2012 Aprilia Tuono V4 R Review

[Buzglyd]

Originally Posted by Duken4evr

Good point. Not only did the Panigale hit the mark, it vaporized it, leaving no trace. What a bike. Saw in in the flesh at the Duc dealer the other day. Had to leave before getting dehydrated from all the drooling!

We've got a rainy weekend ahead of us, so I might have to snoop by the local dealer and take a peek.

[jmdonald]

Originally Posted by SpeedwayRN

Aprilia seems to be doing a lot of things right. Meanwhile Ducati seems to be uhmmm, well missing the mark a bit.
Ducati needs refocusing...

I think the Monster 1100 EVO at 12 grand is a bargain when you consider all the standard features. I think it's right on the mark.

[SpeedwayRN]

No I'm talking about their reliability issues, swelling gas tanks and the rest of the bikes in the line up that you don't have to ride in the fetal position.
848 street fighter ... Who cares. 848 multi would have been smarter.
This blows away the full size street fighter that already has been a slow seller for Ducati. Meanwhile Triumph and Aprilia are on fire. Yeah Ducati came out with an awsome fetal rocket. Hopefully it will be free of the electronic gremlins of the Multistrada.

[jmdonald]

Originally Posted by SpeedwayRN

No I'm talking about their reliability issues, swelling gas tanks and the rest of the bikes in the line up that you don't have to ride in the fetal position.
848 street fighter ... Who cares. 848 multi would have been smarter.
This blows away the full size street fighter that already has been a slow seller for Ducati. Meanwhile Triumph and Aprilia are on fire. Yeah Ducati came out with an awsome fetal rocket. Hopefully it will be free of the electronic gremlins of the Multistrada.

Good points. Well taken.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by SpeedwayRN

No I'm talking about their reliability issues, swelling gas tanks and the rest of the bikes in the line up that you don't have to ride in the fetal position.
848 street fighter ... Who cares. 848 multi would have been smarter.
This blows away the full size street fighter that already has been a slow seller for Ducati. Meanwhile Triumph and Aprilia are on fire. Yeah Ducati came out with an awsome fetal rocket. Hopefully it will be free of the electronic gremlins of the Multistrada.

Sounding like a Ducati hater. The brand has just 2 "fetal" bikes: the 848 and 1199. Duc sales are up. And don't think there won't be an 848 Multi...

[Huss]

I'm not a spec sheet reader, but still cannot help but notice this Ape puts down 30 more hp than the similarly priced Triumph SpT-R.
The reason it matters is because the rest of the bike is so awesome.

Really, it shows the Triumph is over priced.

Wadda bike. And again shows how far behind the Japanese are now in so many categories.

[SpeedwayRN]

Originally Posted by Kevin_Duke

Sounding like a Ducati hater. The brand has just 2 "fetal" bikes: the 848 and 1199. Duc sales are up. And don't think there won't be an 848 Multi...

Not a hater, hell I've owned two of them. However def. disappointed in Ducati's quality control. Yes I am a victim of bloating gas tanks, poor engine paint, self metling tail lights and many other quality issues. Great handling bikes but there are other choices from Italy and Aprilia seems to be doing a lot of right things. What does it say when the folks (current owners) on the Ducati forums won't recommend buying a Ducati without purchasing the factory extended warranty.
Sales are up due to Multistrada, and superbikes. Other models sales are stale.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by SpeedwayRN

Not a hater, hell I've owned two of them. However def. disappointed in Ducati's quality control. Yes I am a victim of bloating gas tanks, poor engine paint, self metling tail lights and many other quality issues. Great handling bikes but there are other choices from Italy and Aprilia seems to be doing a lot of right things. What does it say when the folks (current owners) on the Ducati forums won't recommend buying a Ducati without purchasing the factory extended warranty.
Sales are up due to Multistrada, and superbikes. Other models sales are stale.

That fuel tank thing is a nightmare, for sure. But I know owners of contemporary Ducs who definitely would recommend them. If we're cherry-picking owners to ask, check with guys who had to get new engines in their early RSV4s or SXVs. Not that I dislike Aprilias - my review says otherwise. Italian bikes are rarely known for being as trouble-free as a Japanese bike.

[The Spaceman]

I'm just wondering if Mr. Duke smoked the new tire or the pre-squared one that arrived with the bike...

Too bad the seat doesn't work in "real life." It sure looks cool.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by The Spaceman

I'm just wondering if Mr. Duke smoked the new tire or the pre-squared one that arrived with the bike...

Too bad the seat doesn't work in "real life." It sure looks cool.

Since the tire was already square, I didn't do much further damage to it! The seat fix seems to be simply getting the one off the black version. This bike is so much fun, I'll make several excuses for it.