The Bike That Feels Right Irrespective Of The Terrain

6 minutes reading

Monday, 22 Jun 2026 15:31 0 2 autotech

The market for dual-purpose motorcycles that can traverse all sorts of terrain has grown substantially over the past few years. Traditional dual-sports offer exceptional off-road performance, and bigger, more luxurious adventure bikes are more competent tourers. If you want a bike that strikes a balance between these two extremes, you are not alone. Middleweight ADVs are among the most versatile motorcycles on the market, and with the rise in demand for this kind of versatility, we now have a wide selection to choose from.

Table of Contents

The Quest For Ultimate Versatility In The Adventure Bike Segment

Yamaha

10 Used Middleweight Adventure Bikes Worth Buying In 2025

These bikes prove that you can have a great middleweight ADV for under $10k

The Aprilia Tuareg 660 Just Works Everywhere You Ride

MSRP: $12,499

Aprilia surprised everyone with the Tuareg 660. It wasn’t surprising that the Italian brand had developed an ADV. What was so surprising was how well-balanced it was. It was also surprisingly affordable. It sat neatly between the more expensive European bikes and the more affordable Tenere. Since then, the price has not changed much, and it still sits between the Japanese bikes (the Tenere has since been joined by the aforementioned Transalp and V-Strom) and the more expensive Euro crowd. It is fair to say that the Japanese bikes in particular offer more value than before, and now offer a similar set of features to the Aprilia, but in terms of all-around performance, the Tuareg is still desperately hard to beat.

A Punchy Modern Parallel-Twin With A Dash Of Italian Flair

Power: 80 Horsepower

Like pretty much any other middleweight on the market, the Tuareg runs on a modular platform. The same parallel-twin can be found in the RS 660 sport bike and the Tuono 660 naked bike, just in a different tune. It is optimized for torque delivery off-road here in the Tuareg as opposed to overall power output in the more sporty bikes. As such, the Tuareg is down over 20 horsepower, but out in the real world, this matters little. It has a meaty midrange, and thanks to how much earlier the torque arrives, all its power is readily available at road-legal speeds.

A Reliable Twin

Any bike that will be used for travel purposes simply needs to be reliable, and with the bike in this more mild state of tune, it has proven to be exceptionally reliable. Many riders have abused this motorcycle off-road, and so far, no significant issues have been reported. Unfortunately, while mechanical reliability is not the issue it once was for the Italian brand, the dealer network remains pretty small anywhere outside of Europe. This is arguably the biggest reason for the slow uptake of the model, because no matter how good it is, if you don’t have a dealership within range, it becomes an impractical purchase. Not only does it become harder to get basic consumable parts for the bike, but getting it serviced by the dealer during the all-important warranty period will become something of a chore.

The Sports Bike That Delivers Both Raw Performance And Daily Usability Is The Aprilia RS 660

The RS 660 proves that you can have your sports bike cake and eat it too!

The Tuareg 660 Has All The Necessary Bells And Whistles

The one thing the Tuareg doesn’t have is an IMU. Some bikes in this space are getting this level of tech these days, but the Tuareg still has more than enough features for most riders. Ride modes, cruise control, ABS, traction control, and a TFT dash are all present. While the ABS and traction control lack lean sensitivity, they are both switchable. It is clear that while more sophisticated electronics systems are becoming more fashionable, Aprilia deemed the added weight and cost undesirable.

A middleweight ADV is already a compromise vehicle; it offers incredible versatility at the cost of any form of specialization. So saving as much weight as possible becomes critical, and much of the weight savings has been accomplished thanks to the Tuareg’s rather exotic chassis. Its steel trellis with aluminum side plates is a design more commonly found on high-performance sport bikes, but Aprilia saw fit to choose this design because it offers the same level of strength as a traditional steel frame without the added weight.

The upshot of this is a wet weight of just 450 pounds. It is one of the lightest ADVs in its class, bested only by the bonkers Kove 800X Rally. The chassis is highly competent on the road, yet won’t feel one bit out of place once you get stuck into the rough stuff. The fully adjustable KYB suspension offers enough adjustability to tailor the bike to any weight and riding style, and nearly 10 inches of travel (both front and rear)!

As it stands, the Tuareg 660 is one of the most versatile motorcycles on the market, equally at home on just about any terrain you can throw at it. While there are certainly other bikes on the market that offer more off-road capability or more touring comfort, none find a better balance than this Italian underdog. If you are in the market for a versatile middleweight ADV and live near enough to an Aprilia dealership, it is a bike we think is well worth considering.

Chassis, Suspension, And Weight Specifications

Chassis	Steel trellis with aluminum plates
Front Suspension	43mm Kayaba USD fork, fully adjustable (9.5-in travel)
Rear Suspension	Kayaba monoshock, fully adjustable (9.5-in travel)
Weight	450 lbs