My Aprilia Tuareg 660

[William Wolfen]

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:

View attachment 379561

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I have mixed feelings on that subject. I miss how easy it was to work on my DR650, but I love the wind protection on my Africa Twin. Maybe there's a way to strike a happy medium, but I've yet to see it in a production motorcycle.

 

[Little Stevie]

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:

As I wrote, I recognized the irony (if not hypocrisy!) in a 690 owner whining about plastic. A few thoughts, though.. the 690 really has pretty traditional dirt bike plastics. All the plastic you see is sacrificial, essentially wear items. And I recognize that a lot of the Teabag's plastic stuff that I saw made some sense--it alarmed me at first to see the headlight/instrument/windscreen/etc supported by a plastic tower, but I never felt that steel and alu towers (aftermarket, 950adv) made a lot of sense either. That 950 assembly is big and heavy; bet yours weighs very little.

Whattaya mean, 690 tank non-traditional? Been doing like that on Goldwings forever!

I forgot to mention your tubeless wheels. I covet them. What diameter are your axles? And do you lock your bike up at night?

 

[Jeff S]

Maybe there's a way to strike a happy medium

Yeah - that's the whole point of "ADV" in my mind: striking the right "medium" for various people's needs. Some tend more towards touring, others to single-track, so the "medium" point moves for different folks. For me, the AT and even the new Transalp's seems not the "medium" I wanted. Time will tell for the Tuareg and me...

I forgot to mention your tubeless wheels. I covet them. What diameter are your axles? And do you lock your bike up at night?

Yes, and in Alpine! But I agree - it's a VERY nice addition on a bike at this price point.

 

[William Wolfen]

Yeah - that's the whole point of "ADV" in my mind: striking the right "medium" for various people's needs. Some tend more towards touring, others to single-track, so the "medium" point moves for different folks. For me, the AT and even the new Transalp's seems not the "medium" I wanted. Time will tell for the Tuareg and me...

The Taureg really intrigues me. Looks like an awesome bike. Ultimately, I don't think anything will ever be perfect, just a different set of compromises. That said, I still often think that the "medium" is a DR650 with a stupid amount of extras thrown at it!

 

[Jeff S]

Aprilia made the right compromises in a lot of ways on this bike, but here's one decision that seems just plain wrong:

Top one is the OEM axle bolt, bottom is used by nearly everyone else. Quiz: can anyone name another ADV or dual sport (or dirt?) bike that uses 26mm? I looked around for a 26mm wrench to put in my EDC toolbag, but a 27mm nut was cheaper. The OEM nut was also tightened to 1e10 ft lbs.

So, I pulled the "off by one" nut off, adjusted the chain a skosh, and used the correctly sized nut, and the factory-specified 88.5 ft lbs (me standing on a 7" wrench - no, really that's within 1% of spec!).

Speaking of service manuals, Aprilia makes their's available as a PDF for $20. Mighty good of them!

 

[Tourmeister]

A LOT of the plastic on new bikes is just to cover up stuff. In the bid to shed weight, BMW introduced a LOT of plastic when they went from the 1150 to 1200 GSs. In particular, the gas tank when from metal to plastic. But the tank is but ugly with all kinds of plastic brackets for holding other things in place. That had to be covered up. So BMW started using plastic and VERY thin metal covers. The BIG downside is that to work on the bike, you have to remove all these covers with their assorted screws and clips of seemingly random sizes and shapes. God forbid they use a standard size/style of screw so you don't have to try to memorize which kind go where or use a different tool for each type. It makes doing even basic maintenance a pain.

 

[Rigid]

The Tuareg plastics are a lot easier to remove for access to the bike than others. I can only speak for BMW and Honda.

 

[Jeff S]

Instead of futzing with the bike, I took it out and rode it!

Nothing too exotic, but did do about 20 miles of good fast dirt.

Instead of futzing with the bike, I took it out and rode it!

Ok, that's a lie of course. I futzed too!

I checked all the suspension clickers and dialed in the sag. Trial and error, alone and measuring stuff is a real hassle. I'm too cheap (and do it too rarely), but I understand why they make tools to help with this. Anyway, I admit to riding her 1000 miles before even looking as the clickers - making adjustments was really easy, and I didn't click much, but did click all adjustments at least a bit. Preload was the only think I think I can feel - at the rates I'm riding. But, it did feel great out there today.

She feels really perfect on all sorts of gravel roads: hardpack, loose gravel, even really washboarded stuff that rattles your teeth in a car. The engine has plenty of zing to break the rear loose easily, TC allows it too, and 'Off Road' mode disabled rear ABS to also allow locking it up. The default engine braking level is pretty strong - I'll try dialing that down one, maybe two stops.

 

[turbohawk]

That's a Gorgeous ADV machine! I really wanted to get one but SA Motorwerks weren't seriously interested in selling. So I picked up a new 2023 T7...amazing how similar they are!

 

[RedRocker]

I did the windshield deal with waterproof bag behind it, custom seat, risers, top box, adjustable clutch lever and lowering kit. Never ending mods.











I
Now if I could just remember what I put behind the windshield.

 

[Rigid]

What bar risers did you use?

 

[RedRocker]

What bar risers did you use?

I don't remember, but here's their Logo. I'm still looking to find where I got them.

 

[RedRocker]

What bar risers did you use?

 

[RedRocker]

offset bar risers for Aprilia Tuareg 660 (XB, XC) 22-, 85,00 €

High quality offset bar risers for Aprilia Tuareg 660 (XB, XC) 22- CNC milled &#9989 engineered in Germany &#10144 fast shipping options &#9989 TÜV approved

voigt-mt.de

These will fit with the stock cables, but just barely, you might have to tweak those wire cable loops.

 

[StromXTc]

These will fit with the stock cables, but just barely, you might have to tweak those wire cable loops.

Look nice

 

[Jeff S]

Those do look nice. I'm gonna do a good long dirt ride this weekend - so I'll see how the stock bar and position fits me... Until then I got a very cheap wind deflector. It came with 2mm, 2.5mm and 3mm allen keys, because apparently that was cheaper than using one fastener size everywhere:

And despite including a bag of tools, the adjustment is actually "toolless" - with thumbscrews to loosen one the connection and a little lever to loosen a second one.

This seems to work OK - but the length of that arm seems excessive. It either puts this screen far in front of the main screen, or far above it. The arm is 2 inches long, but with the brackets and contour of the screen, that's a 3 inch gap:

It seems secure enough, but in a quick initial ride, I haven't found the right position for it. This is a cheap experiment, if it doesn't work out, I'll go for a 'shorty' screen that leaves my helmet it smooth air. Currently - there's some decent wind noise behind the (non-adjustable) screen, but it doesn't buffet or kick my helmet around like on other bikes. It's kinda strange that way. Standing up is much quieter, or I can tuck down behind the screen. All I need is a couple inches in either direction to dramatically cut the wind noise, so maybe this little screen will actually do the trick. Time will tell...

 

[William Wolfen]

Those do look nice. I'm gonna do a good long dirt ride this weekend - so I'll see how the stock bar and position fits me... Until then I got a very cheap wind deflector. It came with 2mm, 2.5mm and 3mm allen keys, because apparently that was cheaper than using one fastener size everywhere:

View attachment 380282

And despite including a bag of tools, the adjustment is actually "toolless" - with thumbscrews to loosen one the connection and a little lever to loosen a second one.

View attachment 380283

This seems to work OK - but the length of that arm seems excessive. It either puts this screen far in front of the main screen, or far above it. The arm is 2 inches long, but with the brackets and contour of the screen, that's a 3 inch gap:

View attachment 380284

It seems secure enough, but in a quick initial ride, I haven't found the right position for it. This is a cheap experiment, if it doesn't work out, I'll go for a 'shorty' screen that leaves my helmet it smooth air. Currently - there's some decent wind noise behind the (non-adjustable) screen, but it doesn't buffet or kick my helmet around like on other bikes. It's kinda strange that way. Standing up is much quieter, or I can tuck down behind the screen. All I need is a couple inches in either direction to dramatically cut the wind noise, so maybe this little screen will actually do the trick. Time will tell...

Low and close to the screen was what worked for me on my Africa Twin.

 

[Jeff S]

Screen update: it might be useless...

OK, here's a longer write-up...
I did a bit over 200 miles yesterday and tried out four different positions of the cheapo addon screen:

1. All the way down - a la @William Wolfen's photo above
2. All the way up - like my photo two posts up
3. Arms flat horizontal - so the lower edge of the screen is at the same height as the top edge of the main screen - tilting the screen parallel with the main screen
4. A bit lower than #3 and with the screen at a slightly steeper angle

We did a spirited ride down River Road and surrounding areas. In all positions, I think the wind noise was better than without, and the #1 position seemed the cleanest but also cut the least amount of wind. #2 is useless. I think the gap between the surfaces is too large and the wind "under" the top screen just isn't affected much at all. #3 was also good - and if the arms were 1/2 their length (like the costlier versions) then I think that might be the best setup.

So perhaps my summary is:

• Low and close to the main screen moves the least amount of air, but does so very cleanly
• As you move it up, you move more air, but less cleanly
• Closer to the main screen is better - I think 1" or so would be ideal. The two-pivot-point arms just can't do this - brackets that offer "slide" instead of "pivot" might be better
• It's cheap and it rattles. On a good, fast dirt road (~50 mph) I can hear the think rattle and at first thought something on the bike itself was working loose (still being new kinda un-proven). I stopped and wiggled stuff around, and the only thing that moved was this screen. There's stuff I can tighten up, so I'll try that with a dab of locktite, but this thing is interntially cheap to hit that sub-$30 price point

Overall, I'm not sure it's worth it. I'd like to try a shorty screen at some point - I prefer clean air over trying to totally block the wind, which never seems to work well enough.

 

[Gravel Guy]

Screen update: it might be useless...

OK, here's a longer write-up...
I did a bit over 200 miles yesterday and tried out four different positions of the cheapo addon screen:

1. All the way down - a la @William Wolfen's photo above
2. All the way up - like my photo two posts up
3. Arms flat horizontal - so the lower edge of the screen is at the same height as the top edge of the main screen - tilting the screen parallel with the main screen
4. A bit lower than #3 and with the screen at a slightly steeper angle

We did a spirited ride down River Road and surrounding areas. In all positions, I think the wind noise was better than without, and the #1 position seemed the cleanest but also cut the least amount of wind. #2 is useless. I think the gap between the surfaces is too large and the wind "under" the top screen just isn't affected much at all. #3 was also good - and if the arms were 1/2 their length (like the costlier versions) then I think that might be the best setup.

So perhaps my summary is:

• Low and close to the main screen moves the least amount of air, but does so very cleanly
• As you move it up, you move more air, but less cleanly
• Closer to the main screen is better - I think 1" or so would be ideal. The two-pivot-point arms just can't do this - brackets that offer "slide" instead of "pivot" might be better
• It's cheap and it rattles. On a good, fast dirt road (~50 mph) I can hear the think rattle and at first thought something on the bike itself was working loose (still being new kinda un-proven). I stopped and wiggled stuff around, and the only thing that moved was this screen. There's stuff I can tighten up, so I'll try that with a dab of locktite, but this thing is interntially cheap to hit that sub-$30 price point

Overall, I'm not sure it's worth it. I'd like to try a shorty screen at some point - I prefer clean air over trying to totally block the wind, which never seems to work well enough.

Different bike, but I ultimately ditched the short windscreen and ugly square headlight on my KLR in favour of a better looking light but more importantly cleaner air.

 

[Jeff S]

Speaking of things rattling lose...

The service manual shows the process the dealer goes thru from un-crating to final assembly, which is basically just the front end: mount front wheel, position the bars, install mirrors and hand guards and a few other odds and ends. Looking over the fasteners involved, I can see that both the factory and AF1 marked the fasteners after install:

Bar mounts by AF1, top steering head mount by factory.

I want to be as cool as those guys, so I bought a yellow paint pen (not exact color match) and joined in the fun:

So now, every (important) fastener I've touched is marked, which is really just the several for the bark busters, 4 mounting the crash bars to the engine case, and two connecting the crash bar halves together in the front. Oh, and my 27mm rear axle bolt. A 2 minute visual will show if any of these have moved. I like!

 

[Jeff S]

Luggage

I wanna keep this fella as light and compact as possible, and also want at least some minimal storage capacity on the bike at all times. I don't like tank bags, despite how practical they are; they always just feel in the way, even though once setup, you never directly touch them. I want light, so that means something rackless, and I want compact, so that also means no rear rack - this is a single-person vehicle. So I got two 9L side bags and a 10L top bag and tossed them on like this:

"Rhinowalk" - oh my goodness. Anyway, it seems built pretty well. The top bag is insulated and has a little hidden pocket that also appears largely waterproof. All three are "roll top" and I took a real soaking when I rode from Austin to Alpine a couple weeks ago. Probably 2 hours of riding in the rain, and one stretch was pretty intense. No problems with the luggage.

These are kinda a strappy mess - Some are sewn in and others clip on have removal hooks to connect them. Getting the "right" setup isn't obvious, but what I've worked out seems OK. After that first 400 mile try, I cut 4 straps to remove several feet of excess webbing and tidied up the strappage. Only think I need now is a heat guard for the exhaust - melted one buckle that I hope I won't need in the future .

The only problem I have with the side bags is that when empty, they kinda flop and wiggle around. Once filled even a little, that holds the shape of the bags better and makes everything more secure. But, keeping them full means I can't add MORE stuff while out riding - and getting groceries on a motorcycle is one of thing this bike needs to be able to do! The roll-top situation isn't air-tight enough to make a balloon out of them in the way 'real' roll-top drybags can, which is a bummer. But, OK, this whole setup cost $150, so I'll accept a little wiggle and wobble.

 

[KsTeveM]

I like the shape and size of those bags brother. When empty floppy problem....how about throwing a long Voile Strap around them when empty. I've been known to do that with my Wolfman side bags. I couldn't find a good pic of it, this is the best I can do. You can see Voile straps all over the place on my 500. It's not just the extra strap that helps, it is that they are made out of rubber, tends to hold things without wiggling. On my 701 several years ago, I drilled slot holes in the plastics to get them to work. That was really solid. Sometimes I will just throw extra ones around my pack even if not needed, good place to carry spare straps.

 

[Jeff S]

how about throwing a long Voile Strap around them when empty.

Ahh, the answer is so obvious once someone else points it out! I kept trying to fix this using only the straps attached to the bags already...

 

[TOE JAM]

Taking the ol' 701 to Arkansas next week!

 

[RedRocker]

I just bought a Puig taller windscreen, works like a champ.