Aprilia 1100 V4 Tuono opinions please

[Teabag_Terry2]

Hi guys,

I have test ridden and *loved* a 2016 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 APRC. Was blown away in fact.

Great bike, great sound, looks like a work of art, and am wanting to trade in my R1 for a brand new one. It rides like an absolute dream and is within my budget.

However, several knowledgeable friends have told me that:

1. Aprilias are incredibly unreliable compared to Jap bikes.
2. Parts you need take weeks to arrive from Italy, if they even arrive at all.
3. Servicing is expensive and frequent.
4. They DRINK petrol.
5. There are no dealers near me (Somerset) who will touch them.

I love the bike, and want to put the money down now. Does anyone have a Tuono? Are any of the above points true?

I LOVE my R1 but the 2016 V4 Tuono is magical. Does anyone have any long term experience of owning a Tuono?

I use my bike every day and need something that will just work, no matter what.


Many thanks in advance.

 

[Diddums]

Well you've basically walked in to the Tuono fanboy's nest, I don't think you'll get many people telling you not to buy one


That said, I agree with everything you've said and think you should go out and buy one.


Right now

 

[Teabag_Terry2]

Problem is, if you're a fanboy who does 10 miles a month, none of the above will be a problem. I am pretty sure I could do 10000 miles on my R1 without even changing an indicator bulb, and whilst I'm not expecting that, I do not want to be stuck by the side of a freezing motorway in January slowly freezing my ballsack off inside my leathers because some Italian dude used the wrong alloy on my con-rods.

 

[Kreeeee]

I own an 1100 Factory. I'll post a proper response when I get to my pc.

 

[TallPaul_S]

They're probably slightly more unreliable than Jap bikes, but they're known as the 'italian honda'.

Parts - not sure, can take a while if it has to come from Italy (and the factory closes during the height of summer).

Servicing: every 6k miles, nothing unusual. Under £200 for a minor service, £300-£400 for a big service with valve checks.

Yes they can drink fuel, if you're heavy on the throttle but they'll get 30-40mpg. Do you need more?

Dealers: there's always a way, but if your nearest Aprilia dealer isn't close then you might have issues come warranty time. That's the same for any make of bike.


Get one bought!!!! it's all worth it for the sound alone!!

 

[Teabag_Terry2]

I have got a Yoshi pipe on my R1 and that makes a beast of a noise. I might pick up a 1100 V4 Tuono as a second bike then. But only because you guys are bullies. If anyone is in the Bath/Bristol area, send me a PM and we could do a blast down the Cheddar Gorge.

Thanks everyone.

 

[TallPaul_S]

TBH I wouldn't want to ride one all year round, in the crap winter weather and salt covered roads, but I'm sure you could.

 

[Kreeeee]

It's better on fuel than an r1, just...

 

[unKle]

Well I've used mine everyday, all through winter. It still looks as good as the day I picked it up last summer. No flaking or rusting anywhere.

It is terrible on fuel, normal riding to and from work I struggle to get 100 miles out of a tankful. It's definitely happier on the open road than chugging along in traffic filtering etc.

It's a great bike, but it's not perfect, far from it.

 

[Kreeeee]

I'd agree, as a toy it's one of the best choices. For commuting there are much better options.

 

[The_Abyss]

Based on owning two of them:

1. Aprilias are incredibly unreliable compared to Jap bikes.

I've also owned two Japanese bikes. Both were more reliable than the Aprilias, one of which (Caponord) wobbled between minor niggles and catastrophe. What I experienced wouldn't put me off riding an Aprilia. It has put me off owning one again.

2. Parts you need take weeks to arrive from Italy, if they even arrive at all.

True. It can take weeks, or even months in the summer. And that's when you've actually located a UK dealer.

3. Servicing is expensive and frequent.

No more than the other bikes I've owned tbh. You do need to factor in an expedition to find a dealer to service them though.

4. They DRINK petrol.

Yep, they're thirsty. But they make glorious noises in return for that fuel.

5. There are no dealers near me (Somerset) who will touch them.

The dealer problem again. Combine it with the supply problem and a minor problem can easily become a big delay.

I use my bike every day and need something that will just work, no matter what.

I really did, at times, love my Aprilias. But for every day use and working no matter what, I'd suggest you look elsewhere. It'll let you down, and you'll hate it even more for loving it so much in the first place.

 

[Aka-Matt]

From experience of having owned a mk2 1000 Tuono from new, V4 1100 factory from new and having another V4 1000 from new in the household, all doing 6000+ miles p.a:

1. Aprilias are incredibly unreliable compared to Jap bikes.
Aprilias of yesteryear certainly had their reliability issues, but no more than the jap bikes used to, or pre-millennial triumphs. These days, they're generally no worse off than any other mainstream manufacturers, and the parts costs are not overly expensive either. I've not run into any issues during my Tuono ownership, though the V4 1000 did have its demand sensor pack-up, but that was replaced under warranty without any quibbles from Aprilia.

2. Parts you need take weeks to arrive from Italy, if they even arrive at all.
As long as you don't need to order any uncommon parts between July-September, order fulfilment should not be an issue at all. Italy tend to shut down production during these months, but any other time of year, 2-3 weeks is fairly typical from ordering to receipt.

3. Servicing is expensive and frequent.
The cost of servicing is no more expensive p.a. to what I was paying for my Tuono Mk2, GSXR or Z1000, but have less frequent service intervals of 6k miles instead of 4-4.5k of the Japanese bikes.

4. They DRINK petrol.
30-35 mpg is easily achievable during light spirited riding. But if you're spending £14-16k on a bike, fuel costs should be the least of your concerns imo.

5. There are no dealers near me (Somerset) who will touch them.
You ought to ask yourself the question of whether you're willing to ride a couple of hundred miles per year for servicing or warranty work. My nearest dealer is fortunately only a 120 mile round trip, which is required once or twice a year depending on mileage, which I just make a day of as required, demoing bikes etc whilst work is being done on mine.


If you've the money, and are willing to put in a little bit of time travelling for the yearly necessities, then my advice is to go for it. You will not find another bike that offers the same value of thrills and build quality as the 1100 does without compromising one way or the other. If you're looking for something for the purposes of commuting, I would suggest something with a lesser electronic package, power and better fuel economy.

 

[Kreeeee]

Looks like you don't need my input here.

Luckily I have a dealer 20 minutes from me that stopped selling the brand but still do full warranty work for the next 2 years, and one that's 40 minutes away.

 

[Teabag_Terry2]

No Aprilia dealers near me. Reports of tons of reliability problems with the V4 engine, electrics, bolts coming loose, soft cams eating themselves, dash failing etc etc etc. Absolutely disgraceful fuel economy and small fuel tank. Reports of terrible trouble getting parts and Aprilia treating their customers with contempt. So all in all, even though the Aprilia Tuono 1100 V4 is the bike of my dreams, I can't put up with all that ****. I think an MT-10 would be better and I am one of the few people who think they look pretty interesting.

Yamaha - great dealer network, great and fast parts availability, exceptional reliability, and a company who treats it customers properly. No V4 sound, but the crossplane 1000cc in-line 4 will be an amazing beast of an engine anyway. So many reports online of Aprilia owners having their bikes spending more time in the shop awaiting parts than actually in their garage, and Aprilia doing all they can to avoid admitting any problems let alone paying for the fix.

Tuonos are lovely looking, lovely sounding bikes and such a thrilling and exciting ride. Think I might rent one for a weekend, but no way I would ever own one after what I have read across various forums.

I looked at one this weekend, a truly amazing looking bike, but knowing that at some point it would leave me stranded by the side of the road meant I just couldn't part with the best part of £10k. Very upsetting.

I am certain that there are people who have test ridden the amazing Tuono, been blown away and signed their life away to get it, only to experience buyer's remorse when they get laughed at by thier friends riding 10 year old R1s as their Tuono spew coolant all over the engine on the first ride.

The Aprilia forums have got loads of fixes for the problems, many involving soldering things and buy fix kits for bolts etc, but why on Earth should they have to do this on a bike which costs £16k new? Aprilia need to stop spending so much on racing and make road bikes which just work.

 

[Kreeeee]

The MT-10 was great fun when I test rode one. It made me grin a lot.

 

[Teabag_Terry2]

I'd love to part-ex my R1 for an MT-10 but the rates are ****-poor. Is there a for sale section in here? Someone would LOVE my lovely R1 with Yoshi exhaust and gold Gilles rearsets.

 

[Kreeeee]

I'd love to part-ex my R1 for an MT-10 but the rates are ****-poor. Is there a for sale section in here? Someone would LOVE my lovely R1 with Yoshi exhaust and gold Gilles rearsets.

There is but it's only for the sale of hardware and software.

 

[russell664]

The MT-10 was great fun when I test rode one. It made me grin a lot.

It the cross-plain crank what does it for me - what a noise!

 

[Kreeeee]

It the cross-plain crank what does it for me - what a noise!

It's very nice but I think the Tuono V4 sounds better, it's why I eneded up choosing it over the MT-10. A lot of that could be down to the suffocating Euro4 regulations that the MT-10 has though as the R1 sounds much meatier.

The main reason the MT-10 made me grin is it was like an excitable puppy, always trying to jump up in the air and yapping happily all the time. It's way more fun than an R1 on the road!

 

[IC3]

An R1M shot past me on one wheel whilst I was flat out, that was mental.