TWO AND THROUGH

Aprilia’s fully faired RS660 drew a new line in the sand for streetlegal sportsbikes. Costing around half the price of the RSV4, in real world terms it’s proved much more accessible than the Superbike it’s derived from, and arguably just as thrilling to ride, even for more experienced riders, for who late braking, maxing out turn speed and getting harder on the gas sooner is in many ways much more of a buzz than simply opening the throttle and hanging on.

Now, as promised, this new class benchmark in the increasingly significant 650-800cc twin-cylinder sector has been joined by the Tuono 660 naked model that’s turned out to be an even closer derivative of its sibling sportsbike than the Tuono V4 is of its Superbike forebear.

THEY GOT THE SUSPENSION GEOMETRY RIGHT FIRST TIME WITH THE RS660

Check out the stats: same 169kg dry weight as the RS660; same Kayaba suspension package (only minus any compression damping on the 41mm upside-down fork); same Brembo Monobloc radial brakes; and same RBW throttle offering a choice of five different riding modes in two different tiers, Road and Track.

There’s the same electronics suite directly sourced from the RSV4, which includes traction control, wheelie control, engine braking control, engine mapping and cruise control, with just the two-way quickshifter now an optional extra that’s included as stock on the RS660. And while ABS is