APRILIA RS660 - SPEED TWIN ROAD TEST

Ultra-accessible performance of this finely honed sportbike certain to deliver satisfaction to riders of all levels of experience, while being completely versatile on road or track

- Alan Cathcart

First ride on Aprilia’s new middleweight marvel, the RS 660 unveiled two years ago in prototype form at the 2018 EICMA Show, and now in production for global distribution

Ever since Aprilia displayed its RS660 concept bike at the November 2018 EICMA Milan Show, the longed-for production version of this sexy-looking SuperTwin has been top of their what-if wishlist for thousands of potential customers all over the world. Last year’s Milan Show saw the production version of this delightful dreambike duly unveiled, seemingly scarcely any different than that tantalising first taste of affordable performance combined with designer looks, whose specification and appearance coupled with its compact build - heralds this as the modern day successor to the legendary RS250 ring-ding two-stroke racer-withlights, which was so sadly legislated out of existence back in 2004.

But now, just two years since that first glimpse of the promised land, Aprilia is set to begin deliveries in November of a model which represents a new direction for streetlegal sportsbikes. Retailing in Italy at €11,050 incl. 22% local tax, the RS660 costs less than half the price of the RSV4 1100 it’s derived from. But in real world terms it’s infinitely more accessible, and arguably just as thrilling to ride, even - or maybe especially – for more experienced riders, for whom the thrill of maxing out turn speed and optimising such a bike’s handling capabilities, is much more of a buzz in real world terms than simply opening the throttle wide open and holding on tight.