The Performance Motorcycle That Is Easier To Live With Than Most Superbikes
Liter-class sports bikes can lie. Not intentionally, but by design. The brochure shows a rider knee-down at 150 mph, chasing an apex most owners will never actually see outside a track day. What it doesn’t show is that same rider ten minutes later, wrists screaming, legs getting roasted in traffic on the ride home. That’s the tradeoff every superbike buyer quietly signs up for.
While that compromise used to be mandatory, modern riders are increasingly rejecting it. This has forced manufacturers to build machines that deliver a sports bike-like thrill without physical punishment. Meanwhile, one such bike quietly figured out how to smuggle a full superbike’s heart into something you’d actually want to ride to work.
Race-Track Dreams Come With Limitations
Posters of the Ducati Panigale V4, Yamaha YZF-R1, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, and Honda CBR1000RR-R always end up on garage walls and phone lock screens of riders for a reason. Every enthusiast carries the same dream of taking a proper sports bike to a closed racetrack. However, these machines are engineered for a sole purpose – to be as fast as possible on a closed circuit. And to do that, these machines often compromise on practicality, making these thrill rides exhausting the moment you hit public traffic.
Roads simply aren’t racetracks, and the ergonomics built for one don’t translate cleanly to the other. Low clip-on bars and aggressive footpeg placement put excessive strain on the wrists, knees, neck, and lower back long before the engine even gets warmed up. Add in a suspension setup tuned for smooth circuit tarmac and high-speed cornering loads, and every pothole or expansion joint on the daily commute becomes something to brace for rather than ride over.
Liter-Class Nakeds Bring Balance Of Both
Manufacturers have leaned heavily on the naked motorcycle segment to solve this compromise. Trading clip-ons for a wide handlebar, stripping away the bodywork, and relaxing the rider triangle makes these motorcycles far easier to manage at ordinary speeds. However, there’s a catch. Naked motorcycles often come with detuned engines, softer suspension, and fewer electronics. While that is great for daily comfort, it dilutes the raw experience, leaving a gap for riders who want racetrack-level thrills without giving up everyday practicality. However, there’s a category that fills this gap – the liter-class naked motorcycles.
The liter-class naked motorcycles have thrived, offering the best of both worlds. If you look at the BMW M 1000 R or the Ducati Streetfighter V4, they aren’t simply stripped-down versions of their fully faired siblings. Instead, these serious naked motorcycles deliver uncompromised performance while remaining genuinely usable everyday machines with better handling and ergonomics than the superbikes. One of their rivals does a better job at balancing superbike performance and real-world abilities, though.
The Aprilia Tuono V4 Brings Sharp Handling And Upright Ergonomics
Our pick here is the Aprilia Tuono V4, because it offers the strongest value proposition. More importantly, it isn’t a naked bike that borrows a bit of sports bike flavor for marketing purposes. Instead, it takes the engine and chassis architecture of Aprilia’s RSV4, a machine known for its performance, and strips off the fairings and raises the handlebars. You also get a wide seat and a windscreen, modern features which are notably missing on most naked motorcycles. All of this helps to make it highly practical for real roads while retaining its track-riding capabilities.
At $16,699, It Makes V4 Performance Accessible
Carrying a base MSRP of $16,699, the Aprilia Tuono V4 makes a strong case compared to European performance motorcycles. At this price point, the Tuono V4 has one of the best horsepower-to-price ratios in the segment, and it does so without killing the usability factor. For riders wanting a more race-bred machine, Aprilia also offers the Tuono V4 Factory for $19,999.
For that extra money, it adds Ohlins Smart semi-active suspension and a more aggressive, track-focused tail section. But for the riders looking to balance daily usability with high performance, the standard Tuono V4 is arguably the better option. It still features premium underpinnings and a modern electronics suite, saving you over $3,000 without compromising on core components.
A Naked Bike With True Superbike DNA
The Aprilia Tuono V4 is based on the RSV4-derived aluminum twin-spar chassis and Sachs fully adjustable suspension (preload, rebound, and compression). The latter comprises a 43mm inverted fork at the front and a monoshock at the rear, paired with 17-inch alloys at both ends. Braking duties are handled by dual 330mm front disc brakes and a 220mm rear disc brake, all of which have Brembo calipers. While it excels in almost every category, the Tuono V4 carries a 465-pound curb weight and a tall 32.9-inch saddle height, which can make slow-speed maneuvers challenging for shorter riders.
Superbike-Derived Engine Suitable For Daily Riding
At the heart of the Aprilia Tuono V4 sits a 1,099cc 65-degree V4 engine — a bored-out version of Aprilia’s long-running 1,077cc mill. The current mill makes 180 horsepower and 89.2 pound-feet of torque. While 180 horsepower might not sound completely unhinged for a modern liter-bike, it gives the Tuono V4 an edge over the BMW S 1000 R and the Yamaha MT-10, making it one of the class-leading motorcycles under the $17,000 mark.
Now to make it useful for everyday riding, the V4 configuration naturally distributes power evenly, giving the Tuono a remarkably flat torque curve. Unlike its peakier rivals, the Tuono’s lower torque peak means you have immediate, high-quality power on demand. Keep in mind, however, that the Tuono V4 is a thirsty motorcycle; delivering superbike-like performance means you will be stopping more often to refuel.
Upright Ergonomics and a Windshield Don’t Punish On Longer Rides
Like most naked motorcycles, the Aprilia Tuono V4 also seats you in an upright riding position. This offers far better comfort than the aggressive, tucked-in riding stance of a sports bike. Furthermore, unlike many of its street-naked rivals, the Tuono V4 features a standard half-fairing and windscreen. This combination of an upright stance and usable wind protection helps you cover long highway miles comfortably.
Modern Electronics Boost Safety
To manage all this power, the Tuono V4 packs a modern electronics suite. It features an eight-level traction control system with integrated slide control. There’s also a dedicated wheelie control, engine brake control, and cornering ABS with rear lift mitigation. All of this is accessed via a TFT instrument console featuring a newly updated interface. For riders who want more, Aprilia also offers three optional packs that include:
- Track: Adds track riding modes, launch control, pit limiter, and race display mode.
- Comfort: Adds cornering headlights and cruise control.
- Race: that brings telemetry details and corner-by-corner functions to dynamically adjust the settings of traction control, wheelie control and engine brake via GPS.
The Aprilia Tuono V4 Stacks Well Against Its Rivals
The liter-class naked segment is fiercely competitive, but the Tuono V4 holds a unique position when compared to its closest rivals. The Ducati Streetfighter V4 and the KTM 1390 Super Duke R Evo bring serious hardware and higher peak power to the table, but they also command a massive price premium. On the other hand, other Japanese manufacturers, like Honda and Suzuki, focus more on budget-friendly liter-class naked bikes that might not match the race-derived expression of the Tuono.
The BMW S 1000 R, derived from the S 1000 RR, undercuts the Tuono V4 in price, but the Aprilia still offers superior real-world performance. Moreover, matching the Aprilia’s standard equipment requires adding costly optional packages to the BMW, which quickly erodes its price advantage. The Yamaha MT-10 SP costs more than the Tuono, but has the performance to back its pricing. The crossplane CP4 engine builds strong torque low in the rev range, along with Ohlins electronic suspension, Brembo radial brakes, race-derived electronics, and an aluminum twin-spar frame that mirrors the Tuono’s own philosophy.
Source: Aprilia
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