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Aprilia Tuono 1000R

Aprilia has announced a revised, more powerful version of the Tuono “street fighter”.

The Tuono 1000R uses a newly revised magnesium V-twin 1000cc superbike engine.

Aprilia’s press release on the Tuono has more information:

“The 2006 Tuono has all the winning features of its predecessors but is more aggressive and easier to ride than ever before, with even more blistering performance.

In short, the Tuono is more refined, more powerful, and more Tuono than ever.

The latest model is more modern in styling and more up to date in technical content too, setting standards that are further than ever beyond the reach of the competition. The Tuono remains the most high-tech naked around and the absolute leader of the twin cylinder class.

Here is the machine for the demanding motorcyclist, the rider who seeks maximum naked performance, on the road and on the track.

The latest Tuono 1000 R has the same amazing character as the previous model, with improved technical specifications and performance.

The fastest of all naked bikes on road and track has got even better!  Improved control and performance guarantee absolute riding satisfaction and real sports performance to thrill even expert competition riders.

The engine, frame, and fork have all improved. The latest designs and technical solutions make the Tuono even easier to ride on the road without losing any of its breathtaking racetrack handling. On the contrary, the Tuono is harder to beat than ever.

Just like the RSV from which it derives, the Tuono 1000 R embodies the concept of “total ridability” that has always characterized Aprilia’s performance motorcycles.

Manically precise ergonomics combine with amazingly easy control to let you establish a perfect feeling with the bike the moment you ride off, and to help you maximize your own potential with the minimum physical and mental effort.”

Specifications

  • New styling.
  • New V 60 Magnesium engine.
  • Dynamic air intake (the only naked bike with this technology).
  • New electronic fuel injection system with 57 mm throttle bodies.
  • New 16 bit engine management unit.
  • New exhaust system with twin silencers and three way catalytic converter with Lambda oxygen sensor.
  • New Aluminium alloy perimeter frame.
  • New double banana Aluminium swingarm.
  • New rear suspension linkages.
  • Lighter steering yoke.

Like the RSV, the Tuono has been perfected on the track to satisfy the most demanding and refined motorcyclists. Each individual part has been developed to maximize the performance and riding pleasure of a naked that is already a legend in racing circles.

Engine performance is better than ever. Maximum power is 98 kW (133 HP) at the crank and maximum torque 10.4 kgm at only 8,750 rpm. The Aprilia Tuono is therefore among the most powerful of all “street fighter” motorcycles.

The chassis has been thoroughly redesigned to improve handling dynamics under all riding conditions and make the Tuono absolutely unbeatable on the racetrack.

The Tuono also boasts a host of top quality components, all carefully selected to give today’s motorcycling enthusiasts a truly pace-setting Supersport.

Styling

The Tuono 1000 R maintains a close family look with the previous model and the RSV 1000 R from which it derives. The new, aggressive nose fairing, with closely mounted twin headlights, has been developed in wind tunnel testing to provide effective protection for the rider and to kill lift at high speeds, ensuring maximum precision and control.

The Tuono 1000 R has been designed with performance and comfort in mind. All parts are styled for stunning looks and maximum functionality. The two lateral spoilers, for example, not only look great but also serve an important aerodynamic purpose. They help keep the bike stable at high speed and keep the wind off the rider’s legs. It is partly thanks to these spoilers that the Tuono provides better aerodynamic protection than any other naked.

The design team has also gone to great lengths to ensure that, unlike other unfaired bikes, the Tuono benefits from race-tuned engine breathing. The Tuono is the only naked with a dynamic air intake located directly under the nose fairing, and a duct to channel ram air through the frame to the airbox.

To ensure unrivalled ergonomics, the latest Tuono 1000 R has been made more compact, lower and narrower than the previous model. The seat is 15 mm lower, and the riding position gives even greater control over the front end. The handlebar risers are lower and the footrests have been moved further back, so that the riding position is sportier and more effective. Despite this, overall comfort has even improved, so that riding is less tiring.

The sleek tail with its integrated direction indicators is similar to that of the RSV but points upwards to enhance the Tuono 1000 R’s dynamic styling. The bike can also be rapidly transformed from single to dual seat, adding a passenger seat with built-in grab handles for a comfortable and safe grip.

V60 Magnesium Engine

The latest V 60 Magnesium 1000 cc engine derives from that of the RSV 1000 R, with only a few minor changes to improve torque and muscle at low revs. The engine has been thoroughly redesigned to maintain its reputation as the best twin cylinder engine in production.

Improved injection and ignition mapping plus modified valve timing have led to increased power at low and medium revs. Its maximum power rating of 133 HP at 9,500 rpm establishes the V60 Magnesium among the most powerful of all engines in the naked segment. The latest V 60 Magnesium puts out more power than before despite now being homologated to Euro 3 standards.

Some of the main characteristics of the new V 60 Magnesium engine include:

  • New cylinder heads for improved gas flow and cooling.
  • New camshafts and valve springs.
  • 57 mm throttle bodies with one injector per cylinder.
  • High strength connecting rods.
  • Lighter overall weight thanks to the extensive use of magnesium.
  • The same close-ratio gearbox as the RSV.
  • Dry sump lubrication with a double trochoidal pump, separate oil tank and oil cooler.
  • Mixed gear and chain timing gear. The drive gears (one for each timing chain) are located inside the crankcase to keep the cylinder heads as compact as possible.
  • AVDC (Anti Vibration Double Countershaft).
  • Aprilia’s patented PPC (Pneumatic Power Clutch) hydraulically operated, power assisted clutch system for controlling rear wheel bounce under deceleration.

The Tuono 1000 R inherits the RSV’s dynamic air intake, locating it just under the headlight cluster, in the centre of the bike where ram air pressure is highest. The Air Runner duct (which also supports the nose fairing and instruments) channels the air to a 10.3 litre airbox, designed to allow the engine to develop its full potential.

The Air Runner duct ensures that pressure in the airbox increases with speed, and generates a 3% increase in engine power at maximum speed.

An engine control unit developed in conjunction with Siemens VDO provides integrated engine management. The ECU receives all essential engine parameters in real time from 15 different sensors, processes the data and, again in real time, controls the various actuators that keep the engine functioning perfectly at all times.

The unit’s flash EPROM comes with the mapping for unrestricted racing exhausts ready loaded. Aprilia’s Technical Assistance Service can therefore enable race mapping in next to no time on request.

The entire system has been updated to use the latest technology. All data passes over a CAN line on its way to the instrument control unit that also functions as auto-diagnostic controller. The CAN line uses just two wires to carry all necessary data, rendering the wiring extremely simple and contributing to the Tuono’s fantastically light weight.

Exhaust System

Like that of the RSV, the Tuono’s exhaust system is the result of Aprilia’s experience in Superbike and Superstock racing. The system is a 2-in-1-in-2, and is made entirely from stainless steel using the latest racing exhaust manufacturing techniques.

Frame

The Tuono’s chassis is designed for both track and street use. The frame, fork and suspension has been fine tuned for perfect weight distribution. In keeping with Aprilia traditions, the frame is a combination of Aluminium-silicon alloy castings and Peraluman 450 pressed parts. T his highly sophisticated structure is not only more rigid than the previous version but lighter too. The latest frame weighs under 10 kg (9650 grams) setting an impressive new record for its class.

The wheelbase is shorter too, and at 1410 mm – another record for the category – accounts for the Tuono’s crisper than even handling and more instinctive ride. Even the rear suspension linkages have been redesigned for a more progressive and comfortable action on the road combined with greater precision on the track.

The new double banana swingarm provides a clear passage for the exhaust system and weighs only 4860 grams, well under the 5 kg figure considered by experts to be the reference weight for this component.

Suspension

Aprilia claims that the Tuono 1000R is the most race-oriented naked bike on the market. The fork is a Showa upside down unit, with 43 mm stanchions for a perfect balance between precision on the racetrack and comfort on the road. And to ensure that the ideal setup can be achieved for all styles and conditions, on the road and on the track alike, the fork is fully adjustable in spring preload and in compression and rebound damping.

The Sachs monoshock at the rear is likewise adjustable in spring preload and rebound damping.

Brakes

The braking system has undergone a number of major changes. The new Tuono 1000 R is equipped with Brembo Gold radial calipers featuring four separate sintered pads (one for each piston). The use of four pads instead of two doubles the number of leading edges in the pad-disc system, and delivers increased braking force for identical effort at the brake lever.

Because the pads are smaller in size, wear is also more evenly distributed. The two 320 mm floating steel discs feature a narrower braking track to minimize inertia and weight and are fixed in place by Aprilia’s exclusive six spoke flange.

The rear braking system is also a Brembo Gold, with a 220 mm stainless steel disc and a caliper with two 32 mm pistons.

The front and rear brakes both use aeronautical metal braided hoses to eliminate the sponginess inevitably associated with conventional brake hoses and to ensure maximum braking precision.

Fit and Finish

What makes the Tuono 1000 R stand out from the competition is the care and attention that Aprilia has paid to every little detail. The design team have done their very best to ensure that every component on the bike improves its performance and functionality, reduces its weight and enhances its quality and finish.

The dashboard is a mixed (digital-analog) unit. It uses the data received over the CAN line to perform an essential auto-diagnostic function for which it incorporates a dedicated memory. The new dashboard control unit performs the same functions as the previous unit (including the 40 lap timer) but is more compact and modern in design and extremely lightweight.

User friendliness has improved too, with all functions controlled from two practical push-buttons on the left hand light switch. The LED backlighting can also be adjusted to three levels of intensity.

The headlight cluster is derived from that of the RSV, and incorporates four light units for perfect night-time visibility. The new tail light cluster features the innovative design and LED lighting of the RSV.

The ignition key is internally coded, and the ignition block is fitted with an engine immobiliser as standard.

Colors

The Tuono 1000 R is available in a choice of three color schemes: Silver, Black, and Fluo Red.

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