A Closer Look at The 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660
One of the fastest growing sectors in motorcycling is off-roading, and the bikes designed to handle this activity is the adventure class. Adventure bikes are built to be able to feast upon the terrain, as it thrusts its rider through the gravel, mud and dirt one minute and provide a smooth ride on the pavement the next. Enter the newest player in the adventure bike game: The 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660. This all-terrain adventure bike is agile, maneuverable and wreaks with power. Aprilia Brand Manager Cristian Barelli refers to the mid-size adventure bike, the 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660, “The rebirth of a living myth”.
Born to be Light and Fast
“Imohag” is the name given to the central core of Tuareg enthusiasts, and translates to “free men”. It’s this mindset that Aprilia built the Tuareg 660 for. In fact, much of todays riders are searching for a bike that is both sporty and fast. As such, Aprilia responded to this desire for a youthful,spirited model by designing the 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660. The famed Piaggio Advanced Design Center, Pasadena, California was home to much of this bike’s development. Lead developers for the Tuareg 660 were Miguel Galluzzi and Mirko Zocco. Through the efforts of both designers, the impressive 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660 was born. Upon examination, bike enthusiasts may note that there is absolutely nothing ‘extra’ here in this design. For all intents and purposes, this bike is designed to be an adventure bike, plain and simple. While Galluzzi and Zocco aided in the development, the genius behind the 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660 was Mr. Piero Soatti, Aprilia’s Head of Motorcycle Engineering. Give the man some credit, as he was instructed to design a dual-sport bike that had features of a larger adventure bike with the qualities of a more small European model. This meant he had to combine the storage capacity, ergonomics, state-of-the-art technology of a larger bike and make it a light weight bike that gets good mileage. An engineering Rubik’s cube to solve, to be sure. But, he did it.
Engine: Built for Both on and Off-Road Versatility
The 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660 power is derived from its liquid cooled, 659cc parallel-twin engine. Max power bursts in at a hot 80 horsepower at 9250 rpm with a max torque at 52 foot-pounds at 6500 rpm. Intake is an EFI with two 48mm throttle bodies, a DOHC 4vpc valvetrain. Transmission is a 6 speed with a quickshifter being optional. If you can, consider taking them up on the optional quickshifter feature, as the Aprilia Quick Shift is only around $250 dollars, as it makes the bike handle much easier, offering you some pretty quick and clean maneuvers. Finally, the fuel system is comprised of an airbox with head on intakes with Ride by Wire engine management. The fuel tank is fitted with a retro cap, and carries 4.8 gallons of fuel. Now, what makes this such a sweet ride is that with the 660, Aprilia is moving more toward having both off and on road versatility, and that’s just what this powerplant gives you. Speaking of off-road, it was necessary for Aprilia to gear up the gearbox, so to speak, in order to handle its new, off-road duties, along with a high-mount exhaust system.
Aluminum Frame and Wheels
The 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660’s frame is an aluminum twin-spar, with aluminum subframe, which helped to lessen the weight of the bike to a cool curb weight of 449 pounds wet, and 412 dry. The 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660 is light and agile, with much of the lightness due to the tubular frame, light but strong and said to be able to handle loads up to 460 pounds. As far as the suspension goes, the 2022 Aprilia Tuareg comes with a fully adjustable KYB inverted 43mm fork, and a cantilevered, linkage free rear suspension, giving you 9.5 inches of ground clearance. This lightweight and high performance motorcycle comes with aluminum wheels with spoked rims and Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires. Wheel measurements are 21 inches for the front and 18 inches for the rear. Braking is a cinch with these Brembo’s. The front brake is a 300mm disc, 4 piston Brembo caliper, and the rear brake a 260mm disc with a single piston Brembo caliper.
State-of-the-Art Electronics
Your Tuareg 660 comes with a well organized, easy to see and use 5 inch TFT display as standard. The designers did a great job in making the display intuitive, so as to require little or no explanation. Any item which can be customized can be done so, just hit up the menu and make your changes. When it comes to ride modes, you have four. Three ride modes are pre-set and one is known as Individual. The pre-set modes are Urban, Explore, and Off-Road. The fourth mode, or individual allows you to customize the engine braking settings, throttle response and traction control. Aprilia Performance Ride Control, or APRC is a piece of state-of-the-art rider technology. It’s the APRC that hosts the rider modes. All electronic aides such as the cruise control. ABS. engine braking, and traction control as well. When used properly, these electronic rider aides makes sure that no matter the terrain: Pavement, dirt, wet, dry, gravel and so on, the rider maintains full control of their ride.
Rider Comfort and Ergonomics
When riding your 660 off-road, your comfort is guaranteed due to the ergonomic design of the bike. Here the handlebars were designed to be wider and the center midsection of the bike narrower. By making the 660 narrower, riders will obtain a greater range of motion. This additional leg room allows riders to freely stand and sit, favoring the riders forward position when they lean into the bike. This affords riders with an optimal skill level to handle curves and straightaways along with increased speed.
Final Thoughts
After testing the bike on the twisting roads of Sardinia, the 1000PS Motorcycle Channel, states that the 2022 ApriliaTuareg 660 is one of the best adventure bikes for beginners. In other words, this bike is made to live up to the expectations of expert enthusiasts, while lending itself to needs of those new to the sport. This is a stable as a road bike that’s also able to offer a high performance, off-road ride. The APRC gives the rider a convenient way to turn their Tuareg 660 into a bike which provides the best ride for specific conditions. In short, this is a fun, spirited and sporty ride for those looking for a fresh and new bike, which has the heart of a lion and aerodynamic design of a stealth fighter.