RIDE REVIEW I 2022 APRILIA TUAREG 660
P106
The Tuareg is very comfortable
in the dirt, and I am often amazed
at the terrain I can comfortably
ride on a 450-plus pound ADV
bike. The Aprilia provided the
feedback and confidence to
explore many challenging trails.
The Tuareg is comfortable when
standing up for long periods, and
the traction and cornering on the
loose dirt roads are good and
allow you to power out of corners
nicely. The lower seat height com-
pared to the other ADV bikes we
were riding provided a little more
confidence in technical terrain.
The motor is predictable and
works well on fast dirt roads, and
it is also good when the terrain
gets more difficult and requires
some finesse. The clutch per-
formance critical to slow-speed
control and traction was good
and consistent. The off-road map
setting worked great, and it is
easy to change the traction-
control settings to your desired
level of intervention. Despite the
setting, the Tuareg does not have
quite as much low-end grunt as
the Tenere or KTM 890 Adven-
ture, but it is close and capable.
The suspension and chassis
are a little harsh on rocky and
rough terrain. There is a lot of
adjustability with the clickers,
but not enough to provide the
compliance and comfort we
were looking for compared to
the other ADV bikes in the class.
This is a bit of a tradeoff for
street performance as softer sus-
pension is usually not as good
on the road due to diving under
heavy braking, so again, if street
performance is your priority, then
you may be perfectly happy with
the direction that Aprilia took
