Cycle News

Cycle News 2021 Issue 49 December 7

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/1435611

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RIDE REVIEW I APRILIA 660 TUAREG P58 I n what can easily be called the hottest segment of dual-pur- pose motorcycling, the middle- weight adventure market is on fire right now. Ignited by consumer demand for manageable all-terrain bikes with long-distance chops, twin-cylinder, sub-1000cc offer- ings are appearing from more manufacturers every year. Known worldwide as a high- performance street motorcycle brand with a rich history of racing success and propelled by a pas- sionate consumer base, Aprilia comes to you full of Italian style and speed. But an adventure bike from the leathers-wearing, smooth-helmet crowd? Yes! Aprilia has history off-road, start- ing in the '70s with competitive and recreational bikes taking on tasks from trials to rally, and the Tuareg namesake kicks back all the way to 1985. So, yeah, an adventure bike from Aprilia isn't exactly new territory, but to jump right in now, If you're looking for a worthy travel partner to take you to scenic roads, the Tuareg 660 is a good choice thanks to impeccable street manners. MIDDLEWEIGHT MACHISMO 2022 WILL with today's competition, and fight like this is macho, indeed! The Aprilia 660 engine platform introduced on the RS and Tuono models in the past year and a half really makes the Tuareg adventure machine pos- sible. As a development push, all the 660s were incubated together, as complimenting partners in the Aprilia catalog. The Tuareg is last to break cover, but it benefits from the parallel design and development of its road-ripping cousins. To make this bike world-travel worthy but day-trip-rip friendly, Aprilia reworked the impressively fun twin-cylinder RS- and Tuono- mounted powerplant signifi- cantly. Tuned to 80 horsepower and 70 Nm of torque, the dual- overhead cam, 270-degree firing twin features a load of engine tech and performance. But for Tuareg use, specifically, Aprilia slid in cams with lower lift and

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