Aprilia Tuono V4 APRC - The Emperors New Clothes

Aprilia have come a long way in a few years. The 2012 line-up is pretty mouth-watering but the Tuono V4 was one of those bikes that, when I first saw it, made me stop and stare gormlessly, as it looked, especially in matt black, almost perfect. I wanted to do nothing but to get on it and ride.
 
There is always a danger with love at first sight; things can go from good to bad with the turn of a wheel. But, to be fair, in this day and age there is no such thing as a bad bike; merely one that you just don’t get along with.

From start-up, you just know this is going to be a bit of an adventure. There is something about the rumble of a V4 and the Aprilia engineers have given the Tuono a standard exhaust that allows that rumble to escape, without being too noisy. No doubt most owners would go for an aftermarket system but the standard one is fine and, for once, not too hideously ugly.

On the move the rumble gives way to a rising banshee bellow of a note that must sound awesome as the bike passes you, but on the bike it is somewhat drowned by the rush of air. This is a naked bike after all.
Performance. Yep! Plenty of that. In fact, bloody loads of it. Far more than any rider could make use of on the open road, but then, isn’t that the case for nearly every bike of any substance these days? But, flipping ‘eck, this thing flies. I think I only ever saw seven- or eight-thousand on the rev counter (out of a possible million or so) but by then my arms were being ripped out of their sockets and I used what little movement I had left to close the throttle.

There’s good reason for this; this is the most powerful naked bike ever, apparently. It churns out 162bhp (120Kw) which is 5Kw more than the Ducati Streetfighter. The Aprilia shares its frame with the RSV4 superbike and receives a de-tuned motor from the same bike. Braking power comes from radial Brembo monobloc calipers mated to 320 mm discs up front. Suspension is done by Sachs, with 43 mm titanium nitride (TiN) forks and a four-way adjustable (compression, rebound, pre-load, and ride height) rear shock with piggyback reservoir.

Blah, blah, blah. Who really cares? Any naked bike these days is derived from a faired superbike so of course it’s going to stop on a sixpence, go like stink and corner as if on rails. But it’s the emotion that a bike evokes and somehow a naked bike looks a bit rougher than its fared brother; like it will kick your head in rather than buy you a cocktail.

Almost as if Aprilia recognise this nature, they have stuffed the bike full of electronic trickery. One special feature of the new Tuono is the APRC (Aprilia Performance Ride Control) joystick, the second generation electronic dynamics control package developed by Aprilia to get as close as possible to the physical limits of riding. APRC is based on an automotive inertia sensor platform, with two gyrometers and two accelerometers allowing the ECU to determine the dynamic state of the motorcycle and control engine torque accordingly to help the rider exploit the full performance potential of the bike in all conditions. Sorry, what was that?
The APRC package includes ATC traction control (Aprilia Traction Control), with eight selectable levels, which controls sliding when accelerating out of a curve in relation to bank angle and throttle aperture and AWC (Aprilia Wheelie Control), which helps the rider control extreme wheelies by gradually bringing the front wheel back to the ground. Absolutely essential for every day riding!

But there’s more. AQS (Aprilia Quick Shift) allows instantaneous upshifts without closing the throttle or using the clutch; it’s a quick shifter!  Completing the suite of four functions is the most exhilarating of all: ALC (Aprilia Launch Control) which links you to NASA for moon shots.

OK, so I’m getting flippant, but does a bike really need all this technology? It may have been developed through racing, but is it necessary on a road bike? Isn’t racing becoming diluted because of electronic rider aids? If bikes are becoming so fast that they need all this electronic control then isn’t it time we looked at how much power a bike produces if the average owner is going to need help controlling it? And, let’s face it, unless you happen to be a Rossi or C. Pienaar you are average.

But, at the end of the day, it’s up to the rider how much of the available power he uses and, if it was me, I’d just regulate my right hand for the sake of being able to stop at the end of the journey, get off and walk a few paces, then turn and look back at one of the best looking naked bikes around.

There are a few details that niggle. The tank badge is a real afterthought – just a sticker with a coat of clear over it and the gearbox is pretty rough and noisy (at least on the test bike) but really, given the positives of the bike – looks, noise, performance – it’s not too much to ask the prospective owner to overlook these.





When all is said and done, the Aprilia V4 APRC ticks all the right boxes and, what is more, gives you what every good bike gives you; something more than just a means of transport; more than just getting from A to B; it’s an experience each time you swing your leg over the seat. And that’s just as it should be.