If you are old enough to remember the 1980s and lucky enough to be Italian, you’ll know that before winning countless Grand Prix championships and launching the career of one Valentino Rossi, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer Aprilia was best known for its off-road bikes. Specifically, the Tuareg, which was introduced in 1985 and came with a variety of two- and four-stroke engine setups to suit just about anyone. Its noisy and boxy presence was perfect for the decade of excess and so the Tuareg became ubiquitous, both on the road and on TV.

Fast forward to 2022 and Aprilia decided it was time to get off the tarmac again, this time with distinctive 21^st-century style. The Tuareg 660 has been styled by Mirko Zocco – the same guy who designed the V85 TT, for sister company Moto Guzzi.

With no recent visual references of a Tuareg to draw on, Mirko has started from scratch and created something almost futuristic: the silver headlamp has been described as “robotic” by some critics, but he was insistent on retaining Aprilia’s typical ‘three-eyed’ look that has become a signature. The narrow seat and tail are designed with a variety of riding styles in mind, so you can easily take it through the city and hit up some dirt trails on the way home. The windscreen is low and yet I found that it offered effective protection on the motorway – and I’m 6’2.

In fact, this is the most comfortable motorbike I’ve ridden in years, in town, on long journeys and, of course, off-roading. Its kerb weight is only 204kg, the pegs are far enough for me to stretch my legs and it is very balanced. The parallel twin engine is, in essence, the same as the RS 660 sports bikes, but it’s been tweaked for low to mid-range torque, meaning shorter gears and 80hp that feels like it’s available from the moment you open the throttle (it isn’t, peak torque is at 6,500 rpm). Power delivery is very smooth, which makes green-laning and off-roading easy for a novice like me.

The thing that caught me completely off-guard, however, was the sound of this bike. If you look at it, it shouldn’t “braaaap” the way it does. The best way to describe it is to compare it to the noise muscle cars make in American movies (all fake and added post-production, by the way). It’s fat and exciting. Did Aprilia forget to put an air filter in?

Fairing-laden bikes aren’t usually my style, and the suspension could do with some tweaking if you intend to use it mostly in the city, but the Aprilia Tuareg 660 is unique amongst its peers as a bike that do pretty much everything, and so after a few days with it, I am seriously considering buying one.

Aprilia Tuareg 660 (Acid Gold, Martian Red): RRP £10,600

Aprilia Tuareg 660 (Indaco Tagelmust): RRP £11,100

aprilia.com