18/5/2013 - Welcome to My Stable : Aprilia Tuono R aka Silver

Right, you must be thinking that this posting was a joke. After all, I was singing lyrical about the Ducati 916 and its younger sibling ie  Cagiva Mito; and had been testing these bikes around town.

I haven't been hunting for an Aprilia RS125, RS250 or Tuono R- so why the heck would I now have a Tuono R in my stable?

Well, yes, I do loved the ever-green design that Massimo Tamburini had penned for these two identical sibling bikes (916 and Mito), but parts availability in Malaysia were to be a chore from my checking around. You could get a 916 from circa-1996 at around RM50k in the secondary market, while the best-priced Mito that I had found on the secondary market of late was a 2011 matt-black Mito Fauzy Edition with remaining warranty till November 2013, that was selling for RM10k cash.  

As for Aprilia, you could chance upon such rides featuring the popular RS125 and RS250 guises from circa 1996-1998, normally selling north of RM10k in the secondary market. Aprilia's prices seemed to be relatively stable in the secondary market with nary a movement from these base prices.

So when a fellow reader pointed my attention towards a 2007 Tuono R, which was advertised as being the one and only 2-stroker engined Tuono R in Malaysia, I was rather intriqued and Googled more about the Tuono series.

The current Tuono V4 R was described as :

"After creating the best superbike of the new millennium, Aprilia revolutionises the supersports naked segment with its astonishing new Tuono V4 R. A bike that goes beyond the wildest dreams of even the most hardcore enthusiasts - the rider who, given the chance, would use a race bike just to go for a coffee.

For riders like these and for those with power in their veins, Aprilia has created a motorcycle with the indomitable spirit of the RSV4 in a feline body that is in its element when accelerating and braking with unimaginable violence, that eats up curves of any radius and swallows straights whole.

The performance and features of a superbike, the agility of a naked and the legacy of an innovative concept born in 2002 with the Tuono 1000 R – a bike that earned both critical acclaim and sales success – but with an extraordinary new ace up its sleeve: the performance of a 65° V4 engine and the most advanced electronics available in a motorcycle today.

Like the original Tuono, the new V4 R is also immediately recognisable with its triple headlight fixed top fairing, the distinguishing trait of a bike which, like its twin cylinder predecessor, has the body and soul of its WSBK homologated sibling, but now - as well as having two world championships (the 2010 constructors' and riders' titles) under its belt - features two more cylinders and 41 horsepower more than before, while weighing over ten kilos less. These astonishing figures are a testimony to the technological evolution that made this exciting new model a reality. The new bike is available in two different configurations - Tuono V4 R and Tuono V4 R APRC - and in a choice of three colours: competition black, sunlit yellow and wing grey."

A call to the seller revealed the following :

- bike was brought into Malaysia under a personal AP in 2007;
- bike was a throughbred Italian-CBU machine;
- bike was overhauled at Naza Aprilia in 2012 (the seller worked for Naza);
- bike had undergone electrical wiring works with Az, infamous Aprilia guru based in Batu Caves, about 2 months ago;
- bike needed "some repair works" if the new owner wanted it to be better;
- bike was selling new at app RM24k post-conversion of exchange rate;
- seller needed cash on an urgent basis and was looking at cash deals only.

Ideally, the seller would like to sell the Tuono R at RM15k given its condition, but we both knew that it was not going to move at that price. He informed me that he had earlier placed an advert for RM10k after a price revision, and a deposit was secured but the there was no news from the potential buyer thereafter.

He re-advertised, and a reader brought it to my attention.

When I first saw the bike, I was already sold on the bike. Why? Because the bike had the same digits as my Black Bison, and those digits are deemed as special nos as per JPJ's guidelines on tender of no. plates. Rare as such a coincidence could possibly be, it also meant that the no. plate could have been tendered in a similar price in the region of RM6k - RM8k. The bike would be essentially free in that case.

But that's just twisted logic from a man who loved Italian rides and was looking for a reason to go into Italian rides' ownership again.

When I first tested the bike, the gears were not shifting properly; neutral was very elusive; idling was somewhat rough; top-speed suffered; parts of the bikes rattled about; the side mirrors were shaking terribly; there was no horn; a leaking rear suspension; and a few other issues made riding this bike not as enjoyable as it could have been. That was quite a first impression, albeit in negative form; and any saner persons would have walked away.

At the back of my mind, I knew that there were quite a fair bit of works needing to be done on the Tuono Version R, which I shall call Hi-yo Silver (in reference to the infamous horse from The Lone Ranger's franchise). I would start with the following and add up the engine works when the restoration project truly kicks in.

1) Silver could do with a pair of new side mirrors as the current Koso ones would slant downwards due to the wind whenever one rides.
 
2) A pair of front and rear standard issued no. plates would be necessary to prevent drawing the attention from the local authorities, although the racer types being used on Silver looked the part. But oh well, no point getting summons over this matter.

3) Some items would need checking and/or replacing : gear balance shaft drive, horn, rear brake, chain, etc.

4) A round of servicing and tuning was in the books.

Other than the above, Silver was in good condition for its age and a call to the friendly Az confirmed that he knew the bike to be in relatively good form and was a rare beast on Malaysian roads- being the one and only actual Tuono R and not RS-converted ones.

It was a fast decision and I quickly took possession of Silver on the very day, with a visit to the insurance company for a quick comprehensive cover and thereafter, JPJ for the ownership transfer.

My last Italian ownership had been the Fiat Coupe and that had been quite a hair-raising ownership experience. Hopefully, this Aprilia Tuono R would be a breeze to own after the initial works I proposed and budgeted.

Keep your eyes posted for my adventures with this bike in the near future!