Aprilia RS660 India Launch Likely Next Week

The first lot of the bikes has arrived at Aprilia’s Baramati plant

Back in March, prices for the Aprilia RS 660 and the Tuono 660 were revealed for the Indian market. Now, the first consignment of the RS 660 has arrived at Aprilia’s Baramati plant hinting at an imminent launch, probably on August 19.

Cementing our speculation is Piaggio India’s invitation for the launch of the 75th edition of Vespa and the CEO and MD, Diego Graffi’s picture on the RS 660 at the Aprilia facility. So, it makes sense for the Italian bike maker to launch the middleweight supersport on August 19 along with the Vespa scooter. 

With the Aprilia RS 660 taking the CBU route to India, the RS 660 could be priced at an eye-watering Rs 13,39,000 (ex-showroom). Internationally, Aprilia offers the bike in three paint schemes: Acid Gold, Apex Black and Lava Red. Hopefully, the same should be offered here as well. 

For such a steep asking price, you get a 659cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin motor with the output rated at 101PS and 67Nm. It’s mated to a 6-speed gearbox and gets a slipper clutch as well as a bi-directional quickshifter. Putting a leash on the bike is its list of electronic nannies. It gets wheelie, traction and cruise control, cornering ABS and five rider modes- Commute, Dynamic, Individual, Challenge, and Time Attack. All these can be accessed on the TFT instrument console.

The underpinnings too are premium. It’s suspended on a 41mm KYB USD fork and a monoshock, both are preload and rebound adjustable. Meanwhile, the braking hardware consists of twin 320mm discs up front with radially mounted Brembo callipers and a 220mm disc at the rear. Rolling on 17-inch alloys, the RS 660 comes shod in Pirelli Rosso Corsa 2 rubber.

All said and done, the RS 660’s asking price is even higher than the Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX costing Rs 11.40 lakh. In fact, for Rs 1.75 lakh more, you can buy the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R (most affordable litre-class supersports in India) priced at Rs 15.14 lakh. Other alternate middleweight faired bikes in India are the Kawasaki Ninja 650 and Honda CBR650R.