India-bound Aprilia Tuareg 660 ADV Unveiled

The Tuareg 660 comes with the most sophisticated electronics package in the segment

Aprilia’s new mid-displacement warriors, the RS 660 and the Tuono 660, have taken the market by storm, thanks to their versatile engine, a sophisticated electronics package, and the unmistakable Italian styling. Now, Aprilia has pulled out its third ace -- the Tuareg 660, which has its eyes set on the Yamaha Tenere 700.

Much like the Yamaha, the Aprilia Tuareg 660 looks like a rally-raid motorcycle straight from the factory. Everything screams rally-raid -- right from its small headlight setup to the flat seat and the skinny proportions. As for its colour, Aprilia hasn’t aped the Honda Africa Twin but has used the same colours that the original Tuareg wore at the Paris-Dakar rally in the 1980s.

Aprilia has left no stone unturned to bring out the best off-road experience in this segment. The Tuareg 660 comes with four riding modes, of which two are customisable with a dedicated mode for off-riding. Also included is the Aprilia Performance Ride Control (APRC) package, which includes traction control, cruise control, engine map, and engine brake. And since it is meant for the trails, the bike comes with ABS that can be disengaged at both wheels or only at the front. All settings can be accessed via the new 5-inch TFT screen.

The Aprilia Tuareg 660 is powered by the same 660cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin motor from the RS 660 and the Tuono 660. It, however, has been detuned to put out 81PS and 70Nm. While the power has gone down from 101PS, the torque has increased by 3Nm compared to the RS 660. In fact, the Tuareg packs 7PS and 2Nm more than the Tenere 700.

This engine is nestled in a new tubular steel frame suspended onto an adjustable beefy 43mm USD fork and a link-type monoshock, both offering 240mm travel. Like a true-blue ADV, the Tuareg 660 gets a 21/18-inch wheel setup. Aprilia has deployed twin discs at the front paired with axial Brembo calipers to shed speed on this ADV. The Italian marque has managed to pack all this in the motorcycle and still keep the weight relatively low at 187kg (dry).

Aprilia hasn’t yet announced the launch timeline or the price of the new Tuareg 660. We expect the bike to make its debut at EICMA this year and go on sale in select foreign markets by early next year. Given that the Aprilia RS 660 and the Aprilia Tuono 660 are India-bound, the Tuareg too is likely to launch here. However, the Italian manufacturer will bring it as a CBU unit, which will make it a tad more expensive than the Kawasaki Versys 650 and the Suzuki V-Strom 650XT.