APRILIA TUONO 125 (2003 - 2005) Review

Simply put the Aprilia Tuono 125 is an Aprilia RS125 with nose fairing and flat bars. Which is why it’ll suit taller 17-year-olds much better than its racier sibling. It loses nothing in handling terms, with excellent brakes and packs stunning looks into what’s already a very tempting package. And once de-restricted it’s a flyer.

Aprilia’s chassis wizards have waved their wands over the tiny Tuono 125, but instead of pulling a rabbit from their hats they’ve produced a greased weasel that stops, goes and turns like a greased weasel. Thanks to the wide bars you can really chuck it about and with the big bike rims sticky tyres are easy to come by.

As stock the Aprilia Tuono 125 is perfectly acceptable; the 14bhp, two-stroke, reed-valve motor pulls along with reasonable torque until you hit 7500rpm where the restrictor emasculates what’s left of the go. Once de-restricted (it involves cutting into the CDI box and it’s illegal on the road if you don’t have the right licence) power doubles to 28bhp, torque jumps to 17ft lb and top speed nudges the ton. 

You’ll get the best from the Aprilia Tuono 125's engine if you use high quality fully-synthetic two-stroke oil, which can be expensive. This added running cost often means owners don’t bother and stick in any old rubbish, which may also point to other cut corners like missed service and piston schedules. Reliability is generally good, especially on unrestricted bikes.

Prices for the Aprilia Tuono 125 are a little lower than for comparable RS125s – around £100 lower bought through a dealer. However, it’s a lot of cash to drop on a motorcycle that, likely as not, you’ll only have for a year or two before getting something bigger. Find an Aprilia Tuono 125 for sale.

Spares are a perennial problem with Aprilias. Things like brake levers can take weeks to arrive, which is a pain. The Aprilia Tuono 125 is well-specced as stock, though, with comprehensive clocks, Brembo brakes and nylon crash bungs. Compare and buy parts for the Aprilia Tuono 125 in the MCN Shop.