I was already wondering why I was not crippled after riding it around inner-city Melbourne and doing some freeway time . Usually , on a supersport , this kind of riding makes me stretch out my legs , wriggle in the seat , and mutter foul curses at the bloke who chose the route . Not this time . The seat was comfortable , Aprilia had sat the handlebars above the top triple clamp , and the whole package was quite ergonomically pleasing . And when we hit the corners , everything else just fell into place . The suspension – 41mm , upside-down , fully adjustable Kayabas , and a single fully adjustable unit up the back , hanging off a very sexy asymmetrical alloy swingarm – is excellent .
There was a distilled rightness to the way the RS660 handled . Aided and abetted by its low , unsprung weight , and a wet heft of a mere 183kg , all being pushed by a non-temperamental and beautifully fuelled engine , this is precisely the kind of bike you would enjoy when the road surface is wet . In the dry , and there were a few dry bits , there is no mistaking the RS660s heritage – this is not only one of the best-handling Aprilias ever made , it ’ s one of the best-handling bikes you can get . The fact you ’ re not cramped into a racer ’ s crouch – an entirely impractical way to ride on the road for anyone over 20 – certainly helps . If you ’ re comfy , you ’ re fast . The engine ( 100 horsies and 67Nm at 8500rpm ) makes most its torque
KIWI RIDER 65