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
