Aprilia RS 660 Spews Venom In This Acid Gold Colour

Aprilia has unveiled its highly awaited middleweight supersport, the RS 660. Bookings in Europe commence from today, and we expect the motorcycle’s price to be announced soon. The production version of the Aprilia RS 660 in Lava Red and Apex Black colour schemes were showcased at the 2019 EICMA show, and now the Italian brand has added a new Acid Gold colour option. We must say, even though this particular colour looks a little ostentatious, the RS 660 has pulled it off rather nicely.

This is thanks to the tasteful RSV4 1100-inspired design language. The chiselled fairing houses a set of light-activated all-LED headlight with cornering lamps and integrated indicators. It also gets a fully digital multifunction instrument cluster. The ergonomics is sporty, courtesy the clip-on handlebars and rear-set footpegs.

Also Read: Aprilia’s Tuareg 660 Spotted In The Flesh

The engine is derived from chopping off half of the RSV4’s heart. The end result is a Euro 5 / BS6-compliant forward-facing 659cc parallel twin DOHC engine, which churns out a healthy 100PS at 10,500rpm and 67Nm at 8500rpm. In comparison, its rival, the Euro4-compliant hardcore Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R makes 30PS (without ram-air) and 3.8Nm more. A detuned A2-licence-compliant version of the RS 660 will also be offered for the European markets. The powertrain is linked to a 6-speed transmission with slipper clutch and a standard bi-directional quickshifter.

The RS 660 is the most feature-packed motorcycle in its segment when it comes to electronic aids. It comes with a 6-axis inertial measurement unit linked to cornering ABS, traction control. It even gets wheelie control, cruise control, engine braking control, multiple engine maps and 5 riding modes. For road usage, it gets Commute and Dynamic (sport) settings, along with an extra customisable setting. Riders who like to flog their bikes around a race track will be happy to know that the bike gets Challenge and Time Attack modes designed specifically for track usage. Aprilia will also offer an optional software package which will reverse the shift pattern for track usage, without the need to make any mechanical changes.

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The aluminium dual-beam chassis is linked to a Kayaba 41mm inverted front fork, whereas the rear comes with a monoshock, both offering preload and rebound damping adjustability. Up front, the dual 320mm discs are held by Brembo radial calipers and the rear gets a 220mm disc with Brembo caliper. To exploit the bike’s handling to the maximum, its cornering ABS is adjustable at three levels. The motorcycle tips the scales at 183kg kerb.

Expect the Aprilia RS 660 to be launched in India via the CBU route next year. It is likely to command a price tag of around Rs 13 lakh, and will compete against the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, if the Japanese brand brings out a BS6-compliant version.