Rod Chapman•3 Apr 2014

REVIEW

2014 Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC ABS

Name: 2014 Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC ABS
Brand: Aprilia

Smarter electronics and a touch more mumbo take Aprilia's feisty Tuono streetfighter to a whole new level of potency and refinement

When it set out to improve on its Tuono V4 R APRC, Aprilia didn’t want to reinvent the wheel. After all, the model had already ticked every box on the streetfighter checklist. Manic power? You betcha. Upright ride position? Yup. Sportsbike handling and brakes? Oh yeah! So it’s gone about its latest revision – the first since the previous generation appeared in 2011 – with a level head and plenty of technical nous.

The progeny of Aprilia’s sporting flagship, the RSV4 R APRC ABS, the Tuono V4 R APRC ABS – which, to minimise wear and tear on my computer keyboard, I’ll hereby refer to as simply ‘Tuono’ – may look pretty much the same as the outgoing model. Looks can be deceiving, however – any survivor of a Bangkok buck’s night knows that – and under the skin the latest Tuono boasts a number of significant changes.

Those updates comprise the latest incarnation of Aprilia’s APRC, or Aprilia Performance Ride Control, plus a revised Brembo braking package (with Brembo’s M432 monobloc front calipers), an extra 2kW of power and a new Sachs 43mm inverted fork (with the rebound adjustment on one fork leg, the compression adjustment on the other). A larger fuel tank (now 18.5 litres, up from 17 litres) and lighter alloy wheels round out the major improvements.

The Tuono is available in Aussie dealerships now for $21,490 (plus on-roads) which, incidentally, is $500 under the launch price of the 2011 model.

STRONG BLOODLINE

I’ve ridden each generation of Tuono since its birth in 2002 and each and every ride has left me buzzing, sometimes broke (police don’t seem to share my enthusiasm for the model) and always wanting more. But in a bike that was already packing 123kW in a 183kg (dry) package, Aprilia needed to produce a replacement that was smarter, not necessarily faster, to keep it ahead of the game.

Okay, so the men in white coats threw an extra few ponies at the newie too, but it’s the electronic brains behind the brawn that make the 2014 Tuono one of the most sophisticated streetfighters available today, if not the most sophisticated.

As I approach the Tuono in Bikesales Network’s underground car park it’s clear it’s a menacing little meanie. It’s largely all angles and lines, but with a bulbous nose section that lends it an insect-like appearance.

As I throw a hoof over the Tuono’s tail I settle onto the firmish but well-shaped saddle. It ain’t no tourer, that’s for sure, but the padding offers a degree of compliance and the slim mid-section means it’s not too much of a stretch to get both feet down, despite the tallish 835mm seat height. (Then again, at 188cm I am on the lanky side.)

What could from a distance pass for a cowl is actually the pillion seat. Between this diminutive perch’s forward ridge and the recessed handholds, pillions get a raw deal – do yourself and your mate a favour and sling ’em a few buck for a cab fare instead. You’ll both be thankful you did.

ON THE BUTTON

I hit the starter and the V-four erupts into a rhythmic, violent tattoo. With nothing but bare concrete walls surrounding me, it’s sonic assault that truly whets the appetite. It’s the standard street-legal can, but at idle it thumps away like a heavy-calibre machine gun. ‘Tuono’ means ‘thunder’ in Italian and this bike lives up to its name.

With a gentle pull on the light and progressive clutch, I snick first gear, give it a flurry of revs and head for the basement’s exit, the exhaust note now belting off the walls – no chance of catching any distracted car drivers unawares in here.

Out onto Melbourne’s inner-city streets and I’m slicing through the peak-hour crush in a bid to escape the urban jungle. My ageing Honda Hornet 900 – a bona fide streetfighter of a decade ago – excels in this role but here the Tuono is showing its limits.

That flat, wide handlebar needs a fair bit of care when filtering and the mirrors, though free of distortion, give a fairly restricted view to the rear. It’s light and agile on the move but the Tuono has a sportsbike’s limited steering range, which is a pain in really tight going.

A glance at the specs shows this bike lacks nothing in terms of power and torque but the first gear is quite tall – in stop/start traffic I’m riding the clutch regularly. In short, if you’re looking for an all-rounder or a bike to tackle the daily commute, there are better, more practical options.

Of course, the Tuono’s maker never intended for it to be restricted to the city. In many ways, this bike represents the true essence of the streetfighter genre – a balls-out sportsbike scalpel with a broad ’bar and a more upright ride position for additional control and comfort. It’s a recipe for thrills more than outright lap times, but believe me – if you can hang on at the speeds of which it’s capable, the Tuono has the potential to shame a major slice of the go-fast set.

HEAD FOR THE HILLS

That becomes clear when, once free of Melbourne’s sprawling suburbs, I’m greeted by clear roads and winding routes through the hills. It’s here I get an opportunity to play with the Tuono’s fancy electronics, and what a marvel they are.

The latest generation of Aprilia’s APRC basically provides the rider with everything available on the full-flight RSV4 superbike. There’s eight-level traction control, three-level ABS, three-level wheelie control, three-level launch control, and three ride modes.

The latter offers Track, Sport and Rain. Track is full power and the sharpest level of throttle response; Sport is full power but a softer throttle response; and Rain cuts output by 25 per cent. The ABS and traction control can be switched off altogether, for those who prefer to ‘go it alone’.

Throw in a quickshifter for slick, clutchless upshifts and a slipper clutch for smoother, aggressive downshifts, and this is one comprehensive bit of high-tech gear.

The APRC itself is packed with computer wizardry. It detects the circumference of the bike’s tyres and calibrates accordingly, interfacing with the bike’s ride-by-wire engine management system. The traction control actually determines a corner’s radius and adjusts the degree of permitted tyre slip to suit. The traction control and the ride modes can be altered on the fly while the ABS, wheelie and launch control settings can be changed at a standstill through the bike’s menu system.

I could go on and on about how all this works and interacts but suffice to say it’s a brilliant set-up that affords massive flexibility in tailoring the ride to suit your mood and the prevailing conditions. I do have one tiny complaint, however – it takes too long to adjust the settings. It takes nearly a second for any input at the handlebar to register on the LCD screen, and with so many fields to cycle through that can get frustrating.

I settle on a mid-level traction control and ABS setting with the bike in Sport mode. Track mode is my first choice on the open road but the softer throttle response is better suited to riding in traffic.

WARP DRIVE

The ride is, in a word, sensational, with the V-four the star performer. It’s a stupendously impressive unit, ferociously powerful yet underpinned by a sublime sense of refinement. It’s wonderfully smooth and completely devoid of unwanted vibration, yet it’s dripping with character; it truly is a credit to Aprilia’s engineers.

The extra 2kW was achieved through revisions to the airbox, the injectors, and the 4-2-1 exhaust. Peak power of 125kW is delivered at 11,500rpm while a claimed 110Nm is pushed out at 9500rpm. I haven’t seen a dyno chart for the Tuono but I bet it’s a steep, dip-free power curve and a flat, dip-free torque curve – this thing simply churns out the mumbo from idle to redline.

There’s gobs of bottom-end torque, a stonking mid-range and a scintillating top-end – the scenery starts to blur as I pass 6000rpm and by the time the red shift light starts winking I’m a moment away from the soft-action rev-limiter, which cuts in at around 12,000rpm.

Nailing the throttle is a mind-warping experience, made all the more visceral by the lack of bodywork to shelter you from the wind’s blast. In a straight line on typically average backroads I cling to the ’bars with a sense of desperation mixed with pure adrenalin, the front Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa skipping lightly over the tarmac as my upper body and arms strain against the wind and the sheer acceleration.

LET’S TALK ABOUT SACHS

The 25-degree rake and 1445mm wheelbase team with a steering damper to ensure the fun doesn’t get too out of hand, and in general the Tuono treads that fine line between flightiness and stability incredibly well.

Through the bends the fully adjustable Sachs suspension and alloy beam frame make light work of crappy surfaces, also holding up their end of the deal when it’s time to wash off speed. To be honest, I never had any gripe with the old anchors but this new Brembo setup, backed by Bosch’s latest 9MP ABS, is a ripper. Heaps of power, heaps of feel, and now with ABS that can be tailored for varying degrees of sensitivity – nice.

The new Sachs fork controls its compression under brakes nicely; I’ll leave it to pro racers to find the limits of the Tuono’s handling, but this mortal couldn’t find fault.

All controls are light and precise and the gearbox is brilliant, even if it's occasionally a little tricky to find neutral at the lights. On the subject of gearing, I should also mention the Tuono is one blindingly fast bike. Before the rev-limiter kicked in I saw 130km/h flash up on the speedo in first gear and around town and even on motorways I rarely went higher than fourth. At 100km/h in sixth it’s pulling a lazy 4200rpm.

Top speed? Let’s just say your arm and neck muscles will probably give out before you find it… Save yourself some time, money and heartache – hand your licence in at the local court now and save the Tuono for the ultimate lounge room object d’art.

Other negatives? Well, with this much performance at your fingertips it should come as no surprise to learn the Tuono rips through fuel like a burning oil well, with 8.5L/100km the extent of the damage with moderate use. That’s a safe touring range of not even 200km, so factor in plenty of enforced breaks on longer runs.

Still, riding the Tuono is two-wheeled hedonism in its purest form, and as I crack that throttle and enter warp drive one more time, such petty drawbacks couldn’t be further from my mind.

Aprilia has produced a masterful machine in its Tuono. I was captivated by the KTM 1290 Super Duke R at that model’s international press launch in Spain last year but it’s surely got a fair fight on its hands in this Latin warrior. And at around $2000 less than the KTM, the Tuono's price could well be its knockout blow...

SPECS: APRILIA TUONO V4 R APRC ABS

ENGINE

Type: Liquid-cooled, four-valves-per-cylinder, DOHC, 65-degree V-four

Capacity: 999.6cc

Bore x stroke: 78.0mm x 52.3mm

Compression ratio: 13:1

Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

Claimed maximum power: 170hp (125kW) at 11,500rpm

Claimed maximum torque: 110Nm at 9500rpm

TRANSMISSION

Type: Six-speed

Final drive: Chain

Clutch: Wet

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR

Frame type: Aluminium

Front suspension: Sachs 43mm upside-down fork, fully adjustable

Rear suspension: Sachs monoshock, fully adjustable

Front brakes: Twin 320mm discs with Brembo four-piston radial calipers

Rear brake: 220mm disc with twin-piston Brembo caliper

Wheels: Cast aluminium; front 3.50 x 17in, rear 6.00 x 17in

Tyres: Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa; front 120/70-17, rear 190/55-17

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES

Rake: 25 degrees

Trail: 107.5mm

Claimed dry weight: 183kg

Seat height: 835mm

Wheelbase: 1445mm

Fuel capacity: 18.5 litres

OTHER STUFF

Price: $21,490

Colours: White or Black

Bike supplied by: John Sample Automotive, www.aprilia.com.au

Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres

2014 Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC ABS

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