When we look at Aprilia’s lineup, it is surprisingly sparse. The brand has only a pair of models with its V4 engine, and another pair with its 900cc v-twin. Four bikes – that’s it.
The revised middleweights – the Shiver 900 and Dorsoduro 900 – debuted in 2017, bringing some refinements to the lackluster 750cc machines that they replaced. The 900cc bikes are not the stars in Aprilia’s lineup though, and they struggle to sell at Aprilia dealerships, but they have a tremendous amount of potential.
We say this because it always felt like Aprilia could have done more with the engine platforms available to the Italian brand. A long-travel suspension adventure-sport makes a ton of sense for the V4 platform, and today we see what could be done with the v-twin platform.
The inspiration comes from Italian designer Oberdan Bezzi, who imagines a 900cc dual-sport machine.
Dubbed the Aprilia Tuareg 900, the bike is along the same vein as the BMW F850GS Adventure, Yamaha Ténéré 700 (if it ever becomes available), and the KTM 790 Adventure.
The concept from Bezzi looks the part, and we have to say we are intrigued. The bike looks like it could blast down trails, and drips with all the feels of an off-roader.
The Shiver platform from Aprilia has always been a bit on the heavy side, and it tips the scales at 480 lbs at the curb. Not exactly a criminal weight for the segment, but we have seen from KTM that the middleweight ADV category can push weights closer to 450 lbs with success.
With the 900cc v-twin engine putting out 93hp, along with 66 lbs•ft of torque, the spec sheet makes a strong argument for such a machine. The question though, do the sales from the 900cc lineup justify another edition?
Also, about that long-travel suspension Tuono V4 though…
Source: Oberdan Bezzi
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