UPDATE: Here’s my review!
I’m sure you’ve heard about the RS660 by now, but I’ve just been made aware of two things that make it more interesting to me:
1.) Aprilia’s finally announced the starting price: $11,299
2.) Aprilia’s inviting me to the US launch next week.
You know the drill by now – is there anything you want to know about Aprilia’s first all-new model in years? Let me know and I’ll do my best to get the answer for you.
If you already know this is what you want and you absolutely cannot wait any longer, head on over to Aprilia’s pre-booking site. You’ll find some interesting things in the accessories (I’m stoked on the luggage options: tank bag, tail bag, and side bags).
The tank bag stores 8-12 liters, the rear bag stores 30. The former is water “resistant”, the latter is water “repellent”. Semi rigid panniers add 36 liters as well.
I’ll spare you most of the details now so I can throw them at you as part of my First Ride review next week, but I have to admit that I’m very excited to try this bike because it comes close to a lot of the boxes in my made-up list of what makes my ideal-yet-financially-feasible streetbike:
Engine Layout: Twin cylinder (V-Twin preferred)
Horsepower: More than 100
Weight: Less than 400 pounds
Price: Less than $12,000
Safety: ABS and traction control
Reliable: Yes.
Bonus: A dash of style/uniqueness
Parallel Twin
100 hp at crank
403 pounds with all fluids and full tank
$11,299 plus $600 freight
Cornering ABS, traction control, wheelie control, IMU
Here’s hoping!
I think so, but you tell me…
Kawasaki Ninja 650: $8,199
Honda CBR650R: $9,699
Kawasaki ZX-6R: $10,199
Yamaha R6: $12,199
MSRP of the RS660 is $11,299 ($13,499 CAD) – don’t forget the $600 freight charge. That price applies to the Lava Red and Apex Black colorways, though you’ll have to spend another $200 to get the Acid Gold.
Is this worth $200 to you? Note that Acid Gold gets two red wheels, the other colorways get one red/one black.
There’s also a slight difference in availability: The Lava Red and Apex Black bikes should be in your local US dealer in December (add a month for Canada), while the Acid Gold bikes will arrive in January. Don’t be surprised if all those dates get pushed another month due to COVID-19, though.
There are three color options – Apex Black, Acid Gold, and my favorite, Lava Red. The purple and red of the last option hopefully makes you think of the RS250 Loris Reggiani Replica.
I was very curious to see how Aprilia was going to position this bike in terms of street versus track, and they’re clearly shooting for a balance (even admitting at one point that they got a Yamaha R6 and a Kawasaki Ninja 650 and decided that the RS660’s ergonomics should split the difference). So it’s going to be a sporty street bike that you could commute on during the week and then take to the track on the weekend. Sounds good to me!
If you want to see all the photos you can get your hands on, check out this album of photos Aprilia provided.
Are sportbikes not your thing? Well, your patience will be rewarded with Tuono 660 (naked) and Tuareg 660 (ADV) variants in the hopefully short-term future! We’ll see how I feel after a few miles with this platform, but a mid-sized Tuono with luggage would probably be enough for me to get over my aversion to depreciation and buy my first ever new motorcycle.
Check out what Aprilia has to say about the RS660 here, and then hit me with your questions in the comments below!