I guess every biker has their eye on
the next motorcycle they would like to own.
Mini Review
They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that is certainly
the case for the
2017 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory Motorcycle.
When I entered the showroom (May 2017) and saw the bike for the first time, it was
instant eye candy. I liked its powerful looks and build and I could not
wait to get my rear on its seat. A few reviewers have stated, that they don't like the
front light assembly, but for me the symmetry was perfect. The colour
scheme was instantly pleasing and although the bike weighs in at 209kg
wet it looked a lot heavier and chunkier.
When I sat on the bike, my 6' foot frame and 33" inside leg, fitted it
perfectly with my feet flat on the ground and yet with enough purchase
to duck walk the bike forward and backward with ease whilst seated. I
felt instantly at home and although the handlebars were further forward
than my own bike, the seating position was very pleasing. I turned on
the ignition and the beautiful TFT colour screen burst into life with an
array of options that would make a computer expert blanch.
As I was going to test ride the bike on urban/street, country
roads and motorway
environments,
I left it to the salesman to set up the Aprilia's menu. He set the ABS
control to Level 1 and the ride mode to SPORT.
I had no intention of messing about with the
bike settings and for good reason; the previous rider of the demonstrator had messed about with the menu and even put in his own
security code. I had to wait an hour for the workshop to reset the menu
to default and remove the security code. The switchgear positions on the
bike were as expected, although the mass of switches on the
left side gave me concerns about pressing the wrong button whilst on the
test ride. The pit limiter was the first clue that the Aprilia Tuono
Factory is not a 'true' naked street motorcycle.
I turned on the ignition, waited for the security code screen to
disappear (no security code)
pressed the starter button and with a gentle twist of the throttle, the
exhaust barked a very pleasing loud sound. I would keep the stock
exhaust as it's sound was very pleasant and subdued on the motorway at
70mph in 6th gear at steady revs and yet whilst in the higher rev band, up
and down the gears, it was loud and aggressive.
I have read and watched many reviews on the 2017 Aprilia and the
reviewers all extol the virtues of the power and handling of the bike. I
can confirm that once you have test ridden an Aprilia Tuono V4 1100
Factory you will never forget the fantastic experience. The Aprilia is a
bike that demands to be ridden hard; it is a full on sports bike with
upright handlebars and a decent comfortable seat. It has the most
awesome acceleration through the gears with torque that just never stops
and handling that defies logic.
There is no fuel gauge and only a warning light on the dash that appears
when there is around 20 miles of road left. I was informed by the
salesman to expect around 30 miles to the gallon when the exhaust is
continually barking.
The mirrors seemed fine to me with a decent view behind and requiring
only a short lifesaver glance over my right shoulder to cover the small
blind spot before pulling out to overtake. The vibration shake was
minimal and cruising at 70mph on the motorway in 6th gear was quiet with
no mirror shake.
The brakes are so good that the
slightest pull on the front will bring down the speed without any nasty
snatch. The rear brake is excellent for slow filtering and slow maneuvers, in combination with the clutch and throttle.
I disliked the indicator switch because unlike my own bike, I never felt
I had switched it - I often had to glance down at the instrument panel
to make sure it was on but perhaps not a bad thing?
It was an exceptionally hot sunny day for my test ride
and although the Aprilia engine was relatively cool on the open road, it
sure was hot between my legs in urban traffic. I test rode the Aprilia on all types of roads and
it was extremely comfortable, so much so, that I finished the ride with no aches or pains.
Bike Shudder in 1st Gear at Low Revs
I could go on and also extol the virtues of the Aprilia BUT the
salesman set it to SPORT mode for street use which produces the
heaviest engine braking (I found this out later) and that did raise some
concerns for me. Unlike my own Suzuki GSX-1250FA and other bikes I have
ridden, including the 2016 BMW S1000R, I found the Aprilia throttle
control in 1st gear at slow speeds to be a problem but only after I shut
it off and allowed the engine to brake. When I reapplied the throttle
the bike would shudder as if in a high gear and trying to stall. To
prevent shuddering, I did have to use the clutch and apply more
throttle.
I was very concerned, when I found that in SPORT mode and coming down
the gears to 1st gear from the dual carriageway using the engine to
brake and then at around 10mph as I entered the roundabout to pull away
after traffic, the bike chugged like it was in 3rd gear with the only
recourse to pull in the clutch lever, apply a little throttle and the
bike then smoothed out.
I did not have a problem when stopping at the side of the road and then
slowly setting off in traffic, it seemed to be only after I allowed the
engine to brake. It may be only a SPORT ride
mode setting problem or an issue with my demonstrator, especially
as the previous rider had fiddled about with the menu settings and even
locked the bike with his own security code.
The 2017 Aprilia Tuono is discussed on the
Aprilia Forum where a few owners
have complained that the engine cuts out when changing down from 2nd to
1st gear.
There is another 2017 Aprilia Tuono rider reporting a similar problem
on the
Aprilia Forum
(Post #1) where the hot temperature of his bike is causing it to
stall changing down between 2nd and 1st gear - dated 9th October 2017.
The Tuono is brand new and he has run up 150 miles on the clock.
Yet another 2017 Tuono owner with 650 miles on the clock reports in the
Aprilia Forum (Post #1) that his
bike cut out at around 30mph for no reason. He is not sure whether he
downshifted, pulled the clutch or went from 2nd to 3rd.
There was a possible solution posted on the
Aprilia Forum
(Post #195) which confirms the low rev stuttering - "Have
you had your valve clearances checked yet? Mine started to do this just before
it's last service, where tight valves were identified. Also, low rev running was
almost impossible (lots of clutch slip required to maintain low speed without
stalling). Bike now runs fine after the valves have been adjusted".
Here is an example of the rough throttle/engine at low revs -
In fairness to Aprilia, the 1100 Factory is a proper sports bike with
upright handlebars and high gearing, so riding it in 1st gear in urban
traffic whilst applying more throttle/clutch/rear brake control to
maintain smoothness and avoid stalling, might be a price worth paying
for the exhilaration factor on the country roads, the motorway and
especially the track. Garey Cooper in the following video at 3:20
is worth watching -
Garey Cooper in the next video discusses upgrades and a flash upgrade which seems to help with the stalling -
Quickshifter Pause
I also discovered that when using the quickshifter to go up and down the
gears in various stages of slow and harsh acceleration, it did create a
slight pause before it selected the next gear cog. I have watched and
read a lot of reviews on the 2017 Aprilia but only one mentions the
quickshifter delay and he was also in SPORT mode.
Conclusions
I am hoping that the next 2018 generation of this motorcycle irons out
the wrinkles of the 2017 model?
The Aprilia Tuono 1100 Factory motorcycle is very desirable and it is very
difficult to forget the extreme pleasure of riding it.
The 2018
new model colours are out and the bike
looks great -
The controls and menu settings remain a work in progress -
Don't take it as gospel, but from the reviews, these following controls
and settings seem consistent -
TFT SCREEN - FULL MENU ACCESS
You would normally setup the menu with the ignition switched on but with
the engine not running.
Press MODE button on left switchgear to display TFT menu
Use left/right movement on MODE button to navigate menu to display TFT
menu main setting choice.
Use +/- buttons under the left switch gear to toggle to your choice of
setting.
Pressing/holding the - button for a few seconds will deactivate the
electronic aid and a slight press of the + button will reactivate it.
ENGINE MAPPING MODES - SPORT - TRACK - RACE
Pressing the starter button when the bike is running brings up the
engine mapping mode. Pressing again flips to the next and so on -
TRACK- Most aggressive
SPORT - Least aggressive (best for wet roads with traction control set
to 8)
RACE - Moderately aggressive
ATC - TRACTION CONTROL
Unlike other systems the ATC offers a choice of 8 levels, each with a
minimum and maximum area of engagement to balance the rear wheel spin to
the front. This allows the rider to slide the rear if required (track
use) in the selected (Level) slide engagement area. Level 1 provides the
least traction control with the maximum engagement area whilst level 8
delivers the highest level of traction control with the least engagement
area and typically is set for very wet roads. The 8 levels are
toggled by using the +/- paddle joystick under the left switch gear and
this can be operated whilst the bike is in motion.
Pressing/holding the - button for a few seconds will deactivate the
traction control/anti-wheelie and a slight press of the + button will reactivate it.
ABS - ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM
The ABS System has 3 levels of control but cornering ABS and Rear Wheel
Lift-up Mitigation (RLM) also come into the setting equation.
AWC - ANTI-WHEELIE
The AWC setting has 3 levels of settings selected by using the MODE
button on left switch gear (see MODE BUTTON SECTION). Each setting
providing a different time limit for the front wheel lift during
acceleration. The AWC senses when the front wheel lifts off the ground
but instead of the traction control kicking in to balance the speed of
the wheels, the Aprilia system temporarily switches off the traction
control and modulates the throttle and ignition advance to bring the
front wheel back down onto the ground in a controlled response without
any abrupt loss of power. You can deactivate AWC which then engages full
'conventional' traction control. When in RACE mode, you can access AWC
directly in the menu by pressing the MODE button.
ALC - LAUNCH CONTROL
This has 3 settings and is designed for track use when accelerating away
from the start line to provide optimum power to the rear wheels.
Some review videos -