Middle class motorcycle Aprilia RS 660 in the test: small riot box

The first impression:

The wind tunnels of the cladding are clearly drawn - more than 659 cubic meters could hide underneath, the RS 660 looks great.

Simultaneously

builds the machine very compactly with a narrow waist: Italians can easily tailor elegant motorcycles.

This is what the manufacturer says:

In Italy, small 50s and 125s runabouts from Aprilia are ubiquitous.

But then nothing comes up for a long time.

Only beyond the one-liter limit in the 200 hp plus class does the subsidiary of the Piaggio Group make a name for itself again.

Their cars like the RSV4 1100 Factory are poisonous and exclusive;

so nothing for people with little money and novice drivers.

The new RS 660 is intended to close the gap in the Aprilia model range.

The market is there, says Diego Arioli, Head of Product Marketing, although: "Since 2010, sales of sports motorcycles between 550 and 750 cubic meters on the European market have declined by around 40 percent."

Arioli is convinced that it only takes the right offer to revive this fallow class.

Aprilia relies on a versatile athlete for beginners: the RS 660 with a brand new two-cylinder engine and a maximum of 100 hp should bring Aprilia's RS racing genes with it, convince commuters in city traffic and also be suitable for long distances.

A 95 PS version can temporarily be limited to 48 PS for novice drivers - an affordable mid-range all-rounder in racing gear.

We noticed that

the seat sample on the narrow bench behind the expansive tank and the small digital cockpit fits.

The ergonomics of the RS 660 are somewhere between an extreme athlete and a touring machine.

Even later, on the 220-kilometer circuit in Veneto, riding the mid-range Aprilia is also comfortable for tall drivers thanks to the not too deep clip-ons.

When stationary, the engine is pleasantly sonorous;

the in-line two-cylinder with 270 degree crank pin offset babbles sublime like a V2 engine.

Even between 4,000 and 6,000 tours, the 100 hp that the test machine's engine delivered still kept relatively still.

Here the RS 660 actually comes close to the promise of being an "everyday machine for commuters".

You roll along relaxed.

The six gears are rocked by the shift assistant;

the clutch is only pulled to start and stop.

The vehicle components selected by Aprilia and the high-quality electronics contribute to the zen-like ride: five performance modes (two of which are freely configurable), traction control, wheelie and engine brake control as well as cornering ABS go perfectly with the Aprilia chassis with fully configurable fork and Shock absorber.

After just a few kilometers on the winding country roads north of Bassano del Grappa, one thing is clear: Aprilia can do a chassis.

In curves, the RS 660 draws lines like a sharp stylus.

This invites you to take a faster pace and test the engine at higher speeds.

At the latest from 6000 revs, the reluctance is over.

Take a look, the engine signals, I'm the little brother of the Aprilia four-cylinder power packs, and that's how things are going, very lovingly.

Up to the rev limiter around 11,300 revs, the two-cylinder pops out a linear power that has washed itself out, and the 183 kilos of the RS 660 throws the RS 660 so agilely into the corners that it is pure pleasure.

The fun factor of the RS 660 comes at a high price: Aprilia was not able to give a precise stationary noise value on site.

Colleagues from Austria want to have found out 96 db - so the RS 660 just breaks the requirements that apply in Tyrolean valleys, for example.

You certainly don't make friends with the actual driving noise.

At full throttle in third gear, turned up to 10,000 revs, the RS 660 hits the ears through the two exhaust stubs so much that driving without earplugs amounts to attempted self-mutilation.

You can like it, but you don't have to;

it is always an affront to local residents.

Aprilia asserts that the Euro 5 standard, which will apply from January 2021, will also be complied with in terms of acoustics.

You have to know that:

The Aprilia RS 660 is a convincing package, capable of boring trips to the office, at home on the country road, powerful enough for trips to the racetrack - at a competitive price of 10,770 euros including all ancillary costs.

Comparable bikes from Kawasaki or Ducati are around 3000 euros more expensive.

Aprilia is obviously betting on making the two-cylinder unit the platform for other models in the coming years.

Naked bikes, scramblers or travel enduro are all possible.

In this way, decent quantities could be generated while covering costs.

The same-priced colors of the RS 660 already serve a wide range of customers: Apex Black and Lava Red (both with red rims on the front and black on the back) are classic Aprilia racing regalia, the Lava Red version with blue tank also takes up 1990s retro colors .

Visually shrill, on the other hand, but very modern and a tint that is rare among manufacturers: Acid Gold with two bright red rims.

From the end of October the RS 660 - with additional offers from the range of accessories - will be available from Aprilia dealers.

We will not forget that:

until a few years ago, little athletes were only available as uncomfortable racing planes.

With the RS 660, Aprilia has opened up new territory and done almost everything right - if it weren't for the acoustic fiasco.

If the ruckus is not enough for you, you can order an open Akrapovic racing exhaust from Aprilia.

Note:

Icon: The mirror