Aprilia Spotted Testing 457cc Twin-Powered Tuareg
The new bike has been entered in the upcoming Africa Eco Race.
With the Tuareg 660 riding a wave of success at major rallies, Aprilia seems ready to reload with a new weapon — the Tuareg 457.
Sightings of the bike come from none other than Aprilia racer Jacopo Cerutti, who has posted images and video of the new machine being tested in Tunisia. Notably, European outlets are also reporting that Aprilia has registered a twin-cylinder 450 in the upcoming Africa Eco Race, piloted by Marco Menichini.
The bike is said to be in development with the technical collaboration of the Aprilia Guareschi Corse team, who were not only involved in prepping the Tuareg 660 for competition but also raced it to the top podium at the Africa Eco Race this year with Cerutti at the helm.
The smaller size Tuareg being tested was spotted sporting a white color and featuring two round headlights that seem to hark back to the RXV 4.5 bike Aprilia raced at Dakar 14 years ago. Zoom in closer and you will also see a 457 sticker draping the tail area.
According to Moto.it the Tuareg 457 will use the same engine from the RS 457 sport bike, which pumps out 47.6 hp at 9,400 rpm. In the competition rally bike, the powerplant is said to produce 55 hp at 10,500 rpm and reach speeds over 105 mph. Fuel capacity is reportedly around 30 liters (7.9 gallons) while tipping the scale at 160 kg (353 lbs) dry.
The chassis is also said to borrow many of the elements of the Tuareg 660, including similarities in the frame and swingarm. Reports also mention the 457 is equipped with Ohlins suspension prepared by Andreani, although it remains to be seen if that makes it to a production version.
With EICMA only a week away and the bike being entered for racing at the end of December, we are hoping to see the unveiling of this bike in Milan. And who knows, maybe Aprilia also has something new in store for the Tuareg 660 platform.
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Why? It has 10 less HP and weighs 50 lbs. more than my 2013 Husky TR650. If it had 10 more HP and weighed 50 lbs. less than my TR650, it would be a very cool machine.
so they can compete into the 450cc class during the Africa Eco Race. Also putting the 457cc engine in the Tuareg is a natural move from Aprilia, as long as the bike is lighter than the CF450MT and is priced right, it will sell well imho.
wait and see
This is almost identical to the vaunted KTM 640 Adventure (about 350 lb dry and about 400 lb wet), except the KTM had a paint-shaker of a thumper engine and only a 7-gal tank. Suspension travel was about 11″ each end, and the tank was an early version of KTM’s signature “saddle” tank.
If they can price this competitively I would consider this!
Read down till 353lbs dry weight.
Still don’t get all the weight complaints. If you want under 370lbs, get a CRF 300L Rally or a dual Sport. Been waiting for this one! Been super close to getting the 660, but if this comes in at a bit lower of a price point, has just as good of a stock suspension as the 660, I don’t think I’ll be able to resist! Some pretty great sub 500cc adventure bikes coming out lately (it’s about time). Looking forward to EICMA this year!
Agreed, if this can come in at 390-395lbs wet and under $8k, they’ve hit the mark.A bike with twice the power of the CRF300l/KLX300 but still 60 pounds lighter than a Tuareg 660/T7 would check a lot of boxes..
People want the impossible. This bike would be near perfect.
I couldn’t agree more!
i would love to see aprilia build up to dakar…
With the fiasco surrounding KTM oil pumps/assembly debris and failed camshafts, comes a market void. That 890R demonstrated a hugely popular 900cc serious-dirtbike product niche(previously popular in KTM’s case). IMHO it would be a good time for Aprilia to step in and fill that void. Why not big-bore convert their (low-torque) 660cc and make it a torquey 890cc? Surprised by this even less torque 475cc? Maybe it will do well in countries with very short & light average weight 65-80kg riders? A strong jumpable Adv bike has an inherent high frame weight, so going small on a baby twin means it will be slightly lighter, but has to rev to 10,000rpm to get hp, but will never have trackable torque. Waiting for the Tuareg 890.
Twin cylinders will always bring more weight, so no comparison to single cylindars. A good move for Aprilia to meet some race requirements as mentioned here. Singles, like my 701, fill that weight to power sweet spot at 320 dry and 74 hp. But a twin cylinder under 400 lbs has peaked my interest, even with the loss of some ponies. Looks like a fun ride.
The lightweight bike already exist with the KTM 690/Husqvarna 701 enduro platform. The KTM group just needs to put a rally fairing on it and make some minor updates.
I can already feel my wallet losing weight.