The Aprilia RS 660 Factory flies in Misano
Words and images courtesy of Aprilia Racing
MARCO BEZZECCHI CLOCKED AN INCREDIBLE LAP TIME OF 1’45″1 IN THE RACE OF STARS ON THE NEW RS 660 FACTORY BIKE WITH STANDARD EQUIPMENT. HE SLASHED THE RECORD SET LAST YEAR ON THE PREVIOUS VERSION OF THE MIDDLEWEIGHT SPORTS BIKE FROM THE NOALE-BASED MANUFACTURER
THE RS 660 AMAZES ONCE AGAIN: EASY TO HANDLE AND BAGS OF FUN ON THE ROAD. IT HAS SUPER PERFORMANCE ON THE TRACK, THANKS TO ITS RECORD-BREAKING POWER-TO-WEIGHT RATIO, A RANGE OF CUTTING-EDGE ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEMS AND A CHASSIS THAT SETS THE BENCHMARK.
Last Sunday, the Misano circuit hosted Aprilia All Stars, the annual event that unites Aprilia riders, bikes and history.
It was attended by more than twenty thousand lovers of the brand. Of all the activities planned, the Race of Stars was perhaps the most eagerly anticipated. This original challenge sees pairs of Aprilia riders pitted against each other, with guests and great champions all riding the new RS 660 Factory bikes, strictly in their standard configuration.
The race regulations, drafted in collaboration with the Italian Motorcycling Federation, stipulate that the RS 660 Factory bikes must be exactly as they rolled off the assembly line. The sole exceptions are the rear-view mirrors and licence plate holder, which have been removed for track use. The exhaust is type-approved by SC Project, Aprilia’s MotoGP partner.
Accordingly, competitors raced with the RS 660 Factory in its original configuration.
The ABS system developed by Aprilia (for both road and track use) is active as standard. Indeed, none of the riders competing felt it necessary to adjust the standard settings of the Öhlins suspension. They kept the values recommended in the user manual for track use.
The exciting challenge kicked off with an awe-inspiring Le Mans-style start. There were two rider changes among the seven teams involved. This saw the riders take full advantage of the twin-cylinder bike, equipped with Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SC1 tyres.
All the riders who took part were from different backgrounds and with varying levels of experience. They had a real blast. The winning pair were Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia MotoGP rider, and former rider and current mechanic Carlo Corradini. And it was also Marco Bezzecchi who set the record lap time of 1’45‘129.
This beat the time of 1’45’467 set in last year’s Race of Stars on the previous version of the RS 660.
However, each and every rider achieved impressive results, after completing the few laps permitted for qualifying. This is testament to how easy to ride and competitive the RS 660 really is. It is an extremely fun, lightweight, high-performance bike. It is designed for enjoyment on the road as well as extreme efficiency on the track. This is courtesy of its winning dynamic qualities, particularly its cornering speed.
Aprilia RS 660 Factory
The Factory name denotes the most exclusive, prestigious versions of Aprilia’s sports bikes. These are known by fans of the brand for their racing-derived performance, which translates into a unique riding experience both on the track and on the road. The new RS 660 is now also available in the Factory set-up. It comes with the multi-adjustable Öhlins suspension and dedicated graphics as standard.
All versions of the RS 660 boast a host of new features, such as fairings with new aerodynamic winglets to boost stability. The on-board electronics – which were already top-of-the-range in the previous version – include traction control, cornering ABS, engine braking, engine mapping and wheelie control functions (all adjustable). In addition, there is the newly-added launch control and colour display.
The more powerful 105 hp engine boosts performance. Combined with a kerb weight of just 183 kg, this serves to further enhance the bike’s power-to-weight ratio. The same updates as seen on the RS 660 Factory also feature on the Tuono 660 Factory. This version is more suited to everyday use and fun on the road, with its high handlebars and naked set-up.
