Aprilia RS 660 makes global debut in California

Two years after showcasing the concept bike at EICMA 2018 and then in production-spec at EICMA 2019, Italian motorcycle manufacturer Aprilia has today rolled out one of the most awaited motorcycles of this year – the Aprilia RS 660. The hot-and-happening machine debuted at one of the most iconic ribbons of asphalt and tracks in the world – the Big Sur coastline in California.

The Aprilia RS 660 features a 660cc, parallel-twin engine derived from the V4 engine in the Aprilia RSV4. The snazzy looking  motorcycle develops 100hp, which makes it a little more powerful than the Honda CBR650R, but slightly lower than naked bikes like the BMW F900R and the KTM 790 Duke which are also powered by parallel-twin engines, albeit, much larger ones.

The Aprilia RS 660, which weighs 183kg, promises the highest levels of kit in the segment, with a 6-axis IMU, five riding modes, cornering ABS, traction control, wheelie control, a bi-directional quick-shifter and cruise control. The latest Aprilia is clad is a brand new colour scheme – Acid Gold livery.

According to Aprilia, the RS 660 comes with “highly technological content, even superior to the bikes in higher categories. It is a fun and enjoyable bike, capable of providing just as many thrills on the road as on the occasional track outing. The Aprilia RS 660 brings back the everyday pleasure and fun of a full-fairing sport bike with semi-handlebar that exploits the dynamic qualities of perfect chassis architecture, combined with the exuberant performance of an entirely new parallel twin-cylinder and the Aprilia active electronic controls package which sets the bar on a global level.”

Putting the RS 660 through its paces
The RS 660 got the road test treatment at the hands of an ace on two wheels. Astride the RS 660 was Rennie Scaysbrook, the rider of Australian origins who, astride the Aprilia Tuono V4, won at Pikes Peak, the most famous and prestigious hill climb race in the world, where he also holds the record.

Aprilia says, the bike’s dynamic features, the tight frame and the exciting performance of the new 100 HP twin-cylinder thrilled Rennie who couldn’t resist the temptation to test the RS 660 at Laguna Seca too, on the most famous track in California. And so, the Corkscrew – the fast double turn on a hair-raising downhill that characterises Laguna Seca – put the new Aprilia through its paces, a bike which, designed for everyday fun on the road and for weekend sport and leisure riding, is providing unexpected thrills at every track test, thanks to its qualities of light weight and agility.

Aprilia is to open online pre-booking s for Europe  from Monday 12 October, the Aprilia RS 660 can be ordered from the Aprilia website (aprilia.com and rs660.aprilia.com) for all European markets.

Aprilia RS 660 has been one of the most anxiously awaited motorcycles since its first appearance, as a concept, in November 2018, when it revealed a brand new idea of sportiness, no longer bound strictly to the power specs, but defined by the ratio between exuberant and easy-to-manage engine performance, a chassis architecture par excellence and the light weight of the vehicle.

RS 660 won’t be coming to India any time soon. . .
Piaggio recently confirmed that it did have plans to set up a CKD operation in India, but those plans have been put on the backburner due to the current situation. If Piaggio is serious about bringing the Aprilia RS 660 and its upcoming naked sibling the Tuono 660 to India, local assembly will be the logical approach to achieve a reasonable price tag. But that’s also the reason we don’t think the new Aprilia 660 twins will be coming to India any time soon.