Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC 2011 — Specifications

Imagine that you are entrusted with a World Superbike champion RSV4, that you are asked to make it a roadster usable on a daily basis, and that you are formally forbidden from touching the chassis. This is roughly the brief that Aprilia gave its Noale engineers to birth this Tuono V4 R APRC. The result is 179 kilograms of Italian fury displayed at €14,999, a motorcycle that looks like nothing else on the market and fully embraces its nature as a barely domesticated competition beast.

Beneath the skin, the 65-degree V4 of 999.6 cc turns at a compression ratio of 13:1 and develops 167 horsepower at 11,500 rpm. The engineers have wisely detuned it compared to the racing RSV4, but "wisely" is a relative term. The torque of 109.8 Nm arrives at 9,500 rpm, and thanks to a more inert crankshaft, longer intake ducts, and a revised gearbox with the three lowest gears closer together, mid-range availability is frankly astounding. Opening the throttle from an intermediate gear produces acceleration that slams you into the seat with a brutality that is hardly compatible with politeness. The announced top speed of 260 km/h is nothing like an empty promise. This engine is simply terrifying in its sincerity.

What distinguishes the APRC version from the standard V4 R is an electronic block that incorporates four systems directly from the RSV4 Factory SE. The ATC traction control can be adjusted in eight positions and can even adapt to the profile of the tire; it’s WorldSBK-level technology made available on a production motorcycle. The AWC anti-wheelie limits front wheel lifts without killing the dynamics. The ALC launch control manages the engine speed increase from a standstill, in three levels of progressiveness. The AQS quickshifter allows gear changes without touching the clutch or cutting the throttle. Three injection maps complete the picture: Road for stress-free riding, Sport for enthusiastic days, and Track for those who have signed a liability waiver with themselves. Faced with a Kawasaki Z1000 or a BMW S 1000 R of the time, the Tuono’s electronic arsenal is in a completely different category.

The chassis retains the double perimeter aluminum frame of the RSV4 with two discreet but calculated adjustments: the 0.5-degree opening of the rake to 25 degrees and the 10 mm advancement of the wheel axis lengthen the wheelbase by 20 mm. The motorcycle gains stability at high speed without losing its agility. The engine, lowered by 5 mm in the cradle, contributes to a lower center of gravity. The 43 mm inverted fork, the single shock absorber with 130 mm of travel, the double 320 mm Brembo discs with radial four-piston calipers: it’s equipment that requires no comment, other than that it is up to the power it has to manage. The 835 mm seat height is not for everyone, but the rider who gets on it without solid experience on powerful machines makes a serious misjudgment.

The Tuono V4 R APRC is unambiguously aimed at experienced riders, those who have already dealt with liter-class sportbikes and who know exactly why they want a naked rather than a dressed sportbike. The high handlebar position offers relative comfort compared to the RSV4, but no one buys this motorcycle to go racing. It is a tool for pure sensations, documented by competition-grade electronics that reassure without infantilizing. At almost €15,000 in 2011, it doesn’t cut any corners on price either. But for 167 horsepower from a world Superbike in a reference chassis, with an electronic package that its direct competitors will not offer for several years, the performance-price ratio holds up. Remain lucid about your abilities and it will reward you.