RideFast Aug2020
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Aprilia Tuono V4 1100RR<br />
The Tuono has repeatedly won<br />
awards for The Best Naked Bike of<br />
the Year time and time again from<br />
publications all over the world. It<br />
was praised for the usability of its<br />
65º V4 motor, the sharp handling<br />
from Aprilia’s famous chassis knowhow<br />
and electronics that were<br />
celebrated as the Best in the World.<br />
Times have changed, the<br />
competition is afoot, and yet the<br />
Tuono might still retain the King of<br />
all Naked Bikes crown. Although, it<br />
depends on who is providing the<br />
accolades.<br />
Based on the spec sheet, the<br />
Tuono is taking nothing home but<br />
a participation award. It produces<br />
175hp and 121Nm of torque, figures<br />
that beat only the BMW S1000R<br />
on this day. The wet weight of<br />
209kg is also some distance from<br />
class-leading and can draw a sigh<br />
of relief that the Z H2 was present<br />
with all its extra metal, and a<br />
weight of 239kg or it would have<br />
been in trouble.<br />
Even the outward appearance<br />
of the Tuono is a little outdated – it<br />
looks like an RSV4 superbike with<br />
bits of fairing chopped off, and<br />
that hasn’t changed for five years.<br />
Moving off the spec sheet and<br />
onto the race track, the Tuono<br />
finds itself once more riddled with<br />
problems. The first being that<br />
it’s a little dull compared to its<br />
whacky peers. The second is that<br />
it clearly isn’t the fastest – down<br />
the straight, it is 3km/h slower<br />
than the Super Duke (that had to<br />
short shift for two gears to stop<br />
it flipping), 6km/h slower than the<br />
Streetfighter V4 and a massive<br />
13km/h slower than the Z H2. And<br />
these bikes, with their standard<br />
road gearing, struggled to reach<br />
even fourth gear on Red Star’s<br />
back straight. Top speed runs on<br />
longer straights will reveal even<br />
more significant gaps.<br />
The handling is still excellent,<br />
but the competition has caught<br />
up – both the Streetfighter and<br />
the Super Duke have raised the<br />
bar somewhat, and thus tip into<br />
corners at the slightest nudge of<br />
the handlebar, something that<br />
was previously the domain of only<br />
the Tuono.<br />
In these scenarios, things might<br />
not look great for the Aprilia’s<br />
faithful nudie, but as we said at<br />
the beginning of the story, it might<br />
yet take the crown.<br />
Aprilia is famous for its chassis<br />
design, a trait provided by the<br />
university near the factory that<br />
is world-renowned for its studies<br />
in motorcycle frame design –<br />
they wrote the book, literally.<br />
Fittingly, then, the Tuono is ever so<br />
confidence-inspiring, especially on<br />
the front end; the most important<br />
end on a motorcycle.<br />
The motor helps too because<br />
the Ducati needs to be revved to<br />
the heavens and the Super Duke<br />
still requires some delicacy with<br />
its throttle. The Tuono is like Baby<br />
Bear’s porridge – just right.<br />
It’s very likely that, in the<br />
right hands, the Super Duke<br />
and Streetfighter will produce<br />
quicker lap times. In the hands<br />
of everyone else, the easygoing,<br />
confidence-inspiring Tuono should<br />
be King.<br />
KEY SPECS<br />
Engine type: 1077cc, Aprilia<br />
longitudinal 65° V-4 cylinder<br />
Power: 175 horsepower<br />
Torque: 120Nm<br />
Wet Weight: 185 kg<br />
Seat height: 825 mm<br />
Base price: R289,011<br />
“Always a crowd-pleaser, and<br />
the same can be said for the<br />
new 1100 Tuono. Just all-round<br />
satisfactory.” Rob says<br />
56 RIDEFAST MAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 RIDEFAST MAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 57