before hitting the brakes on
the back straight when riding
the 660. Braking power here
is lacking compared to the V4,
which is to be expected with
the lower-spec Brembo cali
-
pers and master cylinder, but
it's a small price to pay when
you consider how agile the
chassis is and how well the
100 hp is imparted to the tire.
Jumping on the V4, by
comparison, is a bit of a bar
fight. You're never quite in full
control around Streets of Wil
-
low as there's so much perfor-
mance on offer. The 175 hp
is never fully reached—fourth
gear down the back straight
was all I got and even then
only for a small moment.
However, the V4's electronic
Ohlins make for a smoother
ride than the Sachs fork and
shock on the 660. The agility
isn't there but there certainly
is more feel on the side of the
tire, and that allows you to bed
the drive into the tire smoothly.
A bar fight it may be, the
V4 is still an extremely potent
weapon around Streets. With
the full suite of electronics, it's
more tuneable than the 660, so
the range of improvement is
more. It has certainly got more
potential at more tracks than
the 660, which I feel you'll get
to a point and then be asking
for more, which it doesn't have.
The V4 motor has so much
performance that will take
possibly years to master but,
unlike something like a Ducati
Streetfighter V4, it's not overly
fearsome, either. The V4 is a
tamed wolf in sheep's clothing,
whereas a Streetfighter is just
a wolf, full stop.
When compared to the 660,
I'll take the V4, but I always
knew I would. What surprised
me was how enjoyable the
660 Tuono was on track. A
friendly bike, it's more a spar
-
ring match than a boxing one,
and you can easily embarrass
riders on larger capacity bikes
if you get the chance.
Both are excellent motorcy-
cles, but I'll spend the extra cash
and grab the V4, thanks.
CN
P106
RIDE REVIEW I APRILIA TUONO 660 FACTORY AND TUONO V4 1100 FACTORY
