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Ride test: Brutale vs. Tuono R vs. RSV Factory

6K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  oicdn 
#1 ·
Well, I got to ride all 3 today. There was a demo ride and I rode a Factory, a Tuono R and a regular Mille RSV. Since the RSV rode identically except for a SLIGHT turn in advantage, I won't list it. All Aprilias were 06 models.

Lets get started!

Ergonomics:

Tuono
The Tuono is much like the Brutale in the sitting position and windblast is well, SLIGHTLY less, because of it's windscreen. But you still get the full windblast effect. The Touno though, getting it off it's kickstand SUCKED. The bike has a short kickstand, and well, it's a TALL SOB. I have a 35in inseam, and I was BARELY sitting flat-footed. That, and it felt HEAVY...really heavy. It was also very piggy feeling in terms of it just sitting there. It was wide, heavy and the bars felt wider than the Brutes!!!

The exhaust also got hot around my right ankle/leg. I dunno what that was all about, but the rearsets are also a tad higher than the Brutales. Kinda wierd since the Brutales are already moderately high for a naked.

The seat was also very flat, and unconforming like the Brutale. It also had sharp edges, that after a moderate ride, would hurt....

The positive I have about the bike is the turnsignals and actual ergos them selves. They were nicely placed and at a much more forgiveable position than the Brutes. It was much easier to reach the turnsignals, horm, starter, etc on the Tuono. Also, there's a HUGE groove on the tuoino above the signal switch, so your thumb will naturally wanna goto the signal switch. Pretty neat.

RSV Factory
Man, the ergos on this bike SUCK. Riding it around made me hurt, even more than an F4. The seat was OK, but the clip-ons were at a wierd angle. I felt like I was reaching fairly far away...although, not as aggressive as an F4 or Duc, the clip-on positioning made it a really uncomfy bike.

The heat...christ, not even an underseat exhaust and I was cooking my ass and front crotch near the tank. It was seriously hot. BOTH legs were getting cooked. On a hot summer day...it would suck.

The windscreen positioning isn't that great...it blows right to your neck and makes your head bobble around, also, it partially blocks the gauges and you can't see through it if you are infact tucked.

It felt lots lighter than the tuono though. The kickstand also made the bike stand more upright.

Performance:

Tuono

I must say, I was a bit let down. All reviews say the 06 is a beast.... :jerkoff: I went feathery on my first corner exit and felt nothing. I GASSED THE CRAP OUTTA HER on my 2nd and although quick, she wasn't as beasty as was hyped IMO. It did leave you wanting more.... The powerband however, especially for a twin is BUTTER SMOOTH. There's a little hiccup at 4K, but otherwise, a PC3 would be a waste. It has the smoothness of a 4, but the grunt of a twin....but still, I was expecting more from the Tuono with all it's reviews.

The brakes are FABULOUS. I normally don't dig on/off brakes, but those brembos are no joke and will definitly put you on your face.

The suspension...meh...nothing positive or negative, on par with the Brute, but not quite as stiff or responsive....

RSV Factory

Now this is where this bike shines. Turn in was awesome. It will hold a line, dare I say, better than the Brutale. Maybe it was the Super Corsas on it, but damn it could rail like somethin fierce. The Ohlins, Iw as going over some fairly shady and scary bumps, but it soaked them up MUCH MUCH better than the Brutale. I honestly hardly felt the bumps, and it just grabbed. It was what made that bike.

The performance...god....I was melting. It can GO!!!!!! I mean, the power delivery is so smooth. No hiccups, no flat spots, at any RPM above 2K....it surges, HARD. It can power wheelie 1st, 2nd, and float 3rd if you lean back.

But the negatives...this bike is an absolute HOG on slow stuff. It has a SLOW turn in, it's fairly tall, and well, the clutch movement is so small and far out, you have to feather first gear a TON. It will buck you around without feathering the gas and clutch. But you don't buy that bike to go slow. But it takes a couple runs through the gears to get used to that absolutely horrible clutch...



Both bikes though, has this problem of a SHITTY, I mean SHITTY gear box. Not shit in the fact that it engaged or whatnot, but Nuetral is a bit hard to find as the light on the dash is a bit delayed, and there's no positive feedback on the shift lever...AT ALL. On an MV, you have feedback, you know it clicks in, and you can feel resistance on your lever as well as some positive resistance...the good kind, kinda like a spring feeling. On both the Tuono and RSVs, it was like it was a dummy lever and you could only tell you shifted, by the bike actually going into a lower RPM and feeling the tranny CLICK as well as your foot not moving the lever any more. The lever was just ghostly feeling....it was definitly odd. Maybe not a negative aspect, but I sure as hell didn't like how empty it felt.



All in all, I was very disappointed. Essentially, it felt like I was on a japanese bike with a bonkers and refined motor. It was SMOOTH, and had nice power, but everything else still felt cheap and well, not as refined. A Duc has a twin, is brute raw vtwin power, but it still feels refined. The Tuono and RSVs, felt like a Lexus. It's nice and all...but it's still japanese, and you know it. It's still no Bentley...

It's wierd how it's my B-Day and this day was here. Exactly one year from when I bought my Brutale, and these were THE VERY BIKES I was debating on against the Brutale. I hopped back on the Brutale to ride home...there's no place like home.... :f4:
 

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#2 ·
Interesting writeup. I've got an 04 tuono which I'm keeping but plan on getting a brutale in the near future. Sat on a brutale today for the first time, had the same feeling about the brutale that you had about the tuono, the gas tank on the mv felt incredibly broad, almost like on my 95 duc 900 ss.

Also found the seating position on the brute very cramped for my legs, that said it'll make an ideal around town bike for me and the tuono will continue to serve as my distance bike. Aprilia must have changed the gearbox in some way, that's one thing that really impressed me about the two milles I've owned and the present tuono, sweet and smooth, perhaps the bikes weren't fully broken in yet. Aprilias are far better after 3-5k miles. Also, in stock tune with pipe, my tuono ran like crap, new pipe and chip transformed her.

The other thing that impressed me about the brute, fit and finish was superb compared to ducs and prillers. I'll be very happy with one, just debating on 910 or 750.
 
#4 ·
Well Brutale tank feels wide, but not at where your legs are. It is very wide above your knees though. It's still a slim bike, IMO. The Tuono felt wide period.

I dunno. I just felt yearning for more after getting off the Tuono, seeing as how the British and US rags absolutely love the bike, but personally, it was a fun ride, but nothing breath taking like the Brutale or F4. The motor was smooth, there was no "twin vibration" and it had grunt, but like I said, with the magazines raving about it as much as they do, maybe Iw as just expecting more coming out of turns. I tried exiting at 3K, 4K and 6K...and still, I always felt wanting more. I gassed the crap outta her on straights and wondered where all the hype was, as my Brute seems a little crazier...the shifter lever thing kinda upset me a bit too.

The RSV Factory was fun, and after I got used to the clutch after about 20 minutes, it was fun to ride, but it cooked my crotch and legs. That turned me off alot. If it were hotter outside, I wouldn't even want to ride it, no matter how fun it was. The 1st gear feathering made me feel really noobie with how crap my take-offs were. Other wise, the bike is a blast to ride. I don't think I'de take the factory though. It's price premium isn't worth it IMO....I didn't really notice much of a difference, other than the color of parts, lol.

Just goes to show, take the magazine reviews(and possibly this one) with a grain of salt. I went in expecting the best naked money could buy and was sorely disappointed in every aspect except front brakes, and that's an easy fix with just pad swap on the Brutale. The Brutale 750 wipes the Tuono floor all day long IMO, I can only imagine the more torquey 910, or 910R....I dunno how Aprilia won the Masterbike, honestly....
 
#6 ·
I dunno. All the bikes tested were Aprilia factory test bikes. The bikes came off an Aprilia trailer and all.

The gear box is wierd, when I asked the reps about it, they seemed to not know what I was talking about. I dunno, maybe I'm just so used to the positive feedback of this lever, it just feels precise and stiff, as opposed to vague and light. I dunno, I just like the feel of our gearbox much more....some people may like how easy and ghost-like it is.
 
#8 ·
The whole bike felt kinda big. Maybe it's just that I'm so used to the Brutale's size, that all bikes feel huge. I don't like that feeling anymore. I LOVE the size of the Brute.
 
#9 ·
Hey there.

FWIW I had an Aprilia Falco (same engine as Mille/Tuono, maybe a bit detuned) which I LOVED. Shifted great, among everything else. All it needed was a Ohlins rear shock to make the bike super fun for 9-hour canyon-carving days. With pipes and a chip it dyno'd at 112RWHP and 70 FT/LB of torque. VERY user friendly power. I loved that bike for more than 20k miles, until I flipped it on the racetrack :-(

My Brutale 910S has to rev up a bit more for the kind of power I am used to (Ducati and Aprilia twins) but I DO like it too of course. Not wild about the abrupt on/off throttle lurch. Maybe it's "operator error" but I find it hard to acclimate to, so far.

I would certainly consider another Aprilia Falco. ALWAYS reliable and always a true pleasure to ride.

YMMV :) Ride Well!

Gabriel
2006 Brutale 910S
2004 Triuph Tiger
2001 Yammy YZF426 (plated)
 
#11 ·
Speed triple I did like... It was a fun ride....I don't remember much about it cause it's been so long....I do know that I didn't buy one given the chance though :p
 
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