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Aprilia RS 660


texscottyd

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Well darn...  Just when I finally convinced myself it's time to let go of my beloved Gen 1 Aprilia Mille R, this arrives on the scene:

I don't NEED it, but I kinda think I really really WANT it.   Looks like a great package, and I suspect that parallel twin will end up in a much broader range of upcoming bikes from Aprilia.  

My affairs with sexy temperamental Italians that occasionally want to hurt me may not be over...

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2 hours ago, texscottyd said:

My affairs with sexy temperamental Italians that occasionally want to hurt me may not be over...

Do tell.......!😁

Riding a fully-farkled 2019 MT-09 Tracer 900 GT from my bayside home in South East Queensland, Australia.   

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9 hours ago, wordsmith said:

Do tell.......!😁

I have a bit of a history with the Italian motorcycle marques, and much of it has been 'character building' at best.   My current Aprilia has actually been really reliable (scarce parts availability of late is becoming an issue), but in the past I owned a Ducati 750 Paso that legitimately did catch fire on the initial ride home from the dealership.   The dealer's deadpan response:  "Yeah, they do that sometimes.  Can you bring it back and we'll take a look?"   It actually was a charming bike once we got it sorted out, but a CBR600 of the same era would have been an infinitely better choice for performance and reliability.  

I also managed to total one of Aprilia's Mille demo bikes at a trackday where I was an instructor.  Not one of my prouder moments...  :)   In fairness, you can't blame that on the bike, but it is an example of how 'you only hurt the ones you love' works in the world of motorcycles.  

 

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Looks like a nice bike for sure.  I have always preferred middleweight sport bikes over the 1000 cc class...…..just my personal preference.  This one sounds like a winner on paper, but try getting replacement parts for an Aprilia of needed.  😯

My last road trip this year was with a guy who had a Caponord with only 1500 miles.  On day two it developed a horrible miss above 4000 rpm or any time the throttle was opened much more than half way.  Riding behind him I could see the exhaust glowing orange as and when we stopped you could feel the heat off the cannister standing anywhere near the bike.  The next morning we noticed the pannier on the other side of the bike would not stay securely attached.   The forward attachment point would not stay secured.  Bike is still parked and that was two months ago.  

Love the sexiness and performance of Italian bikes but for me Japanese reliability is more important than power and performance that can not be fully used on public roads. 

Edited by johnmark101
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There is nothing like spending a day riding with friends in the grip of a shared obsession.

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1 hour ago, johnmark101 said:

Love the sexiness and performance of Italian bikes but for me Japanese reliability is more important than power and performance that can not be fully used on public roads. 

Couldn't agree more, I have ridden and lusted after many Euro models but cant bring myself to own one, I have riding buddies who own them and have heard way too many horror stories.

My dream bike would be designed by Italians and built by the Japanese.

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***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

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On 11/5/2019 at 8:38 AM, texscottyd said:

Well darn...  Just when I finally convinced myself it's time to let go of my beloved Gen 1 Aprilia Mille R, this arrives on the scene:

I don't NEED it, but I kinda think I really really WANT it.   Looks like a great package, and I suspect that parallel twin will end up in a much broader range of upcoming bikes from Aprilia.  

My affairs with sexy temperamental Italians that occasionally want to hurt me may not be over...

I was checking out a lot of the EICMA news today, I found this in one of the articles.

“The truly special element of the RS 660 platform is the new parallel-twin engine. According to Aprilia, it is basically the RSV4 powerplant, minus the rear cylinders. Sound wild? We thought so too. Aprilia says this is just the first of an entire new lineup of motorcycles that will utilize this compact engine (we suspect the Tuono 660 will be next). Aprilia claims the forward-facing twin with its 270-degree crank will pump out 100 hp, which will be modulated through the same ride-by-wire system used on the superbikes.”  😎

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***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

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34 minutes ago, betoney said:

“The truly special element of the RS 660 platform is the new parallel-twin engine. According to Aprilia, it is basically the RSV4 powerplant, minus the rear cylinders. Sound wild? We thought so too. Aprilia says this is just the first of an entire new lineup of motorcycles that will utilize this compact engine (we suspect the Tuono 660 will be next). Aprilia claims the forward-facing twin with its 270-degree crank will pump out 100 hp, which will be modulated through the same ride-by-wire system used on the superbikes.”  😎

Exactly!  Hence my comment about suspecting the new motor will end up in a broader range of Aprilia motorcycles...  Picture a middleweight sport standard (Tuono Light), or maybe an ultra-tech Adventure Sport model.  

Lots of possibility to open up a new range of real world practical motorcycles, all with that dead sexy Italian charm. 

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16 hours ago, betoney said:

@texscottyd - I'm not sure if you have seen this Tuono 660 concept...  I like it, ALOT!

Me likely, too!   It was inevitable that this bike was going to follow RS, and honestly it’s as close to a new supersport bike that 55 year old me would buy at this point.  I came close to buying a lightly-used Tuono a couple of years ago, but it just seemed to be a bit too intense to actually use & enjoy on the street.  

This, however, is right in the wheelhouse of what I emotionally want.  I like that they appeared to stay to the sport side of the scale, instead of a pure standard...  All the high-spec technology, in a more accessible package than the RS.   I’m anxious to hear more details as it gets closer to reality.  

The short list of new bikes to consider keeps getting longer & more diverse! 

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