2026 Aprilia RS 660 Review: Is Italy's Best-Seller Worth It?

Aprilia says the RS 660 was the best-selling fairing sports bike in Italy in 2025, which is a bold thing to be in the country that also builds Ducatis and MV Agustas. The road there wasn't smooth: early bikes were caught up in a 2021 recall over connecting rods that could break and stall the engine. The current RS 660 is the Euro 5+ version, with 105hp from its 659cc parallel twin and the same lightweight, electronics-heavy recipe that made it popular in the first place.

This 2026 Aprilia RS 660 review is Liam Simm's attempt to answer the question every UK rider looking at one is asking: is it worth a place in your shed? Liam, Moto Planet's presenter and rider, took the standard bike out on UK roads, through town, onto the dual carriageway and out on the B-roads, courtesy of A&D Motorcycles in Denbigh. That's a dealer-loaned bike and a few hours of riding, so this is a road test rather than a long-term report, and we'll be clear about which is which as we go.

Summary

• Engine 659cc liquid-cooled parallel twin, four valves per cylinder
• Power 105hp (77.2kW) @ 10,400rpm
• Torque 70Nm @ 8,400rpm
• Weight 183kg wet (with 90% fuel)
• Fuel Capacity 15 litres
• Price £10,540 RRP (inc. VAT)

This review was produced in partnership with A&D Motorcycles, Denbigh.

Buying Advice: Who is this bike for? Who should skip it?

The RS 660 suits the rider who wants a proper sports bike but rides on real roads most of the time. Liam's first impression was how friendly it is: the riding position isn't aggressive, the bike weighs 183kg with 90% fuel, and he reckoned a rider moving up to their first middleweight would get on with it very well. If most of your miles are in town and you've been talking yourself out of a sports bike because of that, Liam's advice is to think again; more on that below.

The seat is 820mm, which Aprilia publishes for the current bike. On the A2 question, Aprilia does list a 35kW version of the RS 660 in some markets, but it isn't shown on Aprilia UK's site, so speak to a UK dealer before you assume you can buy one restricted here.

Who should look elsewhere? If you mainly ride track days and want the most power for the straights, Liam thinks the Yamaha R9 would serve you better. If you cover long motorway stints and want to tuck right down behind the screen, the RS 660's low screen and tall tank make that harder than you'd expect. And if dependability and simplicity matter more to you than character, Liam is upfront that you're buying an Italian bike with a lot of electronics, and some riders will prefer a Japanese alternative for that reason.

What does £10,540 get you?

The standard RS 660 is £10,540, and the Factory is £12,390. The Factory adds fully adjustable Öhlins suspension and its own paint scheme, and Liam's view on camera was that, beyond that, you aren't getting much more for the extra £1,850.

That's because the standard bike is already well equipped. It has a six-axis IMU (inertial measurement unit, the sensor that lets the electronics react to lean angle as well as speed), a 5in TFT dash, five riding modes, cornering ABS and a full set of rider aids: traction control, wheelie control, launch control and engine brake control, all adjustable through the dash. You also get a two-way quickshifter, Brembo brakes with twin 320mm front discs and KYB suspension, adjustable for preload and rebound at both ends.

Cruise control is standard too, though there's no dedicated button for it. To switch it on you hold down a button on the left switchgear and then press it again, which Liam put down to Aprilia saving weight wherever it could. He also couldn't find a hazard light switch at all, and asked viewers in the comments to tell him how to turn them on. Neither is a dealbreaker, but both are worth knowing before you're stuck on a hard shoulder looking for one.

The 659cc twin: is it really down on mid-range?

Earlier RS 660s picked up a reputation for going a bit flat through the mid-range. Liam went in expecting to test that, though his own research before the ride suggested the complaint may have come from the US-spec bike rather than the one sold here.

He tested it properly: down to 20mph in second gear, just over 3,000rpm, then wide open to the top. Aprilia quotes 105hp at 10,400rpm and 70Nm at 8,400rpm, so it's a twin that likes revs rather than one built for low-down shove. Out on the road, though, Liam found no sign of the old complaint, and he was impressed by how strongly the torque came through.

The engine shares its basis with the one in the Tuareg 660, Aprilia's adventure bike, but Liam pointed out that the tuning is very different: the Tuareg's is set up for low-down pull, while the RS 660's leans towards the top end. It sounds the part as well. Liam described a throaty, meaty note that he thinks is almost part of Aprilia's identity, and at 6,000rpm in second he was surprised by how little vibration came through the bike. The mirrors were a different story; they shook a lot in second gear.

A sports bike riding position that's easy on you

The first thing Liam noticed when he got on was how relaxed the riding position is. The footpegs sit quite far back but also quite low, so your knees aren't folded up into the tight, aggressive crouch most sports bikes put you in. The bars are slightly wider than you might expect too, which helps when you're manoeuvring slowly.

He came back to the word "approachable" more than once. Combine that position with 183kg and the bike asks very little of you, which matters more than any headline figure when you're new to this kind of machine.

What is the RS 660 like through town?

This is where Liam thinks the RS 660 surprises people. The light weight takes away a lot of the mental effort of managing the bike, which leaves you free to concentrate on traffic and pedestrians. The clutch is light enough that his hand never got tired, and the throttle is smooth rather than snatchy. If you want it softer or sharper, the riding modes and settings let you change that.

There's a quickshifter, but in town Liam recommends using the clutch for the extra control, since most quickshifters don't work at their best without some load on the engine.

Dual carriageway: the tuck that doesn't quite work

The relaxed position has a price, and it shows at 70mph. On a sports bike you'd usually expect to lean down, get your head behind the screen and enjoy a bit of quiet on a long stretch. On the RS 660 the tank is quite high and the screen is quite low, so even with his chest on the tank Liam couldn't get his helmet below the screen.

He was clear that this doesn't make it uncomfortable or hard work, and the protection around the sides was perfectly adequate for what the bike is. It just means you won't get the peace and quiet you might expect from a fairing. On the plus side, overtaking is good fun: drop one or two gears with the quickshifter, let the twin rev, and you're past whatever is in front.

How does the RS 660 handle on UK B-roads?

This is the reason most riders buy an RS 660, and Liam thinks it delivers. It's light and agile, the brakes are excellent, and the quickshifter is smooth and genuinely fun to use. Engine braking was set, he believed, to around level two, and he liked how it felt.

One B-road in particular surprised him. He said he shouldn't have been able to ride a sports bike on it the way he did, and that the Yamaha R9 had been far too stiff for that kind of road. The standard KYB suspension felt right for him, and he couldn't see a reason to stretch to the Factory just for the Öhlins units. His one warning was that a bike this addictive will probably get through its fuel quite quickly.

Is the Factory version worth the extra £1,850?

On the evidence of Liam's ride, probably not for most road riders. The Factory costs £12,390 against £10,540 for the standard bike, and the money goes on fully adjustable Öhlins suspension (a 43mm fork and a rear shock) and the Factory paint. The electronics, engine and brakes are the same.

Liam's view was that the standard suspension did everything he asked of it on UK roads. Riders who do a lot of track days, or who are heavier and want to set the suspension up precisely, are the ones who'd get the most from the Öhlins. Everyone else can put that £1,850 towards kit and accessories.

Screens and accessories: making the RS 660 your own

The low screen is the one thing Liam would change, and a taller aftermarket screen is the obvious fix if you do a lot of dual carriageway work. If you're shopping for one, or for anything else for the bike, check out our 2026 Aprilia RS 660 parts and accessories.

Ownership, Running Costs & Reliability

Fuel and range: Aprilia doesn't publish an official fuel consumption figure for the current RS 660, so we can't give you a verified mpg or a claimed range. The tank holds 15 litres. Liam's impression after his ride was that you'll use fuel fairly quickly because the bike encourages you to rev it.

Servicing: Aprilia UK doesn't publish the service schedule online; it points owners to the owner's manual. Ask your dealer for the intervals and a price for the first service before you buy.

Warranty: UK dealers list the RS 660 with a two-year standard warranty. Aprilia sells a paid Premium Warranty that extends cover by 12 or 24 months, up to four years in total. It has to be bought before the standard warranty runs out, it depends on the bike being serviced on time, and it has mileage limits (50,000km for the 12-month extension, 60,000km for 24 months). Aprilia's free extension to four years applies to its scooters, not its motorcycles. The details are on Aprilia UK's Premium Warranty page.

Reliability and recalls: The 2021 recall covered RS 660 and Tuono 660 bikes with connecting rods that hadn't been heat-treated properly and could break, stalling the engine. The fix was a free engine replacement. If you're buying used, check that the bike you're looking at has had that recall work done; Liam made the same point in the video. Aprilia also ran a non-safety recall in late 2025 to replace the left handgrip on current RS 660s in Europe, because its rubber didn't meet EU chemical limits; on a nearly new bike, ask a dealer whether it applies.

Liam's wider view is that a bike with this much Italian electronics may throw up the odd gremlin, and that's part of the deal: you're buying it for character rather than as the most dependable option in the class. On a current-generation bike this new, long-term reliability and resale values are too early to call.

Practicality: As a commuter it works better than its looks suggest, thanks to the light weight, the light clutch and the relaxed position. For touring, the low screen is the main drawback on long motorway runs, and you'll need to plan luggage carefully on a bike built this compact.

How the Aprilia RS 660 compares to its rivals?

Aprilia's 105hp is metric horsepower, the same as 105PS, so the rival figures below are in PS to keep the comparison straight.

Suzuki GSX-8R. At £8,999 on the road, the GSX-8R is the obvious cheaper alternative, with a bigger 776cc parallel twin making 83PS at 8,500rpm and 78Nm at 6,800rpm. It has more torque, peaking lower in the rev range, but 22PS less power, and at 205kg kerb it's heavier. Liam's take was that the Suzuki leans more towards everyday usability, while the RS 660 is a little sportier but still does a very good job of staying usable and comfortable.

Triumph Daytona 660. From £8,995, the Daytona is the closest direct rival, a middleweight sports bike with a 660cc triple making 95PS at 11,250rpm and 69Nm. Torque is almost identical, but the Aprilia has 10PS more and weighs 183kg with 90% fuel against the Triumph's quoted 201kg wet. The Daytona costs less and gives you a three-cylinder engine; the RS 660 counters with a lighter bike and a more extensive electronics package.

Yamaha R9. At around £12,504, the R9 costs more than the RS 660 Factory and steps up to an 890cc triple with 119PS and 93Nm, in a 195kg package. Liam has ridden both. He thinks the R9 is the better choice for the track, where its extra power counts on the straights, but for a day-to-day sports bike he'd struggle to find something better than the RS 660. He also found the R9 too stiff for the kind of B-road where the Aprilia felt at home.

Comparing prices, note that Suzuki quotes the GSX-8R on the road, while Aprilia's £10,540 is a recommended retail price including VAT and doesn't say whether on-the-road costs are included. Check the final figure with your dealer. On paper the RS 660 sits between the cheaper Suzuki and Triumph and the more powerful R9, and its case rests on the low weight and the standard electronics.

Verdict

Liam came away convinced. The low weight is the star of the show, backed by the light clutch, the way the power comes through the throttle and the sound of the twin. Plenty of brands offer a lightweight parallel-twin sports bike, but Aprilia has put an unusually extensive electronics package on this one for the price.

There are compromises. The screen is too low for a proper tuck at motorway speeds, the mirrors shake, there's no dedicated cruise control button, and buyers who want Japanese dependability may prefer to look elsewhere. Liam's view is that you buy an Italian sports bike for its character, and that Aprilia has put everything into building a lightweight sports bike that is fun and rewarding for everyone. In his words, they've absolutely smashed it, and he couldn't see a reason to spend the extra £1,850 on the Factory.