Seat, ergonomics, and other silly questions

[Hickey]

The Tuono has ended up on my short list of potential bikes, but I don't have a dealer nearby so I'm left to look at pictures and ask silly questions on the net to get some basic info. What I'm trying to end up with is a bike comfortable enough for longish (200+ mile) rides and very rarely a multi-day sport touring trip. More performance in general than my current ride, Ducati Monster 1000. Capable and fun bike for a handful of track days per season.

I've chosen to eliminate the various sport touring bikes out there and stick with naked bikes. I prefer the more visceral feel and riding position of nakeds. Even the lightest sport touring bike is overweight for my tastes. I don't mind a little wind since I never plod along the highway for hours at a time anyway.

I was wondering if those who've had a chance to ride a new Tuono have an opinion of the stock seat. It looks like it is straight from the superbike RSVR which gives me cause for concern. But then again the body position is very different, so perhaps the seat feels different. So how is it? Comfortable enough for a long day in the saddle or little more than a narrow plank covered in vinyl?

How about the overall ergonomics? Fits like a glove or peppered with oddities that one must adapt to? I'm used to naked bike ergos and they feel great to me in general, but some bikes have strange issues with ergos. Like the newer Ducati Monsters that push the right heel out due to the exhaust up-pipe routing.

What kind of tank range and fuel mileage is typical? It has and 18 liter tank, I think. Which is good and as long as it returns MPG numbers in the thirties, ought to have a decent tank range. But does it?

Last question and this one is extra silly. My nearest Aprilia dealer is over three hours away, one way. I'm confident I can handle the routine maintenance myself and short of major problems and valve adjustments, I wouldn't think I'd need the dealer. But would you recommend an Aprilia to someone who had to travel 3+ hours for a dealership and service center?

[chrisscaines]

I just have 400 miles on my new 2007 and love it. I know people who tour on the Tuono as well. I can easily do 250 mile days on this bike, seeing how my normal ride is 150 to 200 miles as opposed to 65 miles when I lived in Los Angeles.

I also came very close to getting the BMW GS1200, as well. The fastest canyon riders I know are on this bike. It will do everything you want and more. If you are tending to lean towards more touring, I would spend the extra money and get the BMW which is reliable and very easy to work on. You will get 150,000 miles out of it or more.

The Tunono, on the other hand, will walk the BMW, but will not be as comfortable. The Rotac engine is ultra reliable and the maintenance intervals I beleive are 12,500 miles for majors. Oil every 3000 miles more or less depending on your philosophy.

Maybe that helps...

[T06]

The seat is not made for all day excursions.I've done several from dawn to dusk days & while riding ,by the end of the day my ass knows it for real.The easiest way around this is a sheeps wool covering. The reason being that the larger area that is compressed the bigger the restriction of blood flowing through the ass cheeks, resulting in soreness etc.Wool is not an even surface so the restriction is less.There are seat pads designed along the same line as bedridden research of people & their sores & the technology gleaned from there.Don't know how good they are.
The average for me is low 30's/mpg but that will change significantly with the road & my moods.:burnout: :burnout: :burnout:.
Lastly yes this is a bike that you can have faith in as far as living 3+hrs from a dealer with.I've owned 3 Aprilias now & no dramas from any of them.No doubt the naysayers will have something to say of this but the truth for me is I've never had a major with an Aprilia yet in 50'000km's/4 years/3bikes.:tired:

[Maxacceleration]

I would call the seat firm, but comfortable. For me I'm too new to the bike to tell for sure, but its better than too soft IMO.
IMO the ergos are excellent, everything makes sense. Eccentric adjusters on the shifter/brake levers also. You're in the wind, but it seems well managed, no buffeting for me at least. No quirky Italian fit problems for me.
I like the tall first gear(16t cog), which makes it lope along nicely at 4000 at 70 mph. So far the biggest thing I've noticed is not much turn from lock to lock, which is just a parking lot thing anyways.
So far?.... :worship:

Did I say the bike looks bitchin?
It does.

[Hickey]

Thanks guys.

I've looked into BMW, but the cost is nothing to be ignored and the distance to a dealer is no better than with Aprilia. Besides, to me the Tuono looks better than any of BMW's offerings.

I'm leaning more in the direction of a true sport bike than in a true sport touring bike. I don't take more than one or two over night trips in any given year. Track days on the other hand I do enjoy very much and will almost certainly do more of them than long trips. Given these preferences a naked sport bike really does seem to be the best compromise for me. It retains a sporty nature while still being comfortable and practical enough for daily life and some light sport touring.

I've read that the Tuono does have some tight city street issues, but given that I'm coming off a Ducati Monster, I'm used to limited streering lock -- and besides I don't live in a big city anyway, so urban commuting will not be an issue.

The major servicing at 12,000+ miles includes a valve adjust on the Aprilia, right? What does that typically cost and about how many hours of labor? If it doesn't take too long, I'll be I could turn those servicing appointments into a long day trip to the dealer and back.

[WarBaby]

I like the seat shape but have only sat upon it continuously for about 75 miles with 200 miles total in 3 days (without discomfort). However, for me, the seat cover material is too "sticky" to easily slide from side-to-side in tight, fast twisties. Instead of sliding my butt, I had to lift it to reposition myself. I might re-cover mine.

The seat/handlebar/footpegs relationship is excellent and yields an upright riding position that allows me to physically relax (I'm 5"11"/190#). At 94 miles, my low fuel warning light came on but it's because I was in 2nd and 3rd gears most of the time. The 15-tooth sprocket works well overall for me although it's hard to crawl along in 1st without playing with the clutch. All bikes have their pecularities (I've had a boat load) but few handle like this bad boy. Now, if I can get rid of that flat spot below 4K.... :)

[Hickey]

Flat spot below 4000 RPMs? I've only seen one dyno graph for the new Tuono, but the torque curve looks fairly smooth to me. Is this flat spot a relative lack of power or more of a hesitation in throttle response?

It seems to me that the Tuono would have a broad range of usable RPMs without shaking itself to pieces. Obviously I'd expect power to be better and more imeadiate from 7000 RPM on, but is the bike tolerant of relatively low RPMs? Say in the 3000-5000 RPM range or does it only run smoothly and happily in its upper RPMs?

Thanks again to all who are responding. I don't mean to be such a pest, but you all are turning out to be my most valuable source of Aprilia information.

[WarBaby]

I've just learned the cause also...thanks to some members here. It is apparently an intentionally lean throttle reponse issue between 3K and 4K RPM with Map #1 to allow the bike to meet emission standards. Slip-on mufflers and the dealer-activation of Map #2 supposedly corrects most of it although one member reports that it is still present after doing those mods.

[Maxacceleration]

IMO, this(my) bike pulls cleanly from idle all the way to 6000(keeping it under that mostly for break-in). While there may be the slightest of hitches at (small)partial throttle settings, for me at least there isn't a big hole or flat spot. My bike pulls cleanly with the 16t cog around town just fine also.
Now if I understood Amauri correctly, the map update he was speaking of(#266532) was for the bike in stock condition w/stock pipes, not the map 2 for aftermarket cans??? I'm a little confused on that. He'll have to let us know...

[bmac]

The Tuono is one of the most versatile bikes available. I bought mine 1000 miles away from home and rode it 650 miles the first day. I was not the slightest bit sore and was pleasantly surprised that I could actually tour on this bike. The only slight drawback was the wind gets a little tiring at high speed.
I had planned on buying a GS1200 in addition to the Tuono to go along with my FJR1300. After an extended test ride on the GS I discovered that the Tuono does everything better and have no need for the GS. The quality issues with the overpriced BMW are another factor. If you have to limit yourself to one bike the Tuono is by far the best choice. I have owned and ridden a ton of bikes and this one is simply amazing.

[Hickey]

bmac,

I noticed in your profile information that you are in Wisconsin. I'm curious what you think of Corse Superbikes in Milwaukee. I've heard they are a good dealership for Aprilia. Have you had any experience with them?

You describe the bike exactly like I hope it might be. I want a single, versatile bike that can do just about anything I want it to do pretty well. I don't do enough track days to justify a dedicated track bike, nor enough light touring for a sport touring bike, but I do like a comfortable and sporty bike that can be pressed into both track and light touring duty.

[TUONOAPE]

Slip-on mufflers and the dealer-activation of Map #2 supposedly corrects most of it although one member reports that it is still present after doing those mods.
Whoever had that happen, I'd get it back to your dealer and have them re-check it as Map 2 might not have taken. This happened to me (although I suspect they just forget to do it), but I have heard of some dealers having problems getting Map 2 to take some times.

[bmac]

bmac,

I noticed in your profile information that you are in Wisconsin. I'm curious what you think of Corse Superbikes in Milwaukee. I've heard they are a good dealership for Aprilia. Have you had any experience with them?

You describe the bike exactly like I hope it might be. I want a single, versatile bike that can do just about anything I want it to do pretty well. I don't do enough track days to justify a dedicated track bike, nor enough light touring for a sport touring bike, but I do like a comfortable and sporty bike that can be pressed into both track and light touring duty.

Corse is the place to go. It starts with a great owner and an excellent staff. They do a great job.

[RixTR]

I agree the seat is firm but generally very comfortable with room to move around to change position. The most I have done so far is about 150 miles in one day. I also pulled my handle bars back about 1/2 inch and that seemed to fine tune the ergos a bit for me. The reach was fine with the stock position but I thought I would try it and I liked it better. I love the feel this bike has turning into tight corners. Steering lock is no issue at all.

Regarding the mysterious feel between 3-4k...... I am not sure what it is. I have the 15 T cog, TigCraft slip ons and map 2 (also with the revised base map loaded but unused). I never rode the bike in stock condition so I can't compare.

I feel like it lacks something between 3-4K rpm that is hard to explain. It simply doesn't rip my arms off like it does above 4K. Yesterday, I took the airbox restricter plate out and that seemed like it might have helped a bit although it is hard to tell because the feel is so slight to begin with. It could be my imagination or I could be getting used to it. Who knows, perhaps it is not map-related at all. Maybe this engine/transmission combo is just happier above 4k. That suits me just fine. (Tuonoape: I'll have the dealer check that map2 was successfully installed--thanks for the tip)

In any case, I would highly recommed this bike to those considering it. It is simply a great high-performance do it all motorcycle.

[T06]

....get the throttle bodies synched.The only time I've had the 3-4500rpm lurch is before the axone was applied.Last service I had the t/bodies synched, smooth as a babies backside.:bump: :bump:

[RixTR]

T06-will do thanks. I am at 350 miles and trying to get to 600 quickly. I'll have the carbs synched then.

FYI..Yesterday I was out riding on some small county roads through farm land and the car that was 50 feet in front of me got T-boned by some lady who ran a stop sign on a tiny cross street (never saw it). Everyone was OK but it was a very close call that reminded me to slow and look at every intersection-regardless of right of way. It could have been ugly if that car was not in front of me.

[T06]

....I was just thinking that myself yesterday when out riding.The usual red light manners,waiting waitingwaitingwaitngBANG, the light turns green & slip the clutch leaning forward giving it plenty of throttle & looking in the mirror to see all disappear, got me thinking that I am candidate no.1 for a red light runner.Rixtr, I know you know, we got bodys, old school got carbs.:)

[RixTR]

Good catch--I had an '01 R1 (last year made w/carbs) before this Tuono and I must have had a brain fart. Old habits die slow I guess.

[WarBaby]

An easy oversight. I'm sure everyone knew what you meant! :)