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Aprilia Tuono 660 Nearing Production

You might remember this beast from EICMA 2019.
Tuono 660 concept 6 photos
Photo: Aprilia
Tuono 660 patentTuono 660 conceptTuono 660 conceptTuono 660 conceptTuono 660 patent
Back in 2018, Aprilia delighted us with the reveal of their RS 660 concept. It was a spectacular mid-sized sport bike powered by a twin-cylinder engine and received a great deal of attention since it’s been introduced to us by its manufacturer.

To top things off, the Italian firm has remained mostly faithful to the initial concept with the production version for the RS 660, which has been revealed a year later. To call it ‘highly anticipated’ would be an understatement, considering the amount of excitement it’s managed to stir!

But Aprilia is just getting started. In 2019, they stunned EICMA with yet another fantastic concept: the glorious Tuono 660.

Tuono 660 concept
Photo: Aprilia
This spectacular baby is intended to be a tuned-down, naked variant of its bigger brother (RS 660). Differences between the two are relatively minor, and the former carries forward many of the great characteristics of the latter, but with a slight power reduction for the engine.

While the company (for some odd reason) insisted that the Tuono 660 is a mere concept, as opposed to a motorcycle they plan on producing in the near future, certain details hinted that this little monster was way more than just a concept.

For example, it was already provided with passenger pegs; something you won’t exactly see on the vast majority of concept bikes. Long story short, it was only one license plate, two mirrors and a few turn signals away from being a fully road-legal motorcycle.

Tuono 660 patent
Photo: European Union Intellectual Property Office
Just to confirm all of our suppositions, patent images have now been leaked, revealing a variety of subtle tweaks on a bike that’s truly shaping up to meet, or even exceed our expectations. The Tuono 660 has remained almost identical to the concept introduced last year’s EICMA. In fact, it takes a bit of an eagle eye to spot any differences at all.

The most considerable tweaks are to be spotted in Tuono 660’s belly area. We would guess that they’re intended to make room for an emissions-legal exhaust, along with its catalytic converter. The belly pan appears to be slightly larger and has been provided with an additional vent, while its sides have been raised to hide the exhaust.

A clue as to the catalytic converter’s presence can be seen in a noticeable bulge that appears where the exhaust header enters the belly pan, a placement which would make perfect sense, as it would allow the engine’s heat to quickly bring it to an operating temperature. This would also begin to explain the need for an extra vent underneath the pan.

Tuono 660 patent
Photo: European Union Intellectual Property Office
Finally, we can see that the front brake master cylinder was modified, but this has little to no impact on the bike’s overall design and can be easily overlooked.

What we do know for sure is that Tuono’s engine is a 94 hp variation of RS 660’s. The latter is expected to hit showrooms later this year, with Tuono 660 following in 2021. That same year, Aprilia also plans on revealing an adventure-type model in the 660 range, by the name of Tuareg.

Oh, the hype...
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About the author: Silvian Secara
Silvian Secara profile photo

A bit of an artist himself, Silvian sees two- and four-wheeled machines as a form of art, especially restomods and custom rides. Oh, and if you come across a cafe racer article on our website, it’s most likely his doing.
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