Best Used Bikes

Best UsedBikes

Aprilia Tuono

Best Open-Class Streetbike, 2003

Years sold: 8 (2003-2010)

MSRP new: $11,999 (2003)

Blue Book retail value: $5280 Basic specs: A 430-pound, 998cc, dohc V-Twin naked bike producing 111 hp and 68 ft.-lb. of torque. Aprilia built the Tuono by stripping the RSV Mille repli-racer of its full fairing and clipons, and replacing them with a quarter-fairing and a tubular handlebar to provide a sit-up riding position.

Why it won: Excitement, that's why. The RSV Mille was one of the most highly acclaimed liter-class sportbikes of its era, so it doesn't take much imagination to figure out what might happen if you were

to make it a little bit lighter, a lot more comfortable and much easier to flick back-and-forth on a twisty ribbon of asphalt. That's what Aprilia did, and the result was a ridiculously enjoyable, fun-loving naked that instantaneously transformed just about everyone who rode it into a card-carrying, wheelieriding, stoppie-popping hooligan, yet it still was able to serve as a terrific steed for everyday riding. Very competent as a track-day bike, too.

From the 2003 Ten Best story: "Commute, throw your own stunt show or own the local backroads...after being on anything else, riding a Tuono is like getting out of jail. Good luck staying out!"

Useful resources: You'll find quite a few relevant forums on the Internet—some Tuono-specific, others dedicated to Aprilia but with a lot of Tuono content—as well as Tuonos for sale and a wide assortment of parts and accessories for this exceptional motorcycle.