Objectively reviewing my own 2021 Aprilia Tuono V4 is one of the harder things I’ve been tasked with, considering it’s my most prized possession. But that’s what I’m going to attempt here. Owning this bike isn’t quite the electronic issue-riddled rollercoaster some might wrongly assume it to be. It has proven itself to be largely reliable and fairly forgiving. (Even when I’ve put it in situations it’s got no business being in).
Unequivocally, the highlight of this magnificent machine is its full-throated symphony of an exhaust note. Quite frankly, this was one of the biggest reasons I went for the Tuono V4 over all other candidates when making the purchase. Whether it bursts into life with a vociferous bark or the 70s muscle car-esque uneven idle, it has given me goosebumps every single time I’ve thumbed the starter.
Helping it sound this good with the stock pipes is the Healtech Servo Eliminator, which rids the bike of the bulky servo motor and keeps the valve in the exhaust open at all times, without any warning lights. This aftermarket part had malfunctioned a couple of months back and sourcing a replacement (under warranty, phew!) had put the bike out of action for a few weeks, due to an error that would put the bike in limp mode.
Let’s make no bones about the mental 175hp on tap here; it is an absurd amount of power to have on a bike that weighs just 209kg. I certainly don’t consider myself the most skilled rider around, but jumping from my 43hp KTM 390 Duke to the 175hp Tuono (and staying alive) has been possible due to the raft of electronics on offer here. With loads of adjustment, you can tailor the electronics to your liking and have the intervention as intrusive or as minimal as possible. Another thing that makes life easy is the cruise control, especially handy when I want to drop my generally brisk pace to a sedate cruising speed on the highways, making the Tuono just purr along.
However, as with all things, there are a few drawbacks. For one, the turning radius is quite large. Taking U-turns in tight spaces still makes me mumble some true-to-fashion Parsi expletives under my breath. Over time, I have managed to work around the situation by planning well ahead, but it still remains a sore point that doesn’t sit well with me. Another challenge that I face, and quite regularly on our atrocious roads, is tackling the mountainous speed breakers with the limited ground clearance on offer. We reached out to Aprilia India and they weren’t able to tell us what the exact figure is, but you can take it from me that it’s quite low. Even after adding a couple of clicks of preload to the rear shock, I still need to exercise extreme caution while tackling road imperfections.
And then there’s the immobiliser wire that inexplicably sheared into two and the bike refused to recognise its own key (but would still start, thankfully). This was fixed at the first comprehensive service in February and hasn’t popped up since. All in all, the bike has been quite reliable and nowhere near the horror stories I was told before buying an Aprilia. And hopefully, it stays that way!
Ved Janve
Soham Thakur
