Naked bikes are one of the most versatile formats of a motorcycle, the world over. These are used for pretty much everything from transporting daily to going on cross-country rides and, yes, even as a substitute for a sports bike on track days. This is not a surprise because a lot of naked bikes can trace their origin back to sports bikes. Add to that the fact that racing has always been an expensive hobby, and replacing fairings every time you crash is uber expensive. This has given rise to the streetfighter: a sports bike without a fairing and optimized for daily use without losing the excitement that the sports bike version offered. Almost Every Leading Brand Has A Streetfighter Today KTMThe roots of the modern streetfighter can be traced back almost three decades. For example, the Triumph Speed Triple was literally its flagship sports bike minus the fairing and with a higher handlebar and shorter gearing to make it better for the street. Since then, many have tried the formula with varying degrees of success. All you have to do is look around at premium brands, especially from Europe, and you'll notice that everyone, including KTM, Kawasaki, Ducati, BMW, and, yes, even Triumph, has an option.DucatiThese range from as small as a 250cc KTM and go all the way to a 210-HP Ducati. The former is too vanilla for most folks, whereas the latter is too overkill and advanced for anyone but Alessandro Valia. So if you truly want a naked that serves as a do-it-all bike while also being a substitute for a sports bike, there is one Italian manufacturer that does it a little better than all the others. The Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory 1100 Makes Sports Bikes Feel Unnecessary ApriliaCredit must be given to Triumph for creating the first modern streetfighter. But in 2002, Aprilia did a similar thing and created the Tuono, making the most practical premium motorcycle for riders who hate compromise. The difference was that the Tuono was based on the RSV Mille, which was a bona fide superbike, and not slow at all. Two and a half decades later, the Tuono V4 Factory 1100 carries on that same legacy. It pulls no punches, has all the features of the RSV4 Factory, and it offers much more convenience for all the same reasons that we prefer naked bikes on the street. Startlingly Low Base Price Is An Icing On The Cake ApriliaThe Tuono V4 Factory 1100 has a base price of $19,999, but when you look at the options list to try to add on features and match it with the other competitors here, you realize that this is the price for nearly everything. Aprilia includes its Comfort Pack and Track Pack with this product. Sure, you only unlock the full potential of the Tuono V4 Factory by adding the software-based Race Pack and Suspension Pack, but for street use, you have everything you need at under $20,000, making it feel like a Ducati without the price tag. This Is A One-Of-A-Kind Engine ApriliaAprilia has chosen to use the same engine as the RSV4 liter sports bike in the Tuono V4, but it has detuned it for more torque here. This is a 65-degree V4 with a displacement of 1,099 cc. It makes 180 horsepower at 11,800 RPM and 89.2 pound-feet of torque at 9,650 RPM. These might seem like ordinary figures for a liter street fighter, but remember that the RSV4 produces 40 more horsepower.So a lot of retuning has been done, and there is a lot of torque available in the Tuono V4, giving it a great combination of performance and control for everyday use. If you look at the revs at which the competition generates its peak power, you will discover that the Tuono V4 peaks are lower for both power and torque. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, and it has a two-way quickshifter packaged with it. Ohlins Electronic Suspension And A Superbike Chassis Ensure Sharp Handling ApriliaThe Tuono V4 shares its aluminum twin-spar frame with the RSV4 sports bike, and it also has an aluminum swingarm to help it cut weight. In addition, the Factory has Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 semi-active electronic suspension. These consist of 43 mm inverted forks at the front and an electronic monoshock at the rear. Both ends are fully adjustable electronically and offer 4.7 inches of travel at the front and 5.1 inches at the rear. Additionally, there is an Ohlins electronic steering damper that adjusts the resistance according to the speed. The suspension can be either semi-active and fixed, meaning you can have both comfort and fun sometimes, and performance at others.ApriliaFor shedding speed, the brakes consist of two 330 mm floating discs with Brembo radial four-piston calipers at the front and a 220 mm rear disc with another Brembo caliper at the rear. 17-inch alloy wheels are fitted with radial tubeless tires. But here again, the Tuono V4 Factory has a rear tire which is 10 mm wider than the regular Tuono V4 for better edge grip while cornering at a race track. Slightly More Aggressive Dimensions Than the Regular Tuono V4 1100 For The Factory This is a very compact motorcycle, thanks in large part to the 65-degree V4 engine. However, it does have quite a high seat height at 32.9 inches. The Tuono V4 1100 Factory also has slightly lower handlebars than the regular Tuono, so the seating position is a little more aggressive. Lastly, the weight as quoted by Aprilia is 465 pounds, which is middle of the road but not bad considering the amount of electronics it has. Comes Armed With Top Drawer Electronics As Standard ApriliaStarting with the obvious, the Tuono V4 Factory has a five-inch TFT instrument cluster. It has Bluetooth and navigation as well via Aprilia's MIA system. You can also differentiate between the regular Tuono V4 and the Factory because the Factory has a smaller windshield, lower handlebars, a rear seat cowl that is reminiscent of the RSV4, and it is available in the Shakedown Indigo colorway.Coming to the electronics, the by-wire throttle and six-axis IMU are a given, but what is surprising is that Aprilia has equipped it with the Comfort Pack as well. This means it has cruise control and cornering headlamps as standard. The Track Pack is included, too. This offers slide control with three levels, launch control with three levels, a pit limiter, doubles the ride modes by adding three track-focused ones, and the TFT display reconfigures itself for racetrack duty by displaying a lap timer, gear indicator, and telemetry. At the same time, cornering traction control, ABS, wheelie control, and lift mitigation are standard.ApriliaTo sweeten the pot, if you have the optional GPS module installed, you can load race tracks onto it and configure the response of whatever parameters have been mentioned above, sector by sector. Not only that, you can add (yet another pack, we know) the Suspension Pack, and it will allow the suspension to react to road conditions in real time – and this includes the steering damper. The safety features are also predictive in some aspects rather than reactive. Considering these inclusions, the Factory is well worth the extra dough over the regular Tuono V4 1100.Source: Aprilia USA
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