Aprilia 1100 V4 Tuono opinions please

Teabag_Terry2 · 23 Feb 2017 at 18:49

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.

Teabag_Terry2 · 23 Feb 2017 at 19:01

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.

Teabag_Terry2 · 23 Feb 2017 at 19:11

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.

Teabag_Terry2 · 1 Mar 2017 at 21:26

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.

Teabag_Terry2 · 2 Mar 2017 at 03:52

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.