The current adventure bike market is red hot right now. Nearly every brand has a new mid-sized ADV model currently, all vying for your attention. We try to keep up with trends and offer the best possible bikes for the type of riding here in Patagonia. When the new Tenere 700 came out we added two of them to the fleet, it was a success, and it has been a great travel bike for here in Patagonia. Since our inception we have always wanted to stick with midsized adventure bikes as they are the most versatile and best suited for Patagonia.
So, when the famous Italian brand Aprilia finally released the new Tuareg 660 in Chile we jumped at the possibility to add one to the fleet. The idea was to fly up to Santiago, pick up the bike and ride it home. When I picked it up in Santiago, my intention was to ride the first 1000 kms up in the central region of Chile, then have the first service done. The first service involves nothing more than an oil change and service light reset. After that I would ride it another 1000 kms back to the shop in the Los Lagos Region of Chile.
My first impression of the bike was good, I’ve been around enough new bikes to know not to fall into the honeymoon period feeling and just look at it objectively. The fit and finish was quite good, riding position was great for my 5-foot 11-inch height and the seat height relative to the amount of suspension and ground clearance you get was outstanding.
The bike comes with a lot of features, ones you may not need on a rental bike but are very clever non the less. While we have several bikes with ride modes and Traction Control and ABS modes. The Aprilia is one of the first to make the rider modes changeable on the fly AND you can adjust their level of effectiveness to suite your riding style, customizable rider modes that are switchable on the fly, that is awesome.
Once you learn the way the bright TFT screen works you can adjust the rider modes and then change them as the road surface changes simply with the push of a designated button on the right handlebar. It’s very cool and easy to use.
The new Aprilia Tuareg rides like it looks as well. It rides “fast”. With its great riding position, thin seat, and rider modes you can really lean into the bike and get a lot out of it. It’s very stable and the rider aids certainly work well while not being too intrusive. The wind screen is excellent and works well in all conditions, I never suffered any wind issues on my helmet and had good protection.
I think this Aprilia is a great addition to our Tour Fleet and I know that many riders will enjoy this bike and feel it adds great value on their Patagonia Tour.
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