The Parallel-Twin Sport Bike That Makes Liter Bikes Feel Excessive
The slow but unavoidable demise of the old supersport class has long since been lamented. In their place, a crop of more approachable, less fancied parallel-twin sport bikes have emerged. While there will be those who are quick to point out how much more powerful the old bikes were, anyone willing to look just a little further than the spec sheet will be able to understand just how much more practical these modern supersports really are. Along with that, parallel-twin engines have become a more common occurrence, and some of them have spicy performance in the real-world.
The Canary In The Coal Mine
The old, more potent, small-displacement inline-four motorcycles that dominated the supersport class served as the “canary in the coal mine.” Their demise was a sign of things to come as stricter emissions restrictions came into effect around the world. These supersports served as the more attainable option when compared to the equivalent liter bike, and delivered a similar, high-octane riding experience.
It is fair to say that the vast majority of these parallel-twin supersports don’t quite live up to the high performance standards of the old guard, but they are most certainly more efficient and significantly more practical. For the most part, liter bikes are not exactly all that practical, either, although some modern bikes offer a slew of electronics that tame the beast when required. The bike in question offers a unique blend of pragmatism and performance, as well as a dash of Italian flair.
The Aprilia RS 660 Factory Offers The Full Supersport Experience
MSRP: $14,149
The Factory version of the already impressive RS 660 sport bike takes it up more than a few notches. It adds premium suspension componentry and even more tech to what was already a fairly comprehensive package. While expensive compared to some of the Japanese bikes competing in this space, none of those bikes offer a riding experience quite like this. Any of the bikes that deliver the same level of dynamism all cost more, and require a different skill set to ride.
The 660cc Parallel-Twin Gets You All The Power You Need
Power: 105 Horsepower
This might be a hard pill for some riders to swallow, but once ego is removed from the equation, 100 horsepower is already more than most of us really need. While the whole concept of 200-horsepower motorcycles has been normalized over the last decade or so, there are very few riders in this world who are actually able to make the most of this kind of power, and almost all of them do it for a living.
A More Characterful Parallel-Twin
Like pretty much every other cross-plane parallel-twin on the market, it is efficient, delivers strong, usable midrange performance, and has proven to be reliable. It is this last point that is worth dwelling on. Traditionally speaking, Italian motorcycles were many things, but “reliable” was almost never one of them. Aprilia, in particular, has a checkered past, and even this 660 had a major wobble in its first year of production. These issues have long since been resolved, and the latest version of the powertrain even has more power than before.
Premium Suspension Components Help Deliver Dynamic Track Performance
The base model already comes with fully adjustable KYB suspension, and will be more than sufficient for anyone looking to use it primarily as a street bike. The Factory model is there for riders planning on doing regular track days. The extra outlay is not insignificant, but for riders looking for the full supersport experience, this will be the one to have. You get a fully adjustable 43 mm Öhlins NIX fork at the front, and a fully adjustable Öhlins STX 46 mono shock at the rear. If you were to turn to the aftermarket for this kind of thing, you would most likely spend more than the price difference between the two models.
The uprated suspension works hand in hand with its lightweight aluminum twin-spar chassis to offer a truly dynamic ride. In the right hands, this bike will make some liter bikes look a little silly around a track. While it will obviously run out of puff on tracks with longer straights, the RS 660 Factory will be quite at home on tighter tracks with more corners. It will also be quite at home on your favorite mountain road, and with a wet weight of just over 400 pounds, it will also be quite at home handling more mundane stuff like the daily commute.
Italian Flair Doesn’t Need To Be Impractical
While the added “lightness” on offer here has obvious performance benefits, it is the off-track benefits that might be more relevant with a model like this. If you were after a dedicated track bike, there will be several used options that will offer more value. But this is not just a track bike; it is a track bike that can actually be ridden every day thanks to how easy it is to ride, with ergos that are sporty but not excessively aggressive.
You also get pretty much every feature, if not more features, than what you might find on more expensive liter bikes. Unlike most of the middleweight bikes it is competing with, you get an IMU, which allows for safety features like cornering ABS and lean-sensitive traction control. It also has nice-to-have features like ride modes, cruise control, a quickshifter, and a TFT dash.
The only real negative that we can find is the exclusive livery for the Factory version. You only get one option, and that is this Shakedown Yellow you can see in the other images. The base model has a gorgeous Blue Marlin option (pictured above), and while this is a deeply subjective point, most riders will agree that if you are going to spend this kind of money on an Italian sport bike, it would be somewhat disheartening if you didn’t actually like the way it looked. But, other than that, this might well actually be one of the best sport bikes money can buy right now, as long as you can get used to bright yellow.
Source: Aprilia
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