Mirko Zocco, senior designer at Aprilia, tells about style and design of the Tuareg 660.
The Tuareg's design was intended to be simultaneously evocative and disruptive. One of the value that guided us from the very beginning was to create functionality in every detail: the bike is very narrow where it has to be, but at the same time, it broadens at the front to give the impression of a muscular fuel tank, which is very reminiscence of the '80s era big, African rally bikes.
The same attention to ergonomics went into the saddle design, which has to accommodate different riding situations on endurance bikes. The ability to ride standing on the bike pegs is compulsory, but the saddle still needs to be comfortable for long rides. We were able to achieve a height off the ground that isn't to tall, despite the considerable wheel travel.
The Aprilia DNA is extremely present in the Tuareg's design. For example, the front end has that typical, Aprilia three-eyed look with the DRL acting as a calling card in different lighting conditions. But in this case it was designed in a compact way with more slender volumes than seen on street bikes.
An adventure bike has to draw the rider in. It has to bring great journeys to mind, so that's also why we felt that the outdoor world was the best place to draw inspiration for this type of bike. That's where this bike's positioning comes from, which is very vertical, with volumes that develop vertically. It's precisely because this really expresses the vehicle's off-road personality.
The tail is extremely thin and being so slender, it makes it very easy to move around in the saddle. And, at the same time, it leaves room to mount panniers and a topbox. This bike will have a vast range of accessories that lets you personalize it even more, either to make it more specialized, or to make it more of a travel bike.
For me, this bike rapresents a good example of authentic design, where performance dictates design. It's always a pleasure to hear from customers and see what their real needs are and the try to respond with a distinctive look. And that was our goal.
Source: Aprilia.