Following the fully-faired Aprilia RS660 and naked Tuono 660 is a brand-new adventure-tourer motorcycle – the Aprilia Tuareg 660. It is the third Aprilia model to be powered by the brand’s new 660 cc parallel-twin engine, and completes Aprilia’s middleweight line-up. Compared to the RS 660 and Tuono 660, the parallel-twin for the Tuareg has been tuned to produce a lower 80 hp, but it packs a healthy 70 Nm of torque, with the engine claimed to offer strong low- and mid-range punch.
The Aprilia Tuareg 660 weighs 187 kg (dry) and is likely to weigh closer to 200 kg ready to ride. Seat height is rated at just under 860 mm, which will ensure the Tuareg isn’t too intimidating to those still getting to grips with an adventure motorcycle. It has an 18-litre fuel tank, an engine bash plate, wire-spoke wheels and a single-piece seat as well.
In terms of equipment, the Tuareg 660 gets a five-inch TFT display, four ride modes (two being customisable), traction control, cruise control, selectable engine braking and engine mapping.
Up front, the Tuareg 660 has twin disc brakes with Brembo calipers, and the rear wheel has a single disc brake. with ABS fully-selectable to be on, front wheel only or full off for off-road use. There’s a 43 mm upside-down fork up front, and a monoshock at the rear; both being fully adjustable. A highlight of the Tuareg 660 is that it has 240 mm of suspension travel at both ends.
At present, Aprilia doesn’t sell any motorcycles in India, with its current portfolio only consisting of scooters. However, the Italian brand is expected to launch the RS 660 and Tuono 660 in India in the coming months, and the Tuareg 660 is expected to make it to our shores by 2022. That said, it won’t come cheap – expect the Aprilia Tuareg 660’s price to be around the Rs 13-14 lakh mark (ex-showroom), as it, like the RS and Tuono, will be shipped in as a full import.
