Will Aprilia RS 660 suit learners?

Aprilia plan to introduce a lower-powered version of its upcoming RS 660 lightweight sports bike so it can be ridden by learners and novices under the European A2 motorcycle licence.

The announcement came in a quirky Instagram post that says “A2 driving license? Aprilia RS 660 95hp version confirmed! Keep updated!”

The A2 licence is a similar system to the Australian and New Zealand Learner Approved Motorcycle System, so there could be scope to also make a LAMS version alongside the fuel-powered version.

This has been done with several other bikes on the market, notably the Yamaha MT-07LA which has reduced capacity (from 689cc to 655cc) and restricted power (from 55kW to 38kW) via 25% throttler restriction, different cams and pistons.

The lithe Aprilia RS 660 weighs in at 169kg dry and fits in the 660cc or below capacity limits of LAMS.

However, they would have to do a fair bit more power restriction on the 95hp (70kW) bike to fit the scheme which also has a power-to-weight formula of 150 kilowatts per tonne or less.

Aprilia RS 660

The Aprilia RS 660 was unveiled at the EICMA show in November 2019.

Aprilia sees the bike as having wide appeal, even 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.

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

The bike is expected to arrive in the latter half of the year with prices and full tech specs announced closer to that time.

It will be followed in 2021 by a Tuono naked version like the concept presented at EICMA which is slightly downtuned at 96hp (71kW).

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