Aprilia has been mighty busy since it unveiled the RS 660 and Tuono 660 at EICMA 2019. By October, 2020, the House of Noale rolled out its road-oriented yet track-capable sportbike. Just six months later, in March, 2021, the naked bike counterpart hit the showroom floors. While the sporty 660s hogged all the spotlight, Aprilia continued developing the final piece of Aprilia’s new middleweight lineup: the Tuareg 660.
Of course, secrets as big as the Tuareg revival aren’t easy to guard. We’ve been treated to numerous spy shots of the upcoming adventure bike, but Aprilia hasn’t confirmed details surrounding the model. Produced from 1985-1994, Aprilia’s original Tuareg went through several phases in its lifetime. From a 125 two-stroke to a 350 four-stroke to the Tuareg 600 Wind in 1990, the platform always prioritized lightweight off-road performance and rally raid aesthetics.
Based on spy shots, it seems like the new Tuareg will follow in the footsteps of its predecessors. Motociclismo recently sat down with Aprilia’s product marketing manager Cristian Romeo Barelli to confirm some of the rumors around the mid-size adventurer and whether the new Tuareg will still hold its own in the dirt.
“Yes, it will be very off-road oriented, which is why it will also have 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels,” confirmed Barelli. “There was a lot of work to have a low weight. The 660 platform was born with sporting and fun contents. Even the Tuareg will follow that imprint.”
The wheel configuration aligns with the original Tuareg, which always featured a 21-inch front and an 18-inch or 17-inch rear wheel. The setup also puts the future ADV in direct competition with trail-focused middleweights like the Yamaha Tenere 700 and KTM 890 Adventure. Many speculate that the Tuareg’s price tag will fall somewhere between its two rivals. Luckily, we won’t have to wait long, according to Barelli.
“It will be a 2022 model,” he added, “but it will be available as early as the end of 2021.”
Yes, it’s been a long time since Aprilia teased the Tuareg 660 at EICMA 2019, but if the new adventure bike goes on to compete with the T7 and 890 Adventure, it’ll be worth the wait.
Stiff Competition:
Sources: Motociclismo, AutoEvolution