Aprilia Tuono V4 1100RR review, test ride

Riding bikes is always a pleasant experience in Europe’s cool weather. Once you’ve adjusted to fast-paced traffic shooting at you from the ‘wrong side’ of bends, there’s no looking back, as you experience runway smooth roads that are scenic, with disciplined traffic. Add to all that, riding on the same streets bike racing god Valentino Rossi grew up on, around his home town of Tavullia and you’re now even closer to biking nirvana. Tavullia’s a typically Italian, pretty and laid back small town, with surprisingly narrow, slightly bumpy and hilly streets, no shortage of bends, forever changing elevation and even the occasional view overlooking Valentino’s personal race-track; Rossi’s Ranch.

 

Put simply, Aprilia picked a really impressive setting to let us loose on its quick, purposeful-looking naked bike, the updated Tuono V4 1100RR, also available in top-end ‘Factory’ trim. Aggressive and Italian, the 2015 Tuono comes with a new front fairing, is 1.5kg lighter, still distinctly Tuono with twin headlights on both sides of an LED-fired pilot lamp. It’s hard to spot Italian bikes that aren’t seductive and the Tuono V4 1100RR isn’t an exception.

 

The 2015 Tuono RR is smart in deep sea blue paint, with black wheels, a sporty carbonfibre fender and angular, flowing lines. Gold-tone upside down front suspension and an alloy frame contrast with the rest of the Tuono, while a sleek belly fairing leads up into the bike’s big radiator. The V4 1100RR’s massive tank offers good thigh grip, ahead of which is a neatly turned out instruments bay. Revving the engine swings a red needle that reads up to 15,000 on a white analogue background, supported by an LCD box with speedometer, odometer, clock, gear indicator and all the Aprilia’s substantial electronic riding aids, everything in legible format.