I am utterly bias, but the Tuareg is an awesome trail motorcycle once the OEM tyres are swapped out, and even with more dirt focussed tyres fitted, it is still a lotta fun on the tarmac twisties too. Have had mine over a year now, and mainly trail ride it, although over winter it has been my main ride on tarmac, covered around 4,500 miles now and only negatives of my time on the bike are not the bikes fault... The bars are too tall and wide for me (I'm short and also have a shoulder injury), the seat is a bit tall for me, especially on the trails, but it is still better than the T7 in that regard, the standard tyres are no good on UK green lanes, but more dirt focussed tyres can cause stability issues at speed on tarmac, especially in slipstreams of large vehicals or high wind... but tyres are always a compromise, so I have to accept that on any bike. Other than that, I can't see me trading it in for anything else on the market currently. Aprilia made a wonderful adventure motorcycle with the "Toe-Rag" Tuareg 660, it'd be great to see more out there on the trails and tarmac!
@@TheDennzio is that what you got from my comment? Tyres will always compromise a motorcycle in one bias or another... you just need to find the balance that suits your needs best.
Two items, is the bike sprung for your weight? I had to spring it for my 111kg. And the fully adjustable suspension can be quickly changed before pulling out of the garage and hitting the twisties or trail. Love the Tuareg! Great review - Thank you
What would be good at the end of these long-term test would be. How many miles did it cover. How much scheduled service time did it require, what did this cost and how good was the dealer What unscheduled service/repair did it require, what did it cost and how good was the dealer. How long was it off the road for unscheduled repairs/parts replacement. Anyone can ride along, wave their arms about and tell you about the brum brum noise., but only a long-term rider can tell you how good the bike is as an ownership proposition.
How do you have a motorcycle for a year and you don't even know what the four ride modes are? Explore, Urban, individual, off road. Explorer is set up with throttle setting to which is the middle of the three different levels that you get. Urban is set up at 3 which is the lowest level that you get. Individual and off-road can be set up to whatever you want and I personally keep individual setup for maximum throttle response but with traction control and abs and then off-road mode with maximum throttle response with rear ABS off and minimal traction control. However on-the-fly I can use the cruise control switch to bring it to a completely off for traction control
Great realistic review - and I agree with @hippodrones below. It is tiptop for dirt work, and also, now that I am currently living in Europe, great for road riding. For the next 12 months I will be mostly touring and so have bought an air hawk seat and a taller Puig screen. With some suspension adjustments, good to go - the standard tyres are fine on the road. When we get back to dirt focussed riding, these will be taken off, the suspension adjusted for dirt riding and proper tyres fitted....as easy as it gets!.....and yeah, the electronics are amazing. Altho I cannot get a good range out of the tank.....some tell me its the throttle positioning I employ, but even so, I would like better. Anyway, will take some spare fuel with me soon and run her dry, to see if my guage is a little out of whack...FUN is the word for this bike, FUN.
Guys common “…the bark out of that exhaust….people will be able to hear you coming….brilliant…” proceeds to accelerate and what we only hear is the INDUCTION noise coming from the airbox right in front the rider… You’re a motorcycle channel, not an advert. such amateur mistakes do not warrant a subscribe from enthusiasts
What is the aprilia like compared to the husqvarna norden 901 expedition? They have similar suspension travel, the aprilia is lighter, but the Husqvarna has the low center of gravity fuel tank. Which one feels more agile, and how do they perform under high payload ?
Second comment further in the video. Yes it does have grab rails even without the luggage. There's little cutouts underneath the seat. I like what y'all are talking about and I agree with a lot of what you're saying but if you're going to be doing a detailed review like this you might want to have these make sure what you're saying is accurate.
Overly positive review, I own the bike, with no word any of the problems have been mentioned, why even bother with such videos, there is no point, could listen to a Aprilia sales person to get the same talking points.
@ gammabyte Overly negative comment, I don't own the bike, you complain about problems but mention none. Why even bother with such comments, there is no point, could read an Aprilia hater to get the same talking points.
@@brucekendall52 I know the long-term tester at MCN was off-the-road for a while waiting for parts...and when the importer knows that it's a press bike in that situation and can't get the parts to fix it that indicates a shocking state of affairs. I'd be flying parts from the factory or pulling the part off another bike...anything than have a journalist say: "This broke and the importer can't get the bits to fix it" I've heard the UK importer only does a factory spares order once a quarter! I've got an old Aprilia myself, and owned another previously, and they are great bikes, but it doesn't matter how good it its if you can't ride it. I elected to stick with my old KTM 950 because of the MCN farce.
@@vice7881 completely wrong, mate. My Aprilia dealer here in Germany told me that they had to replace all engines on the 660 RS and Tuono due to catastrophic failure. It is the same engine as in the Tuareg (other mapping etc ). Well, that does not bode well in terms of longterm reliability. The dealer also sells Kawasaki. They never had issues with the Kawas they sold. I tested the Tuareg. It is a fantastic bike with an addictive induction sound. But many parts on the bike seem very cheap. The bike of the dealer already looked washed after 4000 km. I have an Africa Twin. Quality is on another level. Not even close...Since 2020 I have ridden almost 40000 km on my 1100 AT. Zero issues. Bike looks new. Think again. Aprilia will never match Honda in terms of quality and reliability.
@@vice7881 longterm tests on other Aprilia bikes were also not really confidence inspiring. The German magazine MOTORRAD conducts detailed longterm tests...
I have watched so many TH-cam videos comparing the Aprilia Taureg 660 to the Yamaha Tenere 700, and nobody has mentioned how both bikes were designed in Italy, which at least partially explains their similarities, but the Yamaha is mostly produced in Japan largely by robots, and the Touareg is produced in Italy, largely by hand.
I thought the engine was a huge disappointment. The bike felt full sized as you said (pretty similar to the Triumph Tiger 900, I thought) but it could do with a fair bit more power.
Terrible audio that is hard to hear unless is very high, then is too much when red head speaker speaks up. He is the problem by varying his volume too much instead of being consistent. I won't subscribe
on paper, it seems quite a bang for the buck vs Tenere. However, as adv bikes just have to be reliable if used properly (TET, overlanding etc), i will always opt for the simpler more reliable bike. in this case itll be the T7. Most of tenere owners have a similar mindset, hence it is quite important to mention how reliable is the Tuareg? i have read many quality issues online from leaks to stutters and so on, in addition to lack of dealerships and parts. Listening to this review, there absolutely no scrutiny or criticism, besides the obvious 2 up high speed overtake on an 80 bhp bike.
the build quality of Aprilia is top high end. it's not a 1980s Fiat. All these "quality issues" you talk about are common to all brands (hello KTM, hello Honda???)
@@vice7881 am sorry, but correct if am wrong. Aprilia isnt really a brand synonymous with reliability or quality so far. Expensive, fun, exotic, performance etc yes. Tuono 660 is riddled with reliability issues. Tuareg owners reported some as well (google it).
@@vice7881 completely wrong, mate. My Aprilia dealer here in Germany told me that they had to replace all engines on the 660 RS and Tuono due to catastrophic failure. It is the same engine as in the Tuareg (other mapping etc.). Well, that does not bode well in terms of longterm reliability. The dealer also sells Kawasaki. They never had issues with the Kawas they sold. I tested the Tuareg. It is a fantastic bike with an addictive induction sound. But many parts on the bike seem very cheap. The bike of the dealer already looked washed after 4000 km. I have an Africa Twin. Quality is on another level. Not even close...Since 2020 I have ridden almost 40000 km on my 1100 AT. Zero issues. Bike looks new. Think again. Aprilia will never match Honda in terms of quality and reliability.
The bike is a keeper. Aprilia has a soul..
but isnt a bmw will lose half price value after a year
@@felixlechat1780who cares if you keep it and enjoy it for life! I am doing so with my Aprilia, couldn’t care less about resale value.
I am utterly bias, but the Tuareg is an awesome trail motorcycle once the OEM tyres are swapped out, and even with more dirt focussed tyres fitted, it is still a lotta fun on the tarmac twisties too. Have had mine over a year now, and mainly trail ride it, although over winter it has been my main ride on tarmac, covered around 4,500 miles now and only negatives of my time on the bike are not the bikes fault... The bars are too tall and wide for me (I'm short and also have a shoulder injury), the seat is a bit tall for me, especially on the trails, but it is still better than the T7 in that regard, the standard tyres are no good on UK green lanes, but more dirt focussed tyres can cause stability issues at speed on tarmac, especially in slipstreams of large vehicals or high wind... but tyres are always a compromise, so I have to accept that on any bike.
Other than that, I can't see me trading it in for anything else on the market currently.
Aprilia made a wonderful adventure motorcycle with the "Toe-Rag" Tuareg 660, it'd be great to see more out there on the trails and tarmac!
Amen
sounds like lots of compromise
@@TheDennzio is that what you got from my comment? Tyres will always compromise a motorcycle in one bias or another... you just need to find the balance that suits your needs best.
Excellent review, looks like a cracking bike
Two items, is the bike sprung for your weight? I had to spring it for my 111kg. And the fully adjustable suspension can be quickly changed before pulling out of the garage and hitting the twisties or trail. Love the Tuareg! Great review - Thank you
What would be good at the end of these long-term test would be.
How many miles did it cover.
How much scheduled service time did it require, what did this cost and how good was the dealer
What unscheduled service/repair did it require, what did it cost and how good was the dealer.
How long was it off the road for unscheduled repairs/parts replacement.
Anyone can ride along, wave their arms about and tell you about the brum brum noise., but only a long-term rider can tell you how good the bike is as an ownership proposition.
@@richardsimpson3792 Totally agree with this, I was disappointed with the lack of detail.
@@MTSElectrical1200
At the beginning he said he'll give more details later.
He never did I guess.
Is it really 3 points on licence if you run out of fuel in UK?! Another benefit of Isle of Man (along with no speed limit😉).
How do you have a motorcycle for a year and you don't even know what the four ride modes are? Explore, Urban, individual, off road. Explorer is set up with throttle setting to which is the middle of the three different levels that you get. Urban is set up at 3 which is the lowest level that you get. Individual and off-road can be set up to whatever you want and I personally keep individual setup for maximum throttle response but with traction control and abs and then off-road mode with maximum throttle response with rear ABS off and minimal traction control. However on-the-fly I can use the cruise control switch to bring it to a completely off for traction control
Great realistic review - and I agree with @hippodrones below. It is tiptop for dirt work, and also, now that I am currently living in Europe, great for road riding. For the next 12 months I will be mostly touring and so have bought an air hawk seat and a taller Puig screen. With some suspension adjustments, good to go - the standard tyres are fine on the road. When we get back to dirt focussed riding, these will be taken off, the suspension adjusted for dirt riding and proper tyres fitted....as easy as it gets!.....and yeah, the electronics are amazing. Altho I cannot get a good range out of the tank.....some tell me its the throttle positioning I employ, but even so, I would like better. Anyway, will take some spare fuel with me soon and run her dry, to see if my guage is a little out of whack...FUN is the word for this bike, FUN.
Guys common “…the bark out of that exhaust….people will be able to hear you coming….brilliant…” proceeds to accelerate and what we only hear is the INDUCTION noise coming from the airbox right in front the rider… You’re a motorcycle channel, not an advert. such amateur mistakes do not warrant a subscribe from enthusiasts
What is the aprilia like compared to the husqvarna norden 901 expedition? They have similar suspension travel, the aprilia is lighter, but the Husqvarna has the low center of gravity fuel tank. Which one feels more agile, and how do they perform under high payload ?
Second comment further in the video. Yes it does have grab rails even without the luggage. There's little cutouts underneath the seat. I like what y'all are talking about and I agree with a lot of what you're saying but if you're going to be doing a detailed review like this you might want to have these make sure what you're saying is accurate.
Own it LOVE IT
This or the new Norden Expedition 902 ? which one
Aprilia. No ktm crap
Overly positive review, I own the bike, with no word any of the problems have been mentioned, why even bother with such videos, there is no point, could listen to a Aprilia sales person to get the same talking points.
Cry cry a river, then build a bridge and get over it! 🤣
@ gammabyte
Overly negative comment, I don't own the bike, you complain about problems but mention none. Why even bother with such comments, there is no point, could read an Aprilia hater to get the same talking points.
Any reliability/parts issues?
This is the biggest question which they don't mention!
@@brucekendall52 they don't mention because there is NO quality issue.
@@brucekendall52 I know the long-term tester at MCN was off-the-road for a while waiting for parts...and when the importer knows that it's a press bike in that situation and can't get the parts to fix it that indicates a shocking state of affairs.
I'd be flying parts from the factory or pulling the part off another bike...anything than have a journalist say: "This broke and the importer can't get the bits to fix it"
I've heard the UK importer only does a factory spares order once a quarter!
I've got an old Aprilia myself, and owned another previously, and they are great bikes, but it doesn't matter how good it its if you can't ride it.
I elected to stick with my old KTM 950 because of the MCN farce.
@@vice7881 completely wrong, mate. My Aprilia dealer here in Germany told me that they had to replace all engines on the 660 RS and Tuono due to catastrophic failure. It is the same engine as in the Tuareg (other mapping etc ). Well, that does not bode well in terms of longterm reliability. The dealer also sells Kawasaki. They never had issues with the Kawas they sold.
I tested the Tuareg. It is a fantastic bike with an addictive induction sound. But many parts on the bike seem very cheap. The bike of the dealer already looked washed after 4000 km. I have an Africa Twin. Quality is on another level. Not even close...Since 2020 I have ridden almost 40000 km on my 1100 AT. Zero issues. Bike looks new. Think again. Aprilia will never match Honda in terms of quality and reliability.
@@vice7881 longterm tests on other Aprilia bikes were also not really confidence inspiring. The German magazine MOTORRAD conducts detailed longterm tests...
Come on! Seat height in millimetres and then gives his height in feet! Come on gentlemen. Start thinking about your international market.
Great video and very good review!
INDEED 100% AGREE
I DID 10.000KM (10 MONTH°) ON THE tUAREG
TI THE NEXT 10.000 KM !
Seat height 86 cm unfortunately not all of us 6foot tall 😂 what the minimum height we can get it down to?
Great review and local too, Where's the ford and the green lanes please?
Is the Tuareg going to be available for test ride at the ABRF?
👍👍👍👍
There are concealed grab handles under the seat ...
I have watched so many TH-cam videos comparing the Aprilia Taureg 660 to the Yamaha Tenere 700, and nobody has mentioned how both bikes were designed in Italy, which at least partially explains their similarities, but the Yamaha is mostly produced in Japan largely by robots, and the Touareg is produced in Italy, largely by hand.
What about the over heating problem I hear the motor get some really hot
I thought the engine was a huge disappointment. The bike felt full sized as you said (pretty similar to the Triumph Tiger 900, I thought) but it could do with a fair bit more power.
i found the Aprilia sluggish...was a bit lacking
granted...i had just got done testing a Ducati Desert X which is a rocket
@@freedomsnotfree7935 Similar here; my daily rider is a KTM 890AR - slightly less power than the DesertX but feels as quick, if not quicker.
Terrible audio that is hard to hear unless is very high, then is too much when red head speaker speaks up. He is the problem by varying his volume too much instead of being consistent. I won't subscribe
on paper, it seems quite a bang for the buck vs Tenere. However, as adv bikes just have to be reliable if used properly (TET, overlanding etc), i will always opt for the simpler more reliable bike. in this case itll be the T7. Most of tenere owners have a similar mindset, hence it is quite important to mention how reliable is the Tuareg? i have read many quality issues online from leaks to stutters and so on, in addition to lack of dealerships and parts.
Listening to this review, there absolutely no scrutiny or criticism, besides the obvious 2 up high speed overtake on an 80 bhp bike.
the build quality of Aprilia is top high end. it's not a 1980s Fiat. All these "quality issues" you talk about are common to all brands (hello KTM, hello Honda???)
@@vice7881 am sorry, but correct if am wrong. Aprilia isnt really a brand synonymous with reliability or quality so far. Expensive, fun, exotic, performance etc yes. Tuono 660 is riddled with reliability issues. Tuareg owners reported some as well (google it).
How easy is it to service? (Either things you can do yourself, such as oil and air filter) or availability of dealers?
@@hcoetzee1634 I'm finding it super easy to service - oil, air filters are both very accessible and easy to change.
@@vice7881 completely wrong, mate. My Aprilia dealer here in Germany told me that they had to replace all engines on the 660 RS and Tuono due to catastrophic failure. It is the same engine as in the Tuareg (other mapping etc.). Well, that does not bode well in terms of longterm reliability. The dealer also sells Kawasaki. They never had issues with the Kawas they sold.
I tested the Tuareg. It is a fantastic bike with an addictive induction sound. But many parts on the bike seem very cheap. The bike of the dealer already looked washed after 4000 km. I have an Africa Twin. Quality is on another level. Not even close...Since 2020 I have ridden almost 40000 km on my 1100 AT. Zero issues. Bike looks new. Think again. Aprilia will never match Honda in terms of quality and reliability.