Aprilia Tuono 1000 R Factory

Aprilia Tuono 1000R

Italian Flair

They say the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain, but for some reason it seems that every time I go there, it falls mainly on me. So, heading out for four days worth of riding on the hottest new Aprilia to roll out of the Noale production facility, it was no surprise that within minutes of climbing in the saddle it promptly started pouring down. I was traveling while making a television show in Spain with my friends Dennis and Sam Gage. We were all onboard identical Tuono 1000 R Factorys equipped with race compound tires— and this was not the ideal start to our ride.

Bundling up in rain gear and heading out into the Spanish countryside, I settled in behind the Tuono’s upright bars and began to dream of heated handlebar grips, fairings and leg protection. I was also doing a little cursing at the weather gods. My griping continued until I realized that, for picking our way up and down the technical mountain roads— which were often streaming with water, the Aprilia is blessed with the agility of a mountain goat, which really settled me down. With such a high level of throttle refinement, controlling the fuel-injected, 60-degree V-twin was a breeze, and it actually made the majority of the wet riding seem like fun. As the Aprilia is blessed by a similar degree of sophistication from the Ohlins’ suspension and radial brake package, which eliminated all the drama from cornering and stopping duties, I can’t say I was happy that it rained, but it certainly did allow me to be totally comfortable during the four days of riding.

Priced at $16,999, the Aprilia Tuono 1000 R Factory is the highest priced naked standard on the market, and for good reason. Still based on the popular Mille sport bike line, the newest Tuono is the most sophisticated and most powerful version of the naked standard yet. Producing a whopping 139 horsepower at 9,500 rpm, it churns out six more than the more standard Tuono 1000 R. This increase in power is achieved by increasing the size of the exhaust valves from 31mm to 33mm, and by enlarging the header pipes. Some revisions in the fueling and ignition maps compliment these changes, and the sum of these upgrades is a mile-wide power band and an engine that pulls seriously hard from 4,000 rpm all the way to redline. Below this figure, the engine is plenty powerful enough for around-town duties, but did exhibit some strange behavior at certain throttle openings. As the days progressed, and I put more miles on the bike, the effect became less noticeable, and I am not sure if I just got used to it, or the bike was settling in. It wasn’t a major concern, but definitely noticeable in stop-and-go traffic in the early wet and slippery conditions.

The Aprilia-designed, Rotax-produced engine uses a 60-degree, V-twin configuration, with dry sump lubrication and a close ratio, six-speed gearbox. Liberal use of magnesium for engine covers helps lower the weight, and a hydraulic clutch uses Aprilia’s PPC (Pneumatic Power Clutch) system to prevent the rear wheel from locking up during downshifting. Basically, this is the Italian company’s rendition of the slipper clutch, and when we finally got some dry road-time I gave it a try and found it works just perfectly. Running the bike hard up through first gear, I pulled in the clutch and then dumped it really quickly to see if I could lock the rear wheel without success. Further trick bits live inside the engine, with an Anti Vibration Double Countershaft (AVDC) keeping the throbbing twin from loosening the fillings in your teeth.

To help the Factory with its monster power output, 57 mm throttle bodies hurl fuel and air into the awaiting cylinders. Using just one injector per cylinder, the mixture enters via two intake valves and is expelled once exploded via two exhausts. A single spark plug is responsible for the explosion. This mixture is forced into the cylinders with the aid of a ram air system that uses a central air duct just below the twin headlights, and Aprilia quotes an additional three percent power increase with it in effect. Ensuring the Tuono’s cylinders are served the perfectly mixed cocktail at all throttle openings, the engine management system takes readings from 15 parameter sensors. For those of you who want to scrap the stock exhaust in favor of a more racetrack-orientated system, the EPROM already contains maps for this application, and can easily be loaded by your local service technician. The stock units are now fitted with catalytic converters, which meet stringent Euro 3 emissions standards, so any changes should only really be considered for racetrack duties.

Keeping the engine under control, the Tuono’s frame is stronger and lighter again this year. Weighing in around 20 pounds in total, it is made from aluminum-silicon castings and Peraluman 450 pressings. I’ve toured the Aprilia factory and seen their massive racing facility before, and it is little wonder that this frame is so close to a full race bike item. Aprilia is heavily involved in Grand Prix racing, having won both the World 125cc and 250cc road racing championships this year, so the Factory frame benefits very directly from the knowledge gained on the world’s circuits. Optimized for torsional rigidity, it uses a similarly designed swingarm that weighs in at just over ten pounds. This race bred combination gets joined by top shelf Ohlins suspension components for the Factory— and provided a superlative package when the roads finally dried up to allow for the full exploitation of the race compound tires.

We have tested a few bikes over the last couple of years that have been graced with Ohlins, so most of the wide-eyed schoolboy style expletives have already been used up, but for any of you who haven’t ridden on this suspension set up, there really is no other experience on two wheels like it. The level of control the inverted 43mm fork offers is unequalled, and it was a welcome feature over the rough Spanish back roads. Fully adjustable for pre-load, compression and rebound damping, my test mule had come straight from a racetrack launch, which I initially thought might necessitate some changes. I needn’t of worried as the setup worked perfectly, whether tiptoeing down ridiculously steep cobblestone streets with our petite 230-pound cameraman riding pillion, or slamming on the anchors from triple digit speeds attacking tight corners. In the rear, the multi adjustable Ohlins’ shock just needs a ditto to the above comments, performing remarkably well with the additional weight while filming. I felt for sure with the addition of my passenger and a heavy film camera we would bottom something out, but it was not to be. Fantastic.

Overall the Factory now weighs less than 400 pounds, and to help achieve this low weight, the bike rolls on a pair of forged aluminum Oz wheels. As part of the package on Aprilia sport bikes for a number of years now, they help lower reciprocating mass for quick steering. With the wide bars up at the top triple clamp, this steering input is ridiculously light, and flicking back and forward along the twisting mountain roads, I can think of few bikes that would be so easy to ride. Attached to these beautiful wheels is one of the best sets of binders in the business. Twin 320mm full-floating rotors are molested by a pair of four-piston, four-pad, radial Brembo Gold calipers, and have the distinction of being powerful enough to pop your eyeballs out of your sockets, while being extremely sensitive and easy to modulate on greasy roads. With a fully adjustable lever up at the bars, the system is a class act.

The Tuono Factory is no touring bike, and at speeds over 75mph on the main highways it gets mighty breezy. The seating position is reasonably comfortable though, as the plank-like seat is broad enough not to bother the tender Bayly behind. I am sure the super compliant Ohlins’—inspired ride helped out, but it really was a lot better than I initially expected. With our film crew in tow, I didn’t have to carry any luggage due to our support vehicle, and this was a good thing. With no bungee points or under seat storage, you are going to need a backpack or soft luggage, if you want to travel unsupported.

But this is not what the Tuono 1000 R Factory is all about. Outrageously styled, with its track-inspired color scheme, it is all about getting from A to B as quickly and smoothly as possible. Totally able to hang at your local track day, and make a mockery of most sport bikes in the twisties, it is still going to draw a crowd at your local bike night with its Italian flair. At close to seventeen grand there won’t be a lot of them coming to America, but for the lucky few who exchange their spending coupons for this outrageous machine, it will be the start of a beautiful and exciting relationship.

 

“Still based on the popular Mille sport bike line, the newest Tuono is the most sophisticated and most powerful version of the naked standard yet. Producing a whopping 139 horsepower at 9,500 rpm,”