2026 Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory Review: A Dozen Fast Facts

October 7, 2025

You have to appreciate Aprilia’s moxie. Instead of designing its upright, semi-naked sportbikes to a price, the Noale team dives headfirst into crafting high-performance machines and sets the price to match. At $11,499, the 2026 Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory is an expensive bike for its class—almost 50 percent more than the Kawasaki Z650. That requires buyers to be knowledgeable about the products, and to want something based on quality and capability, rather than prioritizing price. Boutique Italian brands have that option, and we’re glad they do. We snagged one of the first examples of the new Tuono 660 Factory and headed for the canyons.

Everything about the 2026 Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory is about going fast. The low, flat-bend handlebar positions you for sporty riding. The bike is wonderfully light at 399 pounds with the four-gallon fuel tank topped off with high-test. The radiator shrouds and quarter fairing conspire to break up the wind. You’re propped up by Öhlins suspension and touching the pavement with Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tires. Of course, that’s just to start.

As soon as you fire up the 659cc parallel twin, you feel the 270-degree timing. The unmistakable growl of the off-cadence firing sequence cuts through with a distinct, throaty sound, that’s nothing like a 180-degree crank. A few blips of the throttle in the Dynamic mode tell you that it’s eager to visit its 11,500-rpm redline.

The new Tuono 660 Factory gets the full Aprilia Performance Ride Control suite of electronic rider aids informed by a six-axis IMU. That means there’s homework to be done on the five-inch TFT dash. However, for the rider who wants complete control over the motorcycle’s behavior, personalization is available. Aprilia allows you to set up your own ride mode, as well as adjust the settings in the Commute and Dynamic modes. If you like, you can make your ride to work wild or mild. The adjustable parameters are engine mapping, engine braking, traction control, wheelie control, and ABS. You can also select your preferred levels of traction control and wheelie control on the fly in any mode. With such extensive adjustability, the motor’s behavior is entirely in your hands.

Riders unsure of their tuning abilities can take the easy way out and just switch between Commute and Dynamic modes. If you go that route, you’ll likely be fully satisfied. The two are distinct and give you an idea of the flexibility and nature of the parallel twin. As you become familiar with the bike, adjustments are easily accessible via four directional buttons.

Even in the Dynamic mode, the 2026 Tuono 660 Factory offers two ways to ride the canyons effectively. The motor is unexpectedly docile below about 7000 rpm. If you’re smooth and are good at maintaining corner speed, you can ride all day in the bottom half of the power curve and make good time. However, if you’re in a hurry, let the twin sing above 7000 rpm, and the song it sings becomes considerably more urgent. The motor comes alive and rockets toward the redline, though in a nicely controllable way on public roads, as you hit the 105-horsepower peak at 10,400 rpm, leaving you 1,100 rpm of overrev.

The quickshifter is your friend when riding hard. Because power drops off noticeably below 7000 rpm, you’ll want to keep working the shift lever to keep the power flowing over what is still a broad powerband. Shifts in either direction are flawless, with nary a false neutral. You will find yourself calculating what gear you’ll need on the exit even before you enter, so you’re ready for the next jolt of adrenaline.

The Tuono 660 Factory makes going fast easy. With 24.1 degrees of rake and a 53.9-inch wheelbase, this bike has the most aggressive geometry in its class to go with its sub-400-pound curb weight. Changes of direction are effortless and sure, thanks to high-end Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tires that ensures the traction available meets the demands made by the rider and chassis. As you ride, you’re increasingly encouraged to corner tighter and harder, with confident results. The Factory loves to dive into corners, square off the apex, and have you get back on the gas hard without ever feeling squirrely or over-responsive. If you’ve ridden less precise bikes, the Tuono 660 Factory’s capabilities will feel revelatory.

Braking is a big part of making time on the Tuono 660 Factory. With 320mm discs, radially mounted Brembo calipers, radial master cylinder, steel-braided brake lines, premium Pirelli rubber, and sophisticated ABS, you’re going to find yourself diving harder into corners than you ever imagined. The feel is extraordinary, allowing the rider to accomplish astonishing things. Even with so much braking power for such a lightweight bike, the front brake engages without a disrupting bite. Demands on the rider are few, as the action is smooth and facilitates hard braking at a high level.

The Öhlins suspension is in its element in the twisties. Although it is noticeably firm on the city and freeway parts of the ride to the canyons, once you start slicing and dicing, everything falls into place. The Tuono 660 doesn’t dive on braking, get squishy in a corner, or squat on exit. The suspension engineers got the balance right for committed sport riders. If anything is bothering you about the suspension, the Öhlins units are fully adjustable to accommodate outliers in size or talent.

Short-shifting, corner-speed riders can enjoy the Tuono 660 Factory, though not nearly as much. The handling is superb, regardless of how hard you’re pushing, though the suspension will feel firmer than you’d like—softening the damping will help that. The motor is ultra-smooth below 7k. While that is not particularly satisfying, it is exceptionally easy to ride. If you could put a rev limit of 6500 rpm on the motor, a new sport rider would love it. Switching from Dynamic to Commute mode further softens the throttle response, although the lower-rpm power delivery in Dynamic mode is easily managed. Some countries offer a 47-horsepower variant, which must be an excellent learner sportbike.

Outside of the firmness of the suspension, the bike would be great for commuting. With the soft half of the power delivery and the rocket-on-demand upper half, riding to work couldn’t get much more fun or effective. Now, you could say, “Well, just adjust the suspension.” Most people won’t want to break out the tools and count clicks every time they change riding plans. With that list price of $11,499, perhaps we can encourage Aprilia to add electronically adjustable suspension. No, that doesn’t mean sophisticated and expensive semi-active suspension. I just want to be able to change the damping settings with the push of a button and let the servos do the donkey work. A few presets and individual damping settings adjustable via electronic controls are all I ask as a rider with simple needs.

The 2026 Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory is a no-holds sportbike for riders who know what they need. If you’re someone who requires 180 horsepower, whether for the street or the track, the Tuono V4 Factory 1100 is ready and waiting for another $8900. On public roads, if you’re chasing a rush rather than a ticket, the Tuono 660 Factory lets you ride hard, twist the throttle with raw enthusiasm, and push your limits with its exemplary chassis.

Photography by Kelly Callan

RIDING STYLE

Helmet: Ruroc AT4.0 Track
Jacket: Spidi Track Warrior
Back protector: Spidi Warrior L2
Gloves: Racer High Speed
Jeans: Alpinestars Pro Demin Copper
Boots: Alpinestars SMX-6 v3

2026 Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory Specs

ENGINE

Type: Parallel twin w/ 270-degree crankshaft
Displacement: 659cc
Bore x stroke: 81 x 63.9mm
Maximum power: 105 horsepower at 10,400 rpm
Maximum torque: 52 lb-ft @ 8400 rpm
Compression ratio: 13.5:1
Intake: EFI w/ two 52mm throttle bodies
Valvetrain: DOHC, 4vpc
Transmission: 6-speed w/ quickshifter
Clutch: Wet multiplate w/ slipper function
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS

Frame: Twin-spar aluminum w/ aluminum subframe
Front suspension; travel: Fully adjustable Öhlins inverted 43mm fork; 4.3 inches
Rear suspension; travel: Cantilevered fully adjustable Öhlins STX 46 piggyback-reservoir shock; 5.1 inches
Wheels: Aluminum
Front wheel: 17 x 3.5
Rear wheel: 17. X 5.5
Tires: Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV
Front tire: 120/70 x 17
Rear tire: 180/55 x 17
Front brakes: 320mm discs w/ 4-piston radially mounted Brembo calipers, radial master cylinder, and steel-braided lines
Rear brake: 220mm disc w/ 2-piston Brembo caliper w/ steel-braided line
ABS: Cornering aware