Piaggio India has introduced its first proper adventure motorcycle in India. It is called the Tuareg 660 and has been priced at Rs 18.85 lakh (ex-showroom).
At this price tag, the Tuareg 660 becomes the most expensive adventure bike in the segment. It competes against the recently launched Suzuki V-Strom 800DE and also the Honda XL750 Transalp. However, these bikes are priced a few lakh lower than the Tuareg 660, making them more sensible purchases.
In terms of styling, the Tuareg borrows a lot of design elements from Dakar motorcycles. The overall silhouette is more of a dirt bike, but with bigger body panels, this Aprilia looks quite aspirational. The bike gets LED lights, a taller windscreen and a flat single seat.
The Tuareg 660 is built around a tubular frame and rides on a 43mm USD front fork and a progressive linkage rear mono-shock. The braking duties are taken care of by twin discs at the front and a single disc at the rear. Due to its off-road nature, the Tuareg gets a 21-inch front and 18-inch rear spoke wheel combination with tubeless tyres.
This Aprilia gets its power from a 659cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine that makes 80bhp and 79Nm which is mated to a six-speed gearbox. Like its other 660cc siblings, the Tuareg 660 comes with four riding modes and a multi-level traction control system along with switchable ABS and cruise control.
Piaggio is selling the Aprilia Tuareg 660 in three colours with the Evocative Dakar Podium priced a bit higher at Rs 19.16 lakh. The bookings have already commenced at 10 Motoplex showrooms, and the company has plans to expand it to 10 more this year.