The Sports Bike That Delivers Both Raw Performance And Daily Usability Is The Aprilia RS 660

Sports bikes are fun, because they’re quick. There’s nothing quicker on tarmac than a combination of a sports bike and a racetrack. However, in the real world, there are speed limits, traffic lights, and drivers who can’t see motorcycles. You might also want to enjoy the scenery in 4D on a trip and choose to ride a motorcycle. For all these use cases outside of a racetrack, sports bikes are horrible. They’re cramped, don’t steer well at slow speeds, have a fuel tank that is ridiculously small, and are generally a pain in the neck (and back).

There is a new generation of sports bikes that has now made it to market that take into account the fact that sports bikes are used on the street as well. They’re not as aggressive as a traditional bike, but will still manage to offer great fun on the odd track day. One of the best at it is the bike we’ll talk about in detail here. Let us tell you why this sports bike delivers both raw performance and daily usability.

The Aprilia RS 660 Is The Sports Bike That Delivers Both Raw Performance And Daily Usability

Price: $11,749

Aprilia is a well-known name in the road racing world, having been a participant in the highest echelons of motorcycle racing for a long time. Its sports bikes are second to none – there is the 220 horsepower RSV4 at one end, and the lovely RS 457 at the other. Both of these products offer things that are unique for the class. The RS 660 sits in the middle of the two, and it also carries on the tradition of the Aprilia sports bike. It has speed in spades, but Aprilia has taken some pains to make sure that it is somewhat usable on a daily basis despite its focus on being quick. That is why the RS660 is the sports bike that delivers both raw performance and daily usability.

Why We Picked The Aprilia RS 660

• Two-cylinder engine, four-cylinder power
• APRC electronics suite
• Light weight
• Looks fantastic

Aprilia RS 660 Engine: A Work Of Art

Output: 105 Horsepower

The RS 660 engine is rumored to be built from one half of the RSV4 engine. Judging by its specific output, we’re inclined to believe it. This 659 cc parallel twin engine with a 270-degree crank generates 105 horsepower. For context, the Ninja 650, another middleweight sports bike (albeit one focused on practicality), makes 67 horsepower from 649 cc. Even if you pick the inline four-cylinder middleweights like the CBR650R E-Clutch, it makes 94 horses. The only middleweights that outdo the RS660’s power output are the old-school no-compromise Supersport 600s with their screaming inline-four engines, or middleweights with significantly more displacement.

Aprilia RS 660 Engine Specifications

Aprilia tames this output with a by-wire throttle and a six-axis IMU linked to its famous APRC electronics suite. You thus get what is the most comprehensive feature set in the segment as far as this is concerned. On the menu are engine maps, engine brake control, traction control, wheelie control, cruise control, five riding modes, a two-way quickshifter, and launch control. Phew!

Aprilia RS 660 Chassis: Beauty And Brains

Aluminum Frame, Adjustable Swingarm

This is possibly the most advanced chassis in the middleweight segment, and not just because of the electronics. The RS 660 uses an aluminum twin-spar frame to begin with, and adds an aluminum swingarm to it. This is a proper big bike swingarm, none of your lazy box-section cut-price stuff, and it has a movable pivot point that is on the engine crankcase, not the frame, to save weight. If you take this to the racetrack, that adjustable pivot point will be essential to battle squat and extension, and to improve rider confidence.

Aprilia RS 660 Chassis Specs And Dimensions

KYB provides the suspension that is adjustable for preload and rebound at both ends. Travel hovers around the five-inch mark. The brakes are top-shelf items from Brembo: at the front, there are dual 320 mm floating discs with radially mounted monobloc calipers. At the rear, there is a smaller disc, but the caliper is a fixed one, not a floating one, for better feel and feedback. Metal braided hoses and a Brembo radial master cylinder round off the set of braking components. Here too, the APRC suite offers features like cornering ABS with three different maps and rear wheel lift mitigation.

Aprilia RS 660 Features

Great Feature Set For Daily Use Or A Track Day

The Aprilia RS 660’s party trick is the APRC suite. There is only one other middleweight sport bike that offers things like launch control, but the level of customization, like the ABS intervention and engine maps, is unique to the Aprilia. There is also the movable swingarm pivot point – it might not be of much use on the commute, but on the track, it will make a world of difference coming out of a corner.

Aprilia RS660 Notable Features

• 5-inch TFT color display
• Bluetooth connectivity with navigation
• MotoGP-style wings
• Six-axis IMU
• Cruise control
• APRC electronics suite
• Launch control
• 3-level cornering ABS
• Aluminum twin spar frame
• Aluminum swingarm with movable pivot point

The usual features are also present: a five-inch TFT color display allows the rider access to the many parameters of the APRC suite. In addition, it has Bluetooth connectivity and navigation. Coupled with the cruise control, the RS 660 could do duty as a touring bike as well, for short trips. Oh, and we haven’t mentioned the MotoGP-style wings that have debuted on the 2025 RS 660. This is significant because Aprilia has been one of the leaders in aerodynamics in MotoGP.

It Faces Competition From The Likes Of Yamaha, Ducati, CFMoto, And Triumph

There’s a lot to unpack here. The RS 660 sits in the middle of the middleweight sportbike segment. The cheaper ones are usually more practical, like the Kawasaki Ninja 650 ($7,399) that we mentioned before. Another practical option is the Honda CBR650R E-Clutch ($9,899), but it isn’t what one would call sporty. There are also the supersport 600 cc inline fours, the king of whom is the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R ABS ($12,399), but practicality isn’t something it knows about. The Yamaha YZF-R7 ($9,199) is like the Aprilia, but is down massively on both power and electronics, which is why a lower price.

Aprilia RS660 vs. Rivals

That brings us to the true contenders. There is some stiff competition here. At the bottom of the list is the Suzuki GSX-8R. It has decent performance but to be honest it is a faster Ninja 650. Then there is the Triumph Daytona 660, which is quite like the Aprilia but with a screaming three-cylinder engine. If you want more sportiness, there is the CFMoto 675SS with its incredible sub-$8,000 price.

But the king of the three-cylinder middleweight sports bikes is unquestionably the Yamaha YZF-R9. It offers more power and just as many features (including launch control and MotoGP wings) as the Aprilia for just $700 more. And for less than the Yam is the base Ducati Panigale V2, which is a premium Italian middleweight sports bike that combines practicality, light weight, a two cylinder engine, and sportiness with an amazing electronics suite. That sounds very familiar…