Roadster – Tuono V4 1100 RR test: Apocalypse (tuo) now! – In dynamics: place, the Tuono V4 1100 is coming!

Posted on by admin

Tuono V4 1100 RR test: Apocalypse (tuo) now !

Roadster - Tuono V4 1100 RR test: Apocalypse (tuo) now! - In dynamics: place, the Tuono V4 1100 is coming!

To boost the career of its Tuono V4, Aprilia improves its appearance, its comfort and increases its displacement to boost its mid-range. MNC briefly tested it on bumpy roads where this explosive roadster found itself well cramped…

In dynamics: instead, the Tuono V4 1100 arrives !

Firm clutch, rough selection, high saddle (825 mm or 10 less than in 2014), titanic turning radius, noisy V4 which generously heats the thighs: the first few meters on the Tuono V4 1100 RR do not particularly put forward the progress announced in terms of user-friendliness !

The route laid out by Aprilia for this too short contact (60 km!) Does not make it any easier either: the roads taken near the Misano circuit (Italy) are narrow, bumpy and very slippery … ” open the throttle to more than half without triggering the traction control, when it is not the anti-wheeling that panics on the asphalt bleeds! The first turns are taken with "4 ° angle"…

To make matters worse, the municipal police stopped our procession halfway through and examined with a severe eye driver’s license and motorcycle papers … After 45 minutes of palaver, everyone is asked to set off again at a moderate pace and in respecting safety distances … Not very welcoming the Polizia in the lands of Valentino Rossi: Tavullia, the village where the famous n ° 46 born nearby, in Urbino, grew up, is less than a kilometer away !

A few curves swallowed with a little less restraint allow you to learn more about the Tuono V4 1100 RR: light (184 kg dry advertised) and well balanced, the Aprilia is easily handled, even if the restraint exerted by its steering damper is felt at very low speed.

As on the previous model, the rigidity of the chassis gives it a sharp behavior, in one block, which in return requires precise movements. Under this condition, its stability – however damaged by the state of the road – is quite simply exceptional. !

The liveliness is not to be outdone: a simple support on the footrest is enough to make it dive. The changes made to its frame – extended swingarm and closed front axle – appear impeccably measured (full details on page 3).

On this extremely bumpy course, the announced progress therefore seems to be confirmed: comfort is up sharply, in large part thanks to the cohesion and progressiveness of the damping. Thanks to the deflection created by its small gust of wind, the air pressure on the chest is also less important than on most motorcycles in this category, often strictly naked (naked).

Much more flexible than in the past, the suspension compromise attracts only praise, in any case at a walking pace … Because the very rare times when MNC has managed to accelerate the pace, the fork did not appear to be braked enough in limit switch, causing a sensitive locking of the steering when entering curves on the brakes…

Regarding the brakes, precisely, the rear is convincing – just like the ABS, responsive and transparent. At the front, the results are slightly less flattering: the enormous power summoned by the Brembo calipers is very much sufficient, but the touch on the right lever leaves something to be desired, especially on the first third of the race. Sure that a radial – and not axial – master cylinder would eradicate this problem.

A phew engine !

In previous vintages, the centerpiece of the Tuono V4, its main asset, was undoubtedly its engine. In 2015, Aprilia engine manufacturers managed to improve it, making the V-4 open at 65 ° even more sensational than it already was. !

Taken over from the RSV4, the Italian block logically benefits from certain modifications made to the Superbike engine in 2015 and, in the process, offers itself a solid bodybuilding cure thanks to an increase in its displacement of 77.4 cc (read our Point technical page 3) !

According to the engine manufacturers of Noale, the objective is to improve its approval and its mid-speeds, and to make it more easily exploitable. The torque thus goes from 113 to 121 Nm, which actually goes in this direction. On the other hand, the increase in power from 170 to 175 hp and the shortening of the final transmission (15×42 against 16×42) are absolutely not part of this "softening" trend….

Hunt the natural, it comes back to (triple) gallop, especially with a manufacturer as focused on competition and performance as Aprilia! Moreover, from the start, the V4 growls and vituperates, while its low growl clearly announces the trend: it will be sporty !

The perfectly adjusted injection makes it possible to resonate all the tones of its melody by varying the opening of its gas butterflies to the nearest degree. Too bad that a sudden transmission on the net spoils this excellent connection with the rear wheel … As in 2014, the V4 resumes from 2000 revs on the first reports, or even a bit less by showing flexibility on the gas.

More at ease from 2500/3000 rpm, the engine then starts again with an unusual force from 4500 to 8000 rpm. Undoubtedly, the mid-revs have gained punch: whatever the gear, the Tuono comes out of the curves like a cannonball! And rather of the balèze type, the cannon !

Then it’s "the apocalypse" up to 12,000 rpm of the breaker! The V4 howls, the asphalt crumbles under the enormous traction of the 190 mm tire, the sleeves of the jacket are rolled up: the length, the character and the power of this engine are incredible! Calm the Tuono V4? My eye, yes !

Thanks to the shifter installed as standard – which is far from usual in the category – this thrilling ride starts again with a simple kick of the boot, without disengaging or cutting the gas. The explosion produced by the micro ignition switch mingles with the hoarse sound of this slapping mill, projecting the pilot into a sensory environment apart, truly unique…

Verdict: hardly less radical and still so exciting !

Despite our reservations linked to the road environment which is perfectly unsuitable for such a motorcycle, the Tuono V4 1100 RR seems to have indeed made progress in many areas, including that of comfort..

However, the Lion of Noale has clearly not turned into a lamb: the previous version was already not stingy in mechanical sensations … but the Tuono V4 1100 is even more so! Fortunately, its hyper-thin and very well-calibrated electronics provide valuable assistance: on the circuit, 175 hp is already not easy to manage, so imagine on the road !

The enthusiast of motorcycles will be enchanted by its luxurious peripherals, its finally harmonious lines and its chassis worthy of a racing motorcycle. In use, however, it will have to deal with spartan comfort (the saddle remains perfectible), neglected practical aspects and a fabulously engine … pushes to crime !

More prosaically, the increase of 651 euros in 2015 (14 650 € for the RR version and 16 949 € for the Factory equipped with Ohlins and Pirelli Diablo Super Corsa SP) will probably not help the Piaggio group to achieve its objectives of reconquest (read our) …

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *