The middleweight ADV segment witnessed a new entrant in the form of the Aprilia Tuareg 660. Now, the Italian offering has been priced notably high which also puts it in the higher leagues. So, we have compared the Tuareg 660 with the Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro.
Design
Simply put, the designs for both bikes are very distinct. The Aprilia Tuareg 660 gets a single LED headlight divided into three pieces and it is topped by a transparent visor. The bike looks slim, tall, and extremely purposeful for off-roading. It gets a slim single-piece seat that extends to the fuel tank. Aprilia offers the Tuareg 660 in three colours – Atreides Black, Canyon Sand, and Dakar Podium.
On the other hand, the Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro appears slightly muscular. It gets a two-piece LED headlight with a manually adjustable visor and a secondary beak. Its fuel tank contributes to a majority of the visual mass and the Tiger uses a split seat setup. Triumph offers the Tiger 900 Rally Pro in three colours – Sapphire Black, Ash Grey, and Matt Khaki Green.
Features
Along with LED illumination, the Tuareg gets four ride modes, engine braking settings, three engine map settings, dual-channel ABS with three modes, traction control, cruise control, and a five-inch TFT.
On the other hand, the Tiger 900 Rally Pro uses a seven-inch TFT screen with My Triumph Connectivity for call and SMS alerts, turn-by-turn navigation, cornering ABS, traction control, emergency braking warning lights, and all LED illumination, six ride modes – Road, Rain, Sport, Rider Configurable, Off-Road and Off-Road Pro - illuminated switches, a tyre pressure monitoring system, a centre stand, and engine protection guards. The GT uses four riding modes – Road, Rain, Sport and Off-Road
Clearly, the Tiger has more rider aids and should make it more convenient for the rider to get used to it.
Engine
Powering the Tuareg 660 is a 659cc, parallel-twin engine and it makes 80bhp at 9,250rpm and 70Nm at 6,500rpm. It is linked to a six-speed gearbox. The Tiger 900, gets a larger 888cc engine that makes 106.5bhp at 9,500rpm and 90Nm at 6,850rpm. The engine is paired with a six-speed gearbox and gets a slip-and-assist clutch.
The Tiger 900 Rally Pro has an advantage here with its larger engine and higher power figures.
Hardware
Aprilia has equipped the Tuareg 660 with 43mm fully adjustable KYB USD forks and a fully adjustable monoshock, both with 240mm travel. The brakes on the Aprilia ADV comprise dual 300mm front and a single 260mm rear disc mounted on a 21-inch front and an 18-inch rear spoke wheel wrapped in block pattern tyres.
The Tiger 900 uses Showa 45mm USD forks featuring manual preload, rebound and compression damping adjustment. The rear end comprises a Showa monoshock with manual preload and rebound damping adjustability and 230mm wheel travel. The British ADV uses a 21-inch front and 17-inch rear spoke wheel shod with 90/90 front and 150/70 rear Bridgestone Battlax Adventure tyres.
The hardware setup on both bikes is top notch and it's an almost even match here.
Price
The asking price for the Tuareg 660 starts at Rs. 18.85 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) while the Tiger 900 retails at Rs. 15.95 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). So, it's evident that the Tiger offers more value for money on paper since it costs less, gets a bigger engine that makes more power, and packs more electronics too.
