The Italian factory is celebrating its middleweight sportsbike’s success in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup 2021 with a special Limited Edition version.
The RS660 powered Kaleb De Keyrel to five race wins, and at the end of the season the Robem Engineering team rider was crowned champion. To make the achievement even greater, the championship was won during the RS660’s first time of competing. A total of 1500 units of the mid-sized sportsbike will be produced with a special stars and stripes livery.
The colour scheme is closely derived from the special graphics on the bike that the Twins Cup champion, Kaleb De Keyrel, rode in the race at Vallelunga for the final round of the Aprilia RS660 Trophy, where Kaleb had been invited to participate as a reward for his victory on American soil. A badge located on the fuel tank bears the progressive number of the bike and indicates the limited edition of 1500 units of the RS660 Limited Edition.
Standard equipment includes single-seat tail-fairing cover (the pillion seat comes with the bike, which is still approved for two-up riding), oversized top fairing, and quickshifter that can be configured as a race-style upside-down gearbox. Just a few months after making its début in the U.S.A. on the Big Sur circuit in California – ridden by Pikes Peak record holder Rennie Scaysbrook – the Aprilia RS660 was the immediate protagonist of a thrilling sports story. Approved just in time for the beginning of the 2021 Twins Cup, the Italian twin-cylinder took the top three spots straightaway in the opening race on the Road Atlanta circuit.
It was a blinding start, and in some ways unexpected, followed by a winning streak: 10 total wins out of 13 races held, plus another 16 podiums (nine second places and seven third places) and six pole positions. That first extraordinary one-two-three was followed by others, on the historic Laguna Seca circuit and in both of the races held in New Jersey.
Five of the 10 total wins were achieved by Kaleb De Keyrel, crowned Twins Cup 2021 champion astride his Aprilia RS660 prepared by the Robem Engineering team. The other victories were credited to Jody Barry, Cory Ventura, Anthony Mazziotto (two wins) and Tommaso Marcon.
The Aprilia RS660 therefore confirmed its status as a versatile bike, able to win on extremely different circuits and with riders who have different riding styles. Price and availability have yet to be confirmed. For more details, visit the Aprilia website.
Aprilia’s Tuono 660 Factory
Aprilia’s Factory bikes are all about high-quality components, big power figures and low weight. Aprilia’s Tuono 660 Factory is no exception. The Tuono 660 Factory boasts more sophisticated suspension (Kayaba forks and Sachs shock, both fully adjustable) than the stock bike.
It also has better weight/power ratio with the kerb weight now 181kg, and peak performance from the 660cc twin up 5hp from the standard Tuono 660, now at 100hp. Torque figure remains at 67Nm. The Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory delivers in terms of tech, too: it offers a full suite of electronic controls with a Ride-by-Wire electronic throttle and six-axis inertial platform as standard.
There’s traction, wheelie and cruise control; quickshifter; cornering ABS; adjustable engine braking and engine mapping; customisable ride modes; and cornering headlight. Availability and pricing is still to be confirmed at the time of writing.