Rubber-burning horsepower and unlimited funds make for wicked sportbikes, but it isn’t everything when it comes to having a seriously good time, and the 2021 Aprilia RS 660 is a prime example. It’s a motorcycle that represents a balance of performance and practicality. Engaging engine performance, nimble handling, a relatively low seat height, and roomy ergonomics make the 660 as much of a ripping sportbike as it is an everyday machine.
And although it isn’t built for cutthroat competition, it has enjoyed success in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup championship, taking several victories to date. As part of an Aprilia Racers Days event at Ridge Motorsports Park in the Pacific Northwest, we had the opportunity to sample the RS 660 on the racetrack for the first time.
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All we have ever wanted are motorcycles with mass horsepower and racing-derived technical excellence. These wishes have driven manufacturers down the roads of potent open-class literbikes, homologation-special superbikes, and race-replica machines-nowadays often with 190-plus claimed horsepower. But maybe we’ve asked for too much?
Sure, rubber-burning horsepower and unlimited funds make for wicked sportbikes, but it isn’t everything when it comes to having a seriously good time, and the 2021 Aprilia RS 660 is a prime example. It’s a motorcycle that represents a balance of performance and practicality. Engaging engine performance, nimble handling, a relatively low seat height, and roomy ergonomics make the 660 as much of a ripping sportbike as it is an everyday machine. And although it isn’t built for cutthroat competition, it has enjoyed success in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup championship, taking several victories to date.
As part of an Aprilia Racers Days event at Ridge Motorsports Park in the Pacific Northwest, we had the opportunity to sample the RS 660 on the racetrack for the first time. The circuit’s 2.5-mile, 16-turn layout of fast sweepers, hard braking zones, wide-open straightaways, and dramatic elevation changes meant no aspect of the RS went untested.
Opening the throttle of the RS 660 unleashes immediate, usable power from its RSV4-derived 659cc parallel-twin engine, pulling strongly with very linear initial acceleration before truly ripping around the 8,000-rpm mark. Here, the RS barks out a meaty growl as it rips toward redline that is eerily similar to its V-4 sibling. Still, it doesn’t have mass superbike horsepower to fall back on, and keeping momentum means perfecting midcorner speed.
And that’s what distinguishes the RS 660. Peak performance isn’t as impressive as the 600cc inline-four repli-racers, but an impressively flat torque curve and usable, low-end delivery means taking advantage of the power available isn’t as arduous-keeping the engine spinning above 12,000 rpm isn’t required. It’s also less intimidating than open-class superbikes, while still offering an engaging experience for experts and serving as a conducive platform for improving riding skill. For reference, the 660 produced 88.8 hp at 10,500 rpm and 45.3 pound-feet of torque at 8,500 rpm on the Motorcyclist dyno.
To keep things in check, the RS 660 is equipped with the Aprilia Performance Ride Control (APRC) electronic rider-aid suite, which is accessed via a full-color TFT display. These IMU-based traction control, wheelie control, engine-brake, and ABS settings are offered in five preset riding modes, with Challenge and Time Attack settings being designated track modes. The latter modes include features like a built-in lap-timer function. Utilizing level 2 of traction control and wheelie control off, the RS 660 blends tractable power delivery and logical electronic intervention for aggressive-yet-manageable acceleration at corner exit without being robbed of its sporty personality. In simple terms, it’s superbike-level precision in a middleweight package.
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Videography/edit: Bert Beltran
Photography: Jeff Allen
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