The Aprilia Tuareg 660 is the company’s first adventure motorcycle in India. The Tuareg 660 brings a unique flavour to the table. Its unmistakable styling, the 660cc engine and other bits are what make it stand out from the sea of ADVs. Here are some of the highlights about the bike.
Design
Function over form seems to have been the mandate that the designers were given while penning the lines on the Tuareg 660. How else can one explain the minimal bodywork or the lack of them at certain places on the bike. Take the headlight, for example, that has no cowl around it, or the slim, almost dirt bike-like fuel tank and the absence of a side and tail section. Save for the taillight and number plate holder.
The advantage of minimal body panels can be seen when one drops the bike while riding off-road, which is an eventuality when one is engaging in activities like jumping, sliding and crossing streams and rivers. Less body panels means less bodywork that are susceptible to break and that translates to lower cost of repairs.
Features
Aprilia has been known for offering some of the most refined and comprehensive electronics packages on their bikes. This is seen in bikes like the Aprilia RSV4, the RS660 and even the Touareg has a good set of electronics.
You’ve got four ride modes, engine braking settings, engine map settings, dual-channel ABS with three modes, and traction control. All of the settings for these features can be adjusted using a 5-inch TFT display.
Engine
The Tuareg 660 is powered by a 659cc, parallel-twin engine that makes 80bhp at 9,250rpm and 70Nm at 6,500rpm. The engine is paired with a six-speed gearbox. This motor is known for its strong mid-range and characterful nature. A majority of the competition also uses a parallel-twin engine format, be it Suzuki V-Strom 800DE or the Honda XL750 Transalp. The parallel-twin engine’s biggest advantage is that it is compact and offers a good spread of torque which is great for both on and off-road rides.
Hardware
Under the Tuareg 660’s minimal bodywork lies a tubular steel frame that is suspended by a 43mm, fully adjustable Kayaba fork with 240mm travel and a Kayaba monoshock which is also fully adjustable and has an equal 240mm travel. Braking duties are taken care of by 300mm dual discs at the front and a 260mm disc at the rear.
Price
While the Aprilia Tuareg 660 appears to be quite capable on paper, it's the money that it demands that has left a lot of people perplexed. The Tuareg 660 is priced at Rs. 18.85 lakh for the Atreides Black and Canyon Sand colours. The Evocative Dakar Podium paint scheme will set you back by Rs. 19.16 lakh. This positions the Tuareg 660 far above the bikes like the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE (Rs. 10.30 lakh), Honda XL750 Transalp (Rs. 11 lakh) and the BMW F850 GS (Rs. 12.95 lakh) who are its main competitors in the Indian market. In fact, the Tuareg 660 is priced in and around the vicinity of higher capacity ADVs like the Triumph Tiger 900 range and the Honda Africa Twin.
One reason for the Tuareg’s high price are our country's exorbitant import duties and we’ve a full report about the Tuareg’s pricing that you can read here.
