Aprilia have updated the front end with lighter 43mm Ohlins forks, bigger 330mm discs and a Brembo radial master cylinder, while the rear shock has received tweaks. The new front end and chassis are class leading. The suspension doesn’t rattle your teeth out over bumpy B roads nor does it sit like a well-trained dog when you dial in the immense torque. It’s hugely impressive, I constantly asked questions of the chassis and it always came back with the perfect answer.
The V4, 1077cc is now Euro4 compliant and Aprilia haven’t sacrificed any power or torque. However, Aprilia have been forced to bolt on a bigger exhaust with a larger catalytical converter, which has added an extra 2.5kg. Don’t worry, it still sounds intoxicating and still produces 175bhp, while the redline has crept 500rpm higher.
The quality of the components used are high, Aprilia have added a new full colour TFT dash with Bluetooth connectivity, plus new switchgear – there is an exclusive feel to the Tuono.
At just over £15,999 the Tuono is the most expensive bike in the super naked segment, even more than Ducati’s Monster R and KTM’s Super Duke R.
The electronics package now incorporates a pitch sensor (lean and yaw previously). A new autoblipper/quickshifter takes care of shifting, while a pit lane limiter (first gear only) and cruise control have been added as standard. As before, it has eight stage traction control, which can be changed on the move and the same three rider modes (Sport , Track and Race), wheelie control and lauch control and three levels of ABS intervention, including one that switches off the cornering ABS at the front and all ABS at the rear.