RIDE REVIEW I APRILIA 660 TUAREG
P66
Off-road, while our time was
limited, I was surprisingly very
happy with the performance
of the Aprilia, but I really want
some time in the Western
United States to test it further
and put it head-to-head to the
existing standards in the class.
Again, my parking lot ge-
ometry test-bounces feared
for a vague front end feel and
sacked-out shock smacking
around in a harsh bottom-to-
mid stroke. With a seat height
about an inch lower than a
Tenere 700, I can't be blamed
too much for that. That was not
the case. And maybe the seat
foam is soft enough to skew
my opinion there. But the Tu-
areg 660 chassis again proved
controlled and planted on both
wheels, this time in the dirt.
The bike's weight balance is
fantastic as the fuel tank does
the magic trick of being slim
and unobtrusive while also car-
rying a bunch of gas. The triple
threat comes from its inge-
nious design/placement in the
frame, hiding the fuel's weight
centered, low and protected.
I'm not sure if it's the en-
gine's power delivery or the
chassis, or both, but the
Tuareg 660 delivers excellent
traction in V-twin style with the
smoothness of a parallel. For
sure, the power output of the
660 twin compliments every-
thing as it is controlled and
grunty with plenty left on top to
keep pulling. It's not as growly
(sound or pull) as a Yamaha
Tenere 700's initial torque de-
livery (it's closest real on-paper
Sardinia is a nice
place to ride a
motorcycle, but
we're anxious to
get a Tuareg 660 in
the western United
States to see how
it handles big
country.
