Recently, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer has revealed its latest model, the Aprilia RS 660. It has 100 hp with the option of a down-tuned 95 hp version for the European A2 driver’s licence. But the most exciting part is that it might just be the best looking motorcycle Aprilia has produced so far.
Overview
In this article, we take a closer look at the new Aprilia RS 660 (or at least what we know so far). Obviously, this isn’t a full review but this is certainly going onto the list of bikes to ride in the future.
We will look at the following:
- General discussion
- Aesthetics
- Performance
- Handling
- Tech
- Price
- Overall rating
- Comparable bikes
General discussion
This is the part where I give my honest opinion. I never took a liking to the Aprilia brand for one reason only; they didn’t seem all that good looking. Crucify me if you want, but that’s just me being bluntly honest.
Now, this is the part where you might consider not crucifying me. After they revealed the RS 600, I have to say that Aprilia now has my respect. In my opinion, they managed to pull out the best looking bike in its class and one of the best looking overall.
They managed to convert me… well, not quite yet. We still need to ride this beauty and open it up to see what’s inside. But they have my full attention, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say we’ll definitely see this new look blow over to the other models (which is exciting, of coarse).
Aesthetics
★★★★★
From a distance, you won’t mistake the RS 660 for anything except for an Aprilia. It’s not a complete makeover for the brand. Instead, they subtly improved the looks in certain areas, which are still comparable but very effective. The resulting RS 660 is certainly a stunning bike, and I want to go over the main elements that stood out for me:
Front-end
Aprilia motorcycles are known to have the third iconic headlight which wasn’t all that attractive to many sports motorcycle enthusiasts. But this time they did it in a way that looks absolutely great; sharing a single top curve between all three headlights.
And to compliment this, they added LED daytime running lights that mark the borders between each headlight in a very attractive manner. This seemingly small feature unquestionably put the Aprilia RS 660 into the most modern category of motorcycle aesthetics.
Fairings
Aprilia has been using dual fairings for some time now that basically does the same job as winglets. In my opinion, I’m glad they didn’t reduce to winglets as many of the Ducati fans have expressed their negative feedback for the winglet addition on the latest Panigale V4 (even if they are easily removable).
Instead, Aprilia decided to make their dual fairing even less obvious on this model. Though, I do have my doubts on how functional they really are. The angles and “wingspan” seem to be much less aggressive than the bigger brother’s. Either way, they look really good and fit in perfectly with the overall design.
Tailpipe
I guess that not everyone will agree with me here but I dislike the idea of having a long tailpipe that stands out. To me, it breaks down the overall expression in the design. So, I’m very happy that they decided to do away with traditional tailpipes on this model and give it a system that is intergrated in the body.
It also allows you to see and appreciate the beautiful swingarm from either side of the bike. This is usually a part of a bike that most would try to hide by painting it black, but not here. It fits in completely with the design and shouldn’t be hidden with black paint or a traditional tailpipe.
Rear-end
The rear-end isn’t all that much different from the other models, but the rear light does seem new. In my own words; it looks like the “bat signal” that shines up in the night clouds when batman is needed. I think it looks pretty badass.
Performance
no rating yet…
The idea of 100 hp at only 169 kg is good and plentiful. But compared to other motorcycles in this category, it’s not all that spectacular. It’s kind of average…
The Honda CBR 600 RR produces 113 hp, while the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R produces 127 hp. But both of these are inline-four-cylinder configurations, whereas the RS 660 is a parallel twin configuration. So, we might see a significant difference in torque? Maybe…
We don’t have any numbers on the amount of torque it produces. So, it’s too soon to say how spectacular the performance really is, since the torque is what you feel when you accelerate.
We already know that the RS 660 is carrying the newly developed parallel-twin engine. But I’m very curious to know what it sounds like in person. Aprilia’s are known to sound really good with their V4 engines but obviously you cant expect a parallel twin to sound anything like it.
Why am I so curious? Well, you all know that Ducati has some pretty cool sounding bikes right? But the twin-cylinder Supersport doesn’t sound anything like the other models. And you will notice this on any motorcycle with a parallel twin engine.
But watching the RS 660 commercial doesn’t give you the impression that it sounds like a parallel twin. So we’re either going to be disappointed, or they did something magical to make it sound so amazing and meet our current expectations.
Handling
no rating yet…
As far as I know, no one has had the opertunity to ride the RS 660 so I have no idea how it handles. But what we do know is that the RS 660 have its footpegs much lower than on the bigger Aprilia brothers, so it should be fair to say a more satisfying ride for the commuter (not that anyone is ever comfortable commuting on a sportbike).
From the images available, it does seem like the Kayaba front forks have more travel distance than other models, so I would assume that it offers a softer ride. Right, that assumption doesn’t seem all that reliable, so I’ll end this part of the review by saying; “I don’t know anything”.
Tech
no rating yet…
I’m the type of person who likes to get on and just ride the damn thing, so excuse me for not leaping for joy. In short, there’s a lot of buttons and stuff… But that Wheelie Control function caught my eye instantly.
The RS 660 comes with some cool electronics that benefit the rider:
- Cornering ABS
- Traction Control
- Wheelie Control
- Up/Down Quick-Shifter
- Engine Braking Control
- 3x road riding modes
- 2x track riding modes
- Cruise Control
Apparently, you can also connect your smartphone to the bike to receive notifications or control your music (probably from the handlebar). I would say that’s a really cool feature…
Price
no rating yet…
There is nothing to report here. But some of my direct competitors are taking wild guesses to what the price will be, so I might as well give it a shot:
| Challenger | Best MSRP Guess* |
|---|---|
| topspeed.com | $15,000 |
| cycletrader.com | $12,500 |
| asphaltandrubber.com | $10,000 |
| twomotion.net | $12,699 |
*these are not actual prices
Personally, I hope I don’t win… I would be great to have this bike at only $10,000. But given that most other comparable bikes are priced much higher, I doubt that would the actual price.
Overall rating
| Segment | Rating |
|---|---|
| Aesthetics | 5/5 |
| Performance | N/A |
| Handling | N/A |
| Tech | N/A |
| Price | N/A |
| Combined** | 5/5 |
**to be concluded later on.
Comparable bikes
These are the motorcycles that are more or less in the same category as the RS 660:
Final words
I hope I was able to provide ou with some valuable information or insight. If you liked this article, you might also like the many others that I have written. Also, be sure to check out my series of info products.
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