With a claimed 167bhp it’s the most powerful Super Naked in its class. The Tuono is one of the best handliAs the founding member and unofficial leader of motorcycling’s “super-naked” class, Aprilia’s Tuono is the bike that several of this year’s most exciting new models have been created to topple. The bad news for challengers including BMW’s S1000R, KTM’s 1290 Super Duke R and Ducati’s Monster 1200 is that Aprilia’s unfaired V4 has just raised the bar.
The Italian firm invented the class in 2002 when it created the original Tuono by swapping its RSV Mille sports bike’s low handlebars for a raised, one-piece bar and leaving its V-twin engine’s thunderous 130bhp output untouched. Three years ago a similarly uncompromising approach resulted in the Tuono V4R, which was based on the super-sports RSV4 and powered by a 999cc V4 engine that produced 167bhp.ng bikes on road or track with high bars to help muscle it around.
The Tuono uses the same compact 65° V4 engine as the RSV4 superbike, but tweaked slightly to make it friendlier for road riding. Claimed power is 167bhp@11, 500rpm and there’s 82ftlb of torque at 9500rpm. The rev limit is set at 12, 300rpm.