APRILIA TUONO V4 1100 FACTORY (2017 - 2019) Review

Original brake pads were recalled, Aprilia sent a letter saying that if the pads delaminated it would be "inconvenient". Brakes are a brick wall but bite too hard on initial application and a bit lacking in feel compared to 2009 R1. First bike I owned with Brembos and not a fan. Ride quality and control is sublime if ridden fast and still very good if pottering about, seat is also well padded and I get off the bike after a two hour ride feeling fine.

That sound!! It's like an angry psycho ripping big sheets of paper. So far reliable and has enough power but more would be better always ;-) Compared to Streetfighter V4 the power is smoother and more reliable making it easier to ride fast.

Only done 3000 miles so reliability is unknown. Switchgear is rubbish and doesn't feel like it will last Mattel would have rejected it.

Very cheap for what you get if you buy last years model at discounted price. As much equipment as R1M or Panigale V4 but £7k cheaper than R1M and £11k less than Panigale Just a little less power and more comfortable. Completely mileage & use dependant. I fill to the brim at the same time as my brother on his Panigale V4S and next fill up I always take 2 litres more than him but fuel lights come on at the same time. First set of tires gone in 2500 miles and £210 to replace with SC 200/60 which improve handling and grip as though this bike was designed for them.

Lots of stuff you can adjust that you only need to adjust once for the road and once for the track. Get the optional cheap MM kit (standard on RSV4 go figure) which is easy to fit and you can have your phone adjust the suspension and anti wheelie automatically on track on a per corner basis like Yams R1M. Also works your phone etc, not sure why Piaggio think this should be an option on road focused Tuono and essential on the track focused RSV4. Down side is that every time you touch the switchgear you are reminded that this is no premium motorcycle, no feel for the center of the switches and the tiny joystick isn't going to last long using it with gloves, every other manufacturer does this better. Lights are rubbish, 55w halogen bulbs in 2020!! High beam only one center lamp and low beam two outer makes no sense and none of the lights give confidence in the dark.

The electronic Öhlins are simply stunning, the bike falls into corners so well and you can adjust things like acceleration support so the bike doesn’t dip so much at the rear under hard acceleration or is firmer at the front when hard on the brakes only. I also race a little 140cc supermoto which you can literally throw around and my friends always joke about me getting on the bigger bike after and it feeling heavy. However the Aprilia handles so well that the transition is not huge at all and I’m always left impressed. The braking power is also jaw dropping and far better than any bike I’ve ever ridden including my old race bike - a ‘15 R1 with the ABS removed and braided lines, sintered pads etc. These brakes are waaayyyy more powerful. I’m pretty sure if I snatched at them in an emergency I’d get launched to the moon over the front of the bike.

Perfection. No other engine comes close and I’ve tried them all. The sheer torque and acceleration is astounding and I get stiff hip flexors just trying to grip the tank with my legs when pinning it. And it’s throughout the Rev range too, the bike just keeps pulling like a bullet train until you run out of road or (usually first) balls. The torque is ferocious in every gear, even when pinning it in 6th at 130 mph (on track of course) you still get little front wheel wobbles as it rises and goes light under the brutal acceleration. And of course who can forget that amazing V4 engine noise. It is simply addictive and above 5k rpm when the exhaust valves open the roar is heaven. Makes you wind the power on all the time just to hear it. Mine came free with the Akrapovic end can and it sounds awesome. To put this bike into context I rode to a BMW dealership on it to test ride the new ‘19 S1000RR to see what the fuss was all about and I was so disappointed and underwhelmed by the BMW - so much lacking in torque, ferocious acceleration and handling compared to my Tuono. I was so glad to be back on my Aprilia and rode home with a massive smile on my face.

No issues with the bike whatsoever, quality of components is top notch.

In line with most other manufacturer and dealer service prices really.

The cruise control is great, the wheelie and traction control on the handle bars a god send especially when you come across soiled country lanes or wet roads and you just whack up the traction a few notches with your thumb on the move. One of the best things about the bike is the quick shifter / blipper. It is flawless under hard acceleration and braking and sounds amazing as it matches / blips the revs on the downshifts and sounds straight from MotoGP. It’s better than the system I had on my race R1 and also my speed triple which was in itself a very good system. I still use my clutch on first to second or when doing slow acceleration and lazy gear changes as the system is not really designed for that and can miss upshifts at low rpm, however it is faultless at doing its job under hard acceleration and is like a hot knife through butter.

I've never seen the point to electronic controls, and previous bikes have always left me to judge how to ride it, how much power you can get to the tyre, and so I never (until now) bothers chasing control electronics. But you read the reviews of this and other bikes, and I figured, if I was going to get some electronics I might as well have everything, so the full-fat Factory it was. Brakes are very effective, although on mine the lever felt a little too soft- still capable of locking the front at any speed, if the ABS would allow it, but I'm able to pull the lever back to the bar when stationary, with a hefty squeeze. I expect it just needs a bleed and new fluid, which I'll get sorted. On my previous bike I fitted a Brembo 18/20 adjustable master cylinder, I could have swapped it over the Tuono but there seems no point- it already has a very well-matched Brembo MC, so I'll leave that on the previous bike for the new owner who I sell it.

So far so good, but small annoying details let it down a little- for instance, the washers under the heads of the front mudguard mounting screws are not stainless and have rusted. Easy to change, but equally easy to have got right in the first place. (Honda wouldn't mess up the tiny details like this). The screws are fine, the mudguard is plastic (Carbon on the 2020, I think) but why use cheap washers?

I haven't had any services done as I am competent to do all of the work myself. But the quote I had ( East Grinstead) was higher than I thought it needed. But I'm not knocking the workshop, you pay for expertise and special tools, etc; everyone has to earn living- and maybe, when I get round to servicing my own bike, I'll find out why that price attached- it might be more fiddly than it looks.

It's got more than I need, at the moment. I love that "new bike" feeling, when at first it's ever so slightly scary, stuff happens faster than you're used to, and you have to concentrate. Then, after a few months, you're back to noticing the wait, while waiting for revs to pick up in each gear, with nothing to do except hang on. It's at that point I usually start tuning and making it lighter, but I'm not sure that I'll get to than point with the Tuono- we'll see. I've added a few parts- see below. The aero wings on the tail look good, but make it a pain to fit luggage. I don't want to damage the paint, so I'm looking at the Hepco and Becker luggage rack, which will make fitting a tailback easy. You can also get pannier fitting kits, but I think I'll get enough into a tailback and rucksack for weekends away. If I needed to put a tent on the back as well it looks trickier.

Top suspension and brakes not as wooden as many Japanese ABS systems feel

Full of character and low and mid range stomp and then still pulls on strong right to limit ! Wind blast only thing that holds it back at the very top end

So far so reliable no hiccups and servicing an absolute doddle rear wheel removal etc easier than most jap bikes I’ve owned

That is using fully synthetic oil genuine oil filter and air filter

As all the bells and whistles needed and most can be altered on the fly and doesn’t reset back to default when stopped and restarting the ride like some euro and Japanese’s bikes do

Longest trip 200 miles no problems, seat comfy, excellent all round bike, but best when opened up. It loves cornering, the faster, the better.

The engine was the main reason for purchasing the bike. The V4 is superb.

Owned for 3 months now, no problems excellent build quality.

Love the quick shifter as it's so smooth. Pirelli super corsa’s a great tyre for cornering.

The 17 spec is just sublime super comfy seat and nice upright position 600 miles a day with no problems yo cant go much over a 100 miles without having to stop for fuel so you never get numb bum. Latest Ohlins soak up our kak potholes and lumpy roads without much fuss always feeling composed and settled, as flickable as a 90`s 400 and the Brembos are astounding. I`ve had a couple of real emergency stop situations and pulled up way before my expected destination.

V4 Oomph! Another great feature the new Euro 4 V4 engine still punting out 175 ponies with an exhaust as big as your average suitcase add an Akra, race map high flow air and watch the dyno record 167 @ the wheel est 190 @ the crank. Just pulls and pulls will beat almost anything from the line and with the QS and the blipper its a race bike for the road, best to get her on track though as nailing it past 3rd gear will quickly see you lose your license !

3 bikes in 3 years over 20,000 miles without any issues

Servicing and Tyres (200 rear not 190 as stated ) are expensive expect about £600 every 6 months of riding (around 6k miles) You wouldn`t complain about the cost of servicing a Ferrari and this thing will destroy most of them off the line!

Got all the gadgets TFT screen cornering ABS etc etc but still no fuel gauge c`mon Aprilia.