asymmetric swingarm, fully adjustable FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL 4.72 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL 5.12 in. FRONT BRAKE Brembo radial calipers 4 piston; cornering ABS REAR BRAKE 220mm disc, 2 piston Brembo caliper; cornering ABS FRONT TIRE 120/70 ZR17 REAR TIRE 180/55 ZR17 RAKE 24.1° WHEELBASE 53.9 in. SEAT HEIGHT 32.3 in. FUEL CAPACITY 3.96 gal. WEIGHT (WET, CLAIMED) 403 lbs. SPECIFICATIONS 2021 APRILIA RS 660 R I D E R E V I E W P82 bike version two years ago, the RS 660 gives every appearance of hav- ing been very carefully refined, with the result that it seems bursting with quality, rather than built down to a price. Apart from the high-beam headlight switch (every bike at the launch seemingly suffered from this small but irritating fault) the only issue with the bike is that although the front brake lever is fully adjust- able for span, the cable-operated clutch lever isn't, and is a bit far away from the bar for those with smaller hands. Oh, and that pillion pad looks like a medieval torture instrument! But that's all. Honestly, I defy you to go to your nearest Aprilia dealer for a test ride—and the company understands that having test bikes available is absolutely central to the RS 660's commercial success—and find further fault with a motorcycle which is essentially inventing an all-new category, and doing so in superlative fashion. Balanced and effective are the two words that best sum up this very significant new Italian motor- cycle, which is set to lead the field in ushering in a whole new gen- eration of middleweight capacity sport bikes. For Aprilia has a 95-hp Tuono 660 waiting in the wings that's due to be launched in the global marketplace next February, with a Tuareg 660 adventure tourer coming after that. This all points to nothing less than a long-overdue revival of the Aprilia brand with an exciting range of the appealing middleweight models it's essentially lacked in recent years. This bike puts Aprilia back in business big time—believe it! CN