Designed, developed and (mostly) built in Italy, Aprilia has launched two new Euro4 125cc bikes, perfect for younger riders, commuters, and enthusiasts of smaller capacity machines. Aprilia think that the bikes are two of the best on the market in terms of design, construction and technical features – and after being lucky enough to ride them both on a track out in Germany; I’d be inclined to agree.
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Aprilia RS125
The new 2017 Aprilia RS125 is inspired directly by Aprilia’s flagship superbike, the RSV4. Like it’s big brother, the RS125 is equipped with a sleek, aerodynamic fairing, a triple headlight, and a unique aluminium frame, to help reduce weight and improve agility and handling. And, let’s be honest, it looks awesome.
Superbike styling and technology
There’s no denying, the Aprilia RS 125 looks like it’s designed for the track. It has forward mounted semi-handlebars, set-back footpegs, a saddle-fuel tank, and a racing inspired exhaust. It’s equipped with solid upside-down front forks, while the rear suspension is a racing-derived monoshock (sadly, not adjustable). The braking system uses a has a 300mm disc on the front, which is assisted by Bosch single-channel ABS, and a 220mm disc on the rear.
As a consequence, the riding position is really quite sporty encouraging you to lean over the tank, and it feels really capable when being thrown into corners at speed. While the ABS assisted brakes are more than capable of slowing you up, safely, and quickly.
Engine
The beating heart of the Aprilia RS 125 is a modern 125 cc single-cylinder, DOHC 4-Stroke, 4-Valve electronic injection engine with liquid cooling, and is compatible with an aftermarket Aprilia Quick Shift.
There’s enough grunt to get the bike up to speed pretty quickly, even if you do have to be quite aggressive with the throttle and move through the gears quite quickly – it’ll sit quite comfortably at 60mph, and is capable of getting up to around 75mph, so should be perfect for the city, out on country roads, or on the track.
Equipment
Even the instruments are racing inspired: from the analogue rev counter to the multi-function digital display, which allows you to flick between multiple readings (including a 20 lap stopwatch).
The bike also allows connectivity between the bike and your smartphone, with the help of an additional Aprilia accessory. The latest version of the RS125 also boasts (according to Aprilia) the largest storage compartment in the 125cc motorcycle market, a space that can hold and charge 6″ tablet.
Should I buy one?
Although not the most comfortable motorcycle (it’s a sportsbike) on the market, if you have an A1 license, and you’re yearning for sporty motorcycle that will allow you to build confidence out on the road, you should definitely test ride the new RS125.
It’s available in three designs, Silver Speed, Black Speed and a limited edition racing colour scheme.
Specification
Aprilia RS125
Engine 124.2cc, four-stroke, DOHC, electronic injected, liquid cooled
Seat Height 820mm
Contact aprilia.com/uk
Price £4699
License A1
O2W Rating 4/5
Aprilia Tuono 125
Aprilia’s new Tuono 125 for 2017, the little brother of the unbelievably popular Tuono V4 1100 naked sportsbike – shares many of the same components, specifications and features as the new, sporty RS125, but comes in a completely different package.
The same, but different
It is powered by the same 124cc DOHC single-cylinder four-stroke engine as the RS125, and also comes installation-ready for Aprilia’s Quick Shift system. Like the RS, the Tuono is Euro4 compliant, and as a consequence comes with ABS as standard – it has the same braking set-up, the same suspension. So although, much is the same to the RS125, the Tuono has some fantastic unique features, which help it stand apart.
Ride
The Tuono is much more comfortable than the RS125 – its wide and high handlebars offer a much more upright riding position, and yet it’s still really agile, offering great handling, and offered pretty impressive performance on the track. Although it has the same engine as the RS, it’s not quite as quick, due to the greater wind resistance from being sat upright (I managed to get up to about 65mph), but it’s really comfortable in traffic, and would be perfect for riding through the city, or out and about on country road. It’s also worth noting that at full lean, I was scraping the footpegs on the tarmac – although, it is slightly lower than the RS though, so if you’re a shorter rider, you shouldn’t have a problem climbing aboard.
Equipment
The Tuono has a really quite impressive fuel capacity of 14 litres (Aprilia told me that it’s the biggest on the market, for this capacity). It also comes with a pretty comfortable two-up saddle, built-in passenger grab rails, a spacious locking compartment, and the same hi-tech analogue and digital dashboard as the RS125.
Should I buy one?
I was really impressed by the Tuono, I found it really comfortable, responsive, agile and pretty quick for a 125cc bike – and it looks great too. So, if you’re after a naked sportsbike that you can ride on an A1 license, you could do a lot worse than the new Aprilia Tuono 125.
It’s available in a couple of colour schemes, either, Aprilia Red or Grey.
Specification
Aprilia Tuono 125
Engine 124.2 cc, four-stroke, DOHC, electronic injected, liquid cooled
Seat Height 810mm
Contact aprilia.com/uk
Price £4599
License AM
O2W Rating 4/5
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