Adventure bikes are two-wheeled SUVs. There is very little you cannot do with them, and that is by design. They are overengineered, because manufacturers know that these customers will ride to far-flung places with little habitation and support, so a breakdown has bigger than usual consequences.
There are also adventure bikes that occupy niches – some are barely-disguised rally raid bikes, while others are tourers that want to play in the dirt. Whatever the case, there’s so much choice that there’s an adventure bike out there for everyone.
Confidence Is Key
If you talk to racers, they’ll tell you that confidence is a necessary component of everything they do. It’s not measurable in any visible way, but a driver without confidence loses time on every lap. We might not race around corners at full tilt, but confidence is also key on our road-going bikes. You’ll never enjoy riding a motorcycle that doesn’t inspire confidence, and with an adventure bike, that lack of confidence could prevent you from having the trip of a lifetime.
The Aprilia Tuareg Rally Is The Most Confidence-Inspiring Adventure Bike In Its Class
That is why choosing the right adventure bike, one that inspires confidence, is so important. It needs to be capable, reliable, and fun. The Aprilia Tuareg Rally is all these things and then some. This platform has been around for five years now, and the engine has been around since 2020.
The Tuareg Rally itself was launched just two years ago, but it is fundamentally just different engine mapping and suspension rates compared to the standard Tuareg, so you can depend on it. With its mature platform, great off-road ability, and segment-leading electronics suite, the Aprilia Tuareg Rally is the most confidence-inspiring adventure bike in its class.
The Premium Price Is Justified
The Tuareg is a 660 cc middleweight, which puts it somewhere near the bottom of the segment when it comes to displacement. With the Rally version, you’re going to have to pay a premium, but even so, it doesn’t cost as much as some of the premium models in the segment. Its price of $13,999 includes everything – the accessories list is extremely short and has items like luggage and an adjustable license plate mounting kit on it.
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Software Changes, But The Same Hardware In The Engine
The Tuareg Rally does not have anything different mechanically from the standard Tuareg. This is a 659 cc, 270-degree parallel twin engine that we first saw in the RS660 but tuned differently for the Tuareg. Here, it makes a full 20 percent less power than the sport bike, with 80 horsepower at 9,250 RPM and 70 Nm (51.6 pound-feet) at 6,500 RPM.
This is sent through a six-speed gearbox with an assist and slipper clutch and a two-way quickshifter, both standard features. The Tuareg Rally has throttle response that is snappier than the standard one, to help it behave better off-road. That should help it clear obstacles or kick out the rear more easily, both of which are standard techniques for off-road riding.
Changed Suspension Settings, Different Wheels And Tires Here
The Tuareg Rally has the same steel trellis frame as the standard Tuareg – it even has the same travel as the standard bike, at 9.5 inches. The front suspension is a 43 mm inverted Kayaba fork, while the rear is a progressive link-type single shock. The suspension is fully adjustable at both ends.
A unique feature is the single-rate springs, which aren’t usually seen on modern bikes because they can be uncomfortable. In the case of the Tuareg Rally, it is clear that it is an adventure bike designed to be ridden hard off-road, so the springs are designed for it to take and land jumps. This means that it won’t be as comfortable as the regular Tuareg at regular speeds.
The brakes are the same, with twin 300 mm discs in the front with axial two-piston floating calipers each from Brembo, and a 260 mm rear disc also with a Brembo caliper. Braided brake hoses are present as well. The wheels are a 21/18 inch spoke rim set, but unlike the regular Tuareg, these Ergal rims are made of aerospace-grade aluminum, and do not support tubeless tires. Speaking of which, aggressive Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires are fitted to the Tuareg Rally.
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A Higher-Riding Tuareg Because Of The Suspension
The Tuareg Rally sits higher than the standard bike because of the stiffer suspension. The seat height is a tall 35.9 inches. It is just as long as the standard Tuareg, at 87.4 inches long, 38 inches wide, and with a wheelbase of 60 inches. A 4.7-gallon fuel tank is quite standard, and it weighs a really light 439 pounds. The SC Project exhaust is unique to the Rally and helps cut a full ten pounds from the curb weight.
APRC Electronics Suite Is One Of The Highlights
We know that Aprilia has some of the best electronics features available in whatever segment it chooses to be present in, and it is no different here. The window into the APRC suite is a five-inch TFT display with Bluetooth and navigation capability. Along with a by-wire throttle and six-axis IMU, you get access to a host of different settings.
They include four ride modes, cornering traction control, cornering engine brake, cornering and switchable ABS, and cruise control. The cornering ABS has three selectable levels of intervention, and rear wheel lift mitigation is present as well.
Other features include a much better aluminum engine skid plate, a longer kickstand because of the increased height, and a chain guide. Only a single Dakar-inspired colorway is available, and it includes a larger windscreen, better hand guards, and a rally-style front fender. All of these are standard features on the Tuareg Rally.
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One Competitor Stands Out Among The Rest
The Tuareg Rally occupies a niche – it is the only affordable European middleweight adventure motorcycle that is optimized for off-road usage. If money isn’t a problem, then you could look at the KTM 890 Adventure R ($16,299) or the Husqvarna Norden 901 Expedition ($16,999). The Ducati DesertX Rally is technically a middleweight, but its $23,995 asking price is way too steep to consider realistically. There are Japanese middleweight adventure bikes like the Honda Transalp ($9,999) and Suzuki V-Strom 800DE ($11,799) but neither is truly designed to be an off-road specific model.
There is a recently-launched middleweight ADV that can truly take the fight to the Tuareg Rally, and that is the Yamaha Tenere 700 World Raid. This retails for $12,999, so it is $1,000 cheaper than the Aprilia. It has similar changes over the standard Tenere 700 – suspension with longer travel single-rate springs, a total fuel capacity of 6.1 gallons in two fuel tanks, and a steering damper. It doesn’t have the electronic complexity of the Tuareg Rally, so it appeals to a slightly different customer but performs the same function.
Source: Aprilia USA