If you’re an OEM and you’re working on a new machine, there comes a point when you have to test it—and maybe have some spy shots slip out to eager motorcycle fans. Whether it’s a purposeful calculation or not doesn’t matter; either way, it keeps people interested and talking about what comes next. Since companies like Aprilia aren’t releasing brand new models once a week, the challenge of keeping anticipation alive is real. 

The folks over at GPOne caught a glimpse of a previously unseen Tuono V4 1100 testing at Imola, piloted by current MotoE series racer Lorenzo Savadori. Besides boasting a windscreen that looks an awful lot like the one found on the 2020 Aprilia RS-GP that Aprilia fields in MotoGP, it also has aerodynamic winglets on full display!  

Now, whether any of this has any bearing at all on the 2021 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 is anyone’s guess at this point. Aprilia is no stranger to releasing limited-edition, track-only machines, including the RSV4 X it released in March, 2019. Could this be a glimpse at an upcoming limited-edition, track-focused Tuono V4 1100 variant? There’s no telling of anything for sure at this point, other than that we’re all seeing what we’re seeing. 

As GPOne also mentioned, Savadori managed to get in an impressive time of 1 minute and 50 seconds on this prototype at Imola. While this fact doesn’t lend any weight to specific expectations of when or if we can expect to see a production version made available for purchase, it’s definitely both respectable and anticipation-building, regardless. 

How much would you love to take a Tuono V4 1100 with those winglets around your favorite track? We’d guess you wouldn’t say no to an opportunity like that, at the very least. Hopefully this won’t be the last we hear about it for a very long time to come. 

Sources: YouTubeGPOneOmnimoto 

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