My Aprilia Tuareg 660

[Jeff S]

I've had an XR650L out in west Texas for many years, but the reality is that 12" of suspension travel just isn't getting used that much. And, upgrading comfort on a bike like that only goes so far. it's big out west, so everything is 1 hour away on pavement... totally possible on the XRL, but also kinda loud and tiring, if I'm honest. So - I've left the Dual Sport world in favor of middle-weight ADV.

Why the Tuareg?

I watched a million hours of reviews and did a few borrowed rides on several bikes. I kinda didn't consider the Tuareg when it first came out.. too new and too Italian for west Texas. But it's been a few years now and they seem to be holding up. It appears on paper to have made the right tradeoffs in tech, weight, cost, power, etc for me. Then, AF1 dropped the price a LOT on 'acid gold' 2023 bikes and also threw in a quick shifter gratis. OK - that's a deal maker for me.

Specifically, I liked spoked tubeless wheels (IMO, this is ADV as god intended), cruise control, quick shifter, and actually useful ride modes (two fully customizable for on and offroad, and it remembers all this stuff after turning off and back on) with change-on-the-fly mode button on the right switchgear. Lever on the left switch gear to cycle thru traction control levels, including off. Enough power to still be a hoot on the Twisted Sisters (proven yesterday), but not "next gen supersport" for max power way up near redline (which is 9500, I believe). Fully adjustable suspension that's reviewed very positively. And I happen to live in Austin: the same town as the best Aprilia dealer on the continent.

That's what appealed to me pre-purchase. I'll continue below with reality vs spec sheet and farkeling as that progresses...

 

[Jeff S]

First addition (shown above) are barkbusters and crash bars.

Barkbusters has a model-specific set, but most of the 'how to' videos on youtube show the generic set for straight bars. The install advise for those don't apply to mine - but both options can totally work.

Ignore the in-focus footpeg and pay attention to the out of focus bars. Routing the hangers like shown was a little tight and tricky, needed to loosen and move the grips and levers, but I ended up with lever position and barkbusters right where I want 'em.

Crash Bars

There are many options for this bike, and I went with the local option: T-Rex. They're in Dallas, and that's reason enough for me.

Installation was a piece of cake: four bolts to the frame/engine and two holding the left and right halves together:

The one UNCOOL part of the install was finding a factory-installed part that's less that excellent:

That's the top left mounting point on the bike for the crash bars. You can clearly see the hole was generously enlarged, and then a bit abused during install. I'm 92% sure this was factory and not the guys in Austin. In any case, there's plenty of metal left there to be strong enough, nothing else seems out of alignment, the threaded part was in fine shape. Still, never love finding something like than on a brand new bike.

This is one big advantage of doing farkle installs on your own bike instead of the dealer. Would they have mentioned this if they did the install? Would they maybe have fixed it? Or ignored it like I did? Dunno, but I learn more about the bike thru this process, and that's always better in the long run.

 

[Gravel Guy]

 

[Jeff S]

Next up: wind screen toolless removal screws, to accommodate a little tool bag up there...

Other wizardly Tuareg owners found this perfect unused little spot in front of the 'dash / tower' area that's perfect for a pound or two of tools.

So, the torx screws came out, and these 'thumb screw' versions went in. These thread into removable "windshield fixing bushings" that really should not be so easy to remove. Getting them lined up and held in place, against gravity, while threading those screws in was trouble enough the first time to never want to do it again. A small dab of black Permatex solved that.

I got a different little bag also recommended by the omniscient internet, and I'm accumulating the parts and tools that'll live there.

 

[Jeff S]

OK, now onto the first 600 miles of riding. I wanted to get the first service done by AF1 before the bike went out west. So, my mission was to put 600 miles on the bike, keeping it below 6000 RPM, in two weeks. Mission accepted!

It's 50 miles from my house, up Lime Creek Rd and back. So I did that 5 times in 7 days. Then, I needed to find some gravel, so, I did something very close to this (attached) or link here. Two decent gravel road sections to try out, including a little playing around in the Sandy Creek area not on the map.

GPX viewer

So far, I love it! The on-road behavior is very good. No where near the fun or power of my FJ-09, but still plenty of go! Keeping it under 6k RPM takes very close attention, and since I've had that first service and opened up the rev range all the way, I can happily report that this little engine likes to rev! The seat and ergos are a very good fit for me. I did ~460 miles yesterday and did get a little sore fanny, but nothing that would have prevented me from doing another 100. I might lift the bars 3/4" or so to make their position while standing just a tad taller and closer to me. We'll see about that. The brakes and shorty levers I installed work very well together: one-finger braking into most corners feels smooth and controlled. Inspires confidence.

The quick shifter is quite good, but not flawless. The QS on my Triumph is flawless, and that's my only other experience with these gizmo's. On up-shifts it cuts fuel a nano-second earlier than I'd like, so I gotta be pretty forceful and quick with the pull on the shift lever. But, if I do that, then all is good in the world. The downshifts have been very smooth, and overall, I like it quite a bit. It's perfect paired with a good standing posture also, so up and down thru turns on dirt roads is a hoot.

The suspension on-road is very good. Off-road: well, too soon to really tell. I'll fiddle with the adjustments some, but expect it to be up to my tasks for it.

There are two fully adjustable rider modes, and they are aimed at on road and off road uses. There are two additional modes which seem like two too many. Mode switching is done with a thumb-button on the right, and works while riding. There's a lever on the left - shared with cruise control - to adjust TC on the fly.

On my 300 mile hill country ride, I had a little rain so I thought I'd test the on-pavement TC. At the highest level (4), it's pretty easy to feel it kick in when you try to spin the rear. At level 1, I could not make it engage on wet pavement. I've left this set to 2 for the on-road mode.

On gravel and in off-road mode, the bike feels right at home - none of the electronics were noticeable on my quick first tests. The suspension off-road feels little tight. I haven't touched any of the adjustments - haven't even confirmed they are at the factory recommended settings (some on the internets say theirs came WAAY off from the recommendations). The internet also says that at least some Tuaregs some with one valve shim installed wrong - upside down, I believe - that causes the high-speed circuit on the compression stroke to fail. This makes it feel quite harsh and can actually bend the valve. I have not felt that in my limited riding, and I've never opened up front forks. Might be a good project next winter (for the 10 days it's too cold to ride in Texas).

I expect nearly all my riding to be pavement or gravel county roads. No gnarly stuff, and plenty of pavement connecting those dirt roads. One route I love out here is Pinto Canyon and Casa Piedra with maybe 150 miles on pavement connecting those and to/from my place. My hope is that this bike is equally matched for that task, and so far, it feels like it is.

 

[Rigid]

I have 3600 miles on mine now, I am really loving it. Did some light off-road last week bike did great.

 

[Multisurface Rider]

Aprilia covered all the bases here, nice bike.


"Specifically, I liked spoked tubeless wheels (IMO, this is ADV as god intended), cruise control, quick shifter, and actually useful ride modes (two fully customizable for on and offroad, and it remembers all this stuff after turning off and back on) with change-on-the-fly mode button on the right switchgear. Lever on the left switch gear to cycle thru traction control levels, including off. Enough power to still be a hoot on the Twisted Sisters (proven yesterday), but not "next gen supersport" for max power way up near redline (which is 9500, I believe). Fully adjustable suspension that's reviewed very positively. And I happen to live in Austin: the same town as the best Aprilia dealer on the continent."

 

[KsTeveM]

Good read. This past weekend I was on my "middle weight" twin and was thinking about a XR650L in the future. Ha ha. You always want what you don't have

It blows my mind that nobody makes a 600-900 type twin that weighs under 400 lbs., has a foot of suspension travel and a foot of ground clearance. If my basically 20 year old 950 Vtwin bone stock was 419 dry.....how come 20 years later it can't be done? If you took that same exact bike, got the motor shaved down to a 750, ditched two carburetors, applied the tech KTM has learned in the past two decades.....it could be done. To me, the 790 and 890 miss the mark. The 690/701 is probably the closest bike to these specs....but it is not a twin and I don't like the gas tank setup (I had a 701 for about 6000 miles). But it is probably where I should gravitate in the future if nothing else develops. But when I think about weight being number 1, simplicity being number 2, price being number 3....the XR650L appeals to my Honda heart. I should probably just be happy with my 400+ pound 950 Super Enduro and shut the heck up? But it's hard....a new to you bike is fun!!

 

[Jeff S]

Seems that way, yes. Now: nothing is perfect, and this bike is no exception. The first big issue the forums complain about is the heat. That's a real issue, and I'll put some thought and action towards that. The screen is non-adjustable, and it's OK for me, but not perfect. That means buying a replacement instead of just moving it up / down. Anyway, I'll progress thru those niggles as I come to 'em...

 

[Jeff S]

It blows my mind that nobody makes a 600-900 type twin that weighs under 400 lbs

I completely agree. The T7 was supposed to be this I think - simple, light, low-tech. But then feature-creep starts in. And it was never THAT light to begin with.

I wonder how much if this is due to 'EURO 5' and other regulations? Does your dream bike need to be air cooled to hit your weight goal? Is that possible under current regs? Someone should take the XR650L and engine swap for the Yamaha CP2.

Folks make fun of the XRL - "L stands for Lame" - when put next to the XR650R - but darn is that "lame" bike fun. As soon as you start amping up compression and output, you add radiators and reduce convenience (elect start, service interval, etc). Then, add cats in the pipe for another 5+ lbs, and a LCD screen for some reason.

I think that genre of bike is just going extinct, and we'll miss 'em when they're gone (and will cherish the good used ones out there)

 

[woodsguy]

Good read. This past weekend I was on my "middle weight" twin and was thinking about a XR650L in the future. Ha ha. You always want what you don't have

It blows my mind that nobody makes a 600-900 type twin that weighs under 400 lbs., has a foot of suspension travel and a foot of ground clearance. If my basically 20 year old 950 Vtwin bone stock was 419 dry.....how come 20 years later it can't be done? If you took that same exact bike, got the motor shaved down to a 750, ditched two carburetors, applied the tech KTM has learned in the past two decades.....it could be done. To me, the 790 and 890 miss the mark. The 690/701 is probably the closest bike to these specs....but it is not a twin and I don't like the gas tank setup (I had a 701 for about 6000 miles). But it is probably where I should gravitate in the future if nothing else develops. But when I think about weight being number 1, simplicity being number 2, price being number 3....the XR650L appeals to my Honda heart. I should probably just be happy with my 400+ pound 950 Super Enduro and shut the heck up? But it's hard....a new to you bike is fun!!

View attachment 379419

A good motto, light is better!

 

[KsTeveM]

I completely agree. The T7 was supposed to be this I think - simple, light, low-tech. But then feature-creep starts in. And it was never THAT light to begin with.

I wonder how much if this is due to 'EURO 5' and other regulations? Does your dream bike need to be air cooled to hit your weight goal? Is that possible under current regs? Someone should take the XR650L and engine swap for the Yamaha CP2.

Folks make fun of the XRL - "L stands for Lame" - when put next to the XR650R - but darn is that "lame" bike fun. As soon as you start amping up compression and output, you add radiators and reduce convenience (elect start, service interval, etc). Then, add cats in the pipe for another 5+ lbs, and a LCD screen for some reason.

I think that genre of bike is just going extinct, and we'll miss 'em when they're gone (and will cherish the good used ones out there)

I think I could be somewhat happy with a T7. But it is a 700 that weighs more than my 950. Hard to stomach that. And after owning an Africa Twin that was a pain in the rear to access the air filter, or pull a tank, plastic clips etc.....a bike like the XR650L is still appealing, you can have the tank off in about 5 minutes. And you can swap an air filter in less. I also learned that insurance on something with more than 1000cc was significantly more. I think I am getting over the "ride to the destination" for Texas adventure. I've burned up those roads the past couple of years. And I am getting more and more worried about being on the street. Think I would rather throw a light weight bike in the bed of my truck and unload in Big Bend....or East Texas....or Arkansas etc. Goes back to there is no perfect solution. Except to move to Utah....and just ride a 500

 

[woodsguy]

But it is a 700 that weighs more than my 950

That's sad!

 

[William Wolfen]

That's sad!

I wonder if it'd be close if you gave the T7 a similar strip down to be equivalent to the Super Enduro...

Edit: actually, when I see wet weight estimates on the SE, they're in the 450lbs range. T7 dry weight is comparable to the SE too at ~410lbs. I guess there really isn't that big if a weight difference. Might well be a big weight distribution difference though!

 

[woodsguy]

I wonder if it'd be close if you gave the T7 a similar strip down to be equivalent to the Super Enduro...

No idea but I look at my 850 and think of ways to lose weight, wouldn't be easy or cheap in some cases and it'd still be heavy.

 

[Tourmeister]

Except to move to Utah....and just ride a 500

This or maybe Idaho... Politics out West are getting to be a pain though and trails are getting shut down all over the place because of environmental "concerns"...

 

[KsTeveM]

The Super Enduro is a force to be reckoned with, not reasoned with .

That said, the Touring Egg is interesting. After Jeff spends about $4K hopping it up....we should have a Big Bend Ride Off.

 

[woodsguy]

Nice idea if funds no issue!! That bike looks serious.

 

[Jeff S]

Speaking of air filters

Getting to it is pretty dern easy. 7 torx bolts removes the yellow cover, then 4 Phillips gets the airbox cover off:

It comes with a dry paper filter, and the seat between the filter and the airbox is also totally dry. Folks complain of fine silt getting into the airbox, and that dry seal between the factory filter is the obvious culprit. I put a smear or grease around this UNI filter, and it dropped right in. Easy peasy.

You can see here that the actual gas tank isn't right under that yellow cover, but off to the sides and hangs down on either side a pretty good ways. Not "890 Adventure" low, but also not just right up on top. Again: nice compromise. It holds 4.something gallons, and I've done two 200 mile tanks without too much anxiety.

 

[Simmons1]

I wonder if it'd be close if you gave the T7 a similar strip down to be equivalent to the Super Enduro...

Edit: actually, when I see wet weight estimates on the SE, they're in the 450lbs range. T7 dry weight is comparable to the SE too at ~410lbs. I guess there really isn't that big if a weight difference. Might well be a big weight distribution difference though!

I weighed my T7 with a full tank of gas the day I bought it. It weighed 454 pounds.

 

[woodsguy]

Not bad!

 

[TNC]

I think I could be somewhat happy with a T7. But it is a 700 that weighs more than my 950. Hard to stomach that. And after owning an Africa Twin that was a pain in the rear to access the air filter, or pull a tank, plastic clips etc.....a bike like the XR650L is still appealing, you can have the tank off in about 5 minutes. And you can swap an air filter in less. I also learned that insurance on something with more than 1000cc was significantly more. I think I am getting over the "ride to the destination" for Texas adventure. I've burned up those roads the past couple of years. And I am getting more and more worried about being on the street. Think I would rather throw a light weight bike in the bed of my truck and unload in Big Bend....or East Texas....or Arkansas etc. Goes back to there is no perfect solution. Except to move to Utah....and just ride a 500



View attachment 379433

How is this possible? Are you getting wiser with years?

As you know, this has been my method of attack for some time now. I got sick to death of sitting on a motorcycle on pavement for those long stretches to get out west. Add to that the fact that you can't take your foot massager, home theater, electric blanket, etc., etc. OK...I don't take that crap, as I'm seldom camped anywhere with electricity...and I'm no generator guy.

However, I love to take my medium sized toy hauler and base camp in BLM or forest land. From there I can ride an area for days, if necessary, and cover all the cool stuff...sort of like locusts cleaning out an area and then moving on...LOL! Yeah, it's great to have some luxuries in camp with lots of gear, food, and equipment, but maybe even more important is the fact that I can bring a lighter, more competent bike for more challenging terrain. I no longer have any desire to ride stuff like the 5MOH in the Swell, but I still like having more trail and 2-track options with the lighter, better suspended bike.

For the last year plus a little, that bike has been a well modded XR650L. I can still hit stretches of pavement when necessary without being run over by a Prius, and the bike is pleasantly capable in rough terrain. Even before my toy hauler I had done the base camp thing with a pickup/camper shell/moto trailer, then a van and moto trailer. I just lost interest in the long highway droning quite awhile back. But hey...everyone's different with preferences all over the board. It's great that we actually have more options these days...but there could be more.

 

[KsTeveM]

Hanging out on this forum I've come to realize that not only do we have different approaches to bikes and riding, we also go through different distinct chapters. @TNC if you get ready to turn the page on the XR650L, I plan to be there to pick up that book!!

@Jeff S sorry I hijacked your thread a bit. Keep on describing the Tuareg experience. It is definitely a bike trying to be the unicorn and intrigues me.

 

[Little Stevie]

Last week I chased Jeff/Tuareg in from Ski Shores. They're a quick combo in the twisties. My 690 was doing better at it than I was, certainly--I am NOT riding enough these days. I had to remember to get forward on the thing to keep the front down coming out of turns. Thanks for the lesson, Jeff.

As to the T-rag, boy howdy it's a moto. Kinda lotta essential-looking plastic on it for my prejudices, but otherwise a really nice piece of Italian design and engineering. In that fine tradition, it LOOKS fast even leaning on the stand. And it's lucky to have found a rider who will rev it as it was meant.

 

[Jeff S]

The 'cloaked in plastic' is also not to my liking. The XR and your 690 are much lower on the plastic body-panel scale. But, I think all "ADV" have to do this to 1) shroud the radiator for more controlled airflow over it and 2) hide / position the gas tank in non-traditional ways. But the 690 tank is clearly non-traditional, so you get non-traditional placement of plastics: