Aprilia launches lightweight RS660

Aprilia seems to have faith in the supersport segment with the final unveiling of its lightweight RS660 to be followed by a naked Tuono version next year.

Ever since the RS660 concept hit the EICMA stage in Milan a year ago, there has been a lot of interest in this bike in a segment that is diminishing.

Lightweight fun

To many, supersport means lightweight and a good power-to-weight ratio.

The Aprilia RS660 won’t disappoint.

It is powered by two cylinders from a Tuono/RSV4 1100 engine as a 660c parallel twin.

 Weighing in at 169kg with 100hp (75kW) of power, that’s a formula for fun!

But Aprilia doesn’t just see it as a track weapon, but also as an everyday commuter.

In fact, its five riding modes spell it out: Commute, Dynamic, Individual (we imagine that’s a customisable mode), Challenge and Time Attack.

There is not a lot of information available yet, so we can only speculate on what all that means.

It has adjustable Kayaba suspension, a double aero fairing and smartphone connectivity with navigation display on the instruments.

Lightweight twins

It will be the first of a new platform of lightweight 660 twins.

The first will be a Tuono naked version like the concept presented at EICMA. It is slightly downtuned at 96hp (71kW).

There will also be a restricted version that may come in under Australia’s LAMS rules for novice riders.

And, who knows, maybe it will be followed by an adventure, cafe racer or scrambler version.