Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 - Naughty and Nice
Riding the Tuono is like sitting astride an angry predator whose diet consists solely of petrol, tyres and the occasional side dish of demerit points - and it’s always starving.
Prodding the starter elicits an evil snarl from the extremely loud standard pipe, the throttle giving an automatic blip as the motor fires up, making unprepared onlookers flinch. Lovely stuff.
First gear engages with a solid crunch and the bike lurches forward an inch against the brakes, as if eager to get on with the hunt.
The new bodywork is a killer too - much more aggressive than the previous goggle-eyed Transformer look and more effective at parting the air. It now mimics its racier sibling, the RSV4, more closely and is a whole lot better for it.
From the triple headlights up front to the superbly designed rear light integrated into the undertray, this tough-looking bike is bristling with nice touches. The wheels, for example, with impossibly delicate spokes protruding from hollow hubs pared back to the bone, or the finning of the radiator core that’s so fine you can barely see it.
For a nakedbike (if that definition still applies to a bike wearing this much plastic), and despite a 15mm lower seat height than before, the riding position feels quite bum-up, head-down, and the reach to the flat-ish, matte-black ’bars puts a fair bit of weight towards the front. It certainly helps make it feel planted though and, with the new, more luxurious and so er padding on the seat, the overall riding position is unexpectedly comfortable even when droning along the freeway. Getting to the fuel light at around 190km without a sore backside is no problem, whereupon you have about 35km left at the 8.2L/100km average we got across the whole test. (It’s easily possible to get worse than 9.5L/100km if you use the throttle the way God intended, mind you.)
I’ve loved Aprilias ever since I rode an RSV way back in 2000. In fact, I bought one the next day and it’s still in my garage. For me the big Aprilias have always been about the motor, and that original 60-degree, V-twin had me hooked the minute it hoiked the front wheel into the air the first time I gunned it. It was impossible not to enjoy surfing around on all that grunt, whether in town or on track, and 15 years later the Tuono RR produces the same effect.
The numbers tell you most of the story: 1100cc, 184kilos (dry), 175hp and 121Nm of torque are figures not to be sniffed at and scream fun with a capital F-bomb. The V4 motor feels superb, with huge amounts of power, and is incredibly smooth, creating almost zero vibration anywhere in the rev range, although perhaps losing some of the character of the lumpy old V-twin version as a consequence.
Not to worry though, this bike has character aplenty in other areas and is 10 times more captivating than my RSV ever was, as well as being crammed full of technology filtered down from Aprilia’s SBK involvement.
I hate to just reel off chunks of the owner’s manual, but the electronics package is such a huge part of this bike that it can't be ignored.
For a start there are the three ride-by-wire engine maps which are different to the previous model’s in almost every way. Your choices, in ascending order, are now Sport, Track and Race. They all have full power in every gear and throughout the rev range, although the Sport map has a so er throttle response than the other two. The main difference is the amount of engine braking you get: most in Sport and least in Race. Don’t be concerned about the lack of a dedicated rain mode either, as you can readily dial the traction control up to its maximum setting of eight (via the + and – paddles on the left switchblock). Even though this doesn’t dial down the power output of the motor or soften the throttle response, the way the traction control works (which is a system based on modulating the butterflies rather than cutting the ignition) effectively does this for you, and unlike chopping the spark, is super-smooth to boot. Combined with using the maximum ABS setting of three, riding in the rain shouldn’t be a worry.
The traction control is further enhanced by what Aprilia calls its "slip control" system, which modulates the power delivery based not only on differentials in wheel speeds, but also on the lean angle of the motorcycle. Very reassuring. The APRC (Aprilia Performance Ride Control) package also includes three-stage wheelie control which, with this amount of torque on tap, helps considerably and allows the front wheel to hover above the tarmac on corner exit in a very exciting yet controlled manner, even on full throttle. The steering damper helps ensure it doesn’t tie itself in knots. It also combines with the launch control settings to maximise acceleration from a standing start. This is strictly a race function only and shouldn’t be used at the traffic lights — well, not all of them. When engaged it allows you to keep the throttle nailed from a standing start and hammer up the ’box with the aid of the quick-shifter, while the electronics control front-wheel lift and rear-wheel spin. Hello holeshot.
Talking of quick-shifters, this is perhaps the best I’ve ever used on the road. Its function varies depending on three different RPM thresholds and is as seamless at 50 as it is flat-out. It’s also surprisingly useable even in traffic, which is a first for me.
Despite the RR not having the full-blown Ohlins suspension and steering damper of the Factory (reflected in the three grand price difference), the Sachs stuff it comes with is still excellent. It’s compliant yet taut, allowing you to ride around in comfort all day but, when the speed goes up, keeps both ends under superb control. The action of the fully adjustable, 43mm, USD forks is particularly impressive and feedback from the front tyre superb.
Other changes over the previous model include a 4mm-longer swingarm for improved rear-wheel grip and a steeper head-angle to claw back some of that extra wheelbase and to help keep the steering sharp, what with the reduced leverage from the narrower handlebars too.
Although I initially thought the steering could have been lighter, I soon got used to it, but using a good bit of body-English definitely elicits the best results. What’s more, the bike’s inherent stability allows you to carve around bends on a rock-solid line at impressive speeds and massive lean angles. The huge grip from the dual compound Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tyres add to the fun.
The chassis is taut, reacting to your every input, yet not too rigid, allowing you to feel exactly what’s happening between the road and the tyres and every subtle move of the suspension. The confidence this bike inspires is amazing and I doubt there’s much out there quicker from A to B. The torque off the bottom is phenomenal and the rush of power at the top bonkers; every ride leaves you sweaty and slightly madder than the last.
Yet, on Monday morning, commuting on it is doddle. Feet-up lane filtering is easy thanks to the bike’s excellent balance and narrow ’bars, although the slightly limited steering lock can take you by surprise. Also, despite their huge stopping power, the brakes aren’t at all grabby and the mirrors seem to fit between everything while still providing a good view behind. Even that fruity exhaust helps by alerting cars to your imminent arrival, a few raucous blips causing a Moses-like parting of the way.
So what’s not to like? An annoying snatch in the drivetrain coming on and off the throttle at low speeds is about all I can come up with (slightly less apparent in Sports mode). It does use a fair bit of fuel but if that’s really a concern, you're probably on the wrong bike.
What’s to love is just how brilliant you feel riding this bike. The incredible engine, the superb suspension, the huge grip, the faultless traction and wheelie control and the ABS all combine to create an exceptional feeling of being in charge. Even though this bike is properly fast, you’re not hanging on for dear life to a machine that's on the edge of getting away from you. Rather, you're the boss, telling it exactly what to do and it complying without offering up any surprises — well, until you glance at the speedo maybe.
If all this makes it sound like the Tuono might tempt you into areas of naughtiness that could see you sewing mailbags for a few months, well that’s certainly one possibility. But bear in mind that any big-bore bike can get you into strife with a careless flick of the wrist these days. What the Tuono brings to the party is not only a massive amount of riding pleasure, but, with its sophisticated electronics package, a huge margin of safety. It makes you feel like a better rider than you are and at $23,500 ride away, is massive bang for your buck.
This bike is so addictive it could easily find itself declared a controlled substance.
TECH TONIC
Want to go faster on track? The Tuono can teach you how. You can now plug your smartphone into the bike and make like a racer by adjusting the traction control and anti-wheelie on a corner-by-corner basis in real time via the Active electronic set-up feature. Using the phone’s GPS function, the system knows exactly where you are on the track at any given time and based on the rider’s selections, makes continuous adjustments of the electronics package.
The Adaptive race assistant feature provides realtime feedback by comparing previous best lap times, and indicates where to brake and accelerate to improve the time. And if all that’s not enough to take in, the Advanced telemetry dashboard allows your phone to display a host of parameters such as instant power and torque, percentage of power available, rear wheel thrust and slippage, acceleration and lean angle. Just remember to look up once in a while.
TART UP YOUR TUONO
There's a heap of stuff to bling up your bike or make it more track ready, including an array of racing levers and very sexy rear-set kits, as well as a reverse-pattern gear linkage.
There are also some seriously nice-looking Akrapovic full systems and end-cans, as well as plenty of carbon bits such as mudguards and side panels. If the standard wheels aren’t doing it for you, there are forged aluminium items in black, red and gold too, and for the road there are various luggage options and alternative mirrors.
