The Halo Bike

Chase's actual words from the saddle, on camera, 30 minutes into the first ride: "This is legitimately the first bike I would consider selling my MT-10 for."

That is not a review. That is a confession. The MT-10 is the bike he has owned for six years while reviewing every new motorcycle on sale every single week. It's the one that keeps winning. And this 659cc middleweight naked, a bike with two-thirds the displacement, half the intimidation, and a $13,499 sticker, quietly walked up and asked him to reconsider.

He said yes. So should you.

Performance highlights

Start with the engine. 659cc parallel twin, 105 horsepower, 50 lb-ft of torque, a 270° crank, and a factory exhaust that sounds like Aprilia smuggled a V-twin into it at customs. It idles menacing and revs surgical. Throttle response is a 9: snappy, precise, with just enough twitch off the bottom to remind you this bike came from a race team. On a roll-on from 40–80 the Tuono launched the rear wheel off the ground on a brake check. That was on warm tires, in Individual mode, with all the aids turned off. Chase called it "awesome" in the moment. In this video it's just called "Tuesday."

Agility is a 10 and not close. 400 lb wet, clip-on-feel upright ergos, and a chassis so tuned that Chase said "I feel like I'm a faster rider just because I'm on this motorcycle." It carves through traffic and twisties with effort you'd measure in thought, not wrist.

The Factory trim is where this bike crosses from impressive to absurd. Fully adjustable Öhlins suspension, front AND rear, on a middleweight naked. That's a 9 on the suspension score and it feels higher. You don't usually find Öhlins on anything under twenty grand. Aprilia put it on a bike that starts with a 1.

Brakes earn their 9 from the Brembo master cylinder and front calipers. The feel at the lever is race-bike. Chase picked the rear off the ground in a first-ride brake check. Acceleration (8) doesn't hit like a liter bike but the delivery up top makes 105 hp feel like more.

Rider experience & tech

The comfort score is a 6 and it's honest. The seat is firm. The ergos tilt you forward. Aggressive enough that Chase said he wouldn't want to do a three-day tour on it. Though a two-hour canyon run was "surprisingly tolerable." If your weekend is technical roads and your commute is under 45 minutes, this bike will love you back. If you're grinding an hour each way in traffic every day, you'll end up resenting it.

Tech (8) is where the Factory earns the "Factory" badge. Five rider modes, three street, two track, all fully customizable. Cornering ABS, traction control, wheelie control, engine brake, and a quickshifter that's clicky in both directions. Cruise control. On a middleweight naked. Hidden in the menu like Aprilia almost forgot to brag about it. The TFT is sharp and bright enough to read through a tinted visor on a sunny day.

Ease of use is where the 6 comes in. The menu navigation is press-and-hold dependent, with submenus nested inside submenus. Chase: "I had to sit on the motorcycle for a while and just hold random stuff to figure out what sub-menus to get into." You'll learn it in a week of ownership. But you shouldn't have to.

The one other concession: the switchgear buttons feel cost-cut. On a bike where Aprilia spent the money on Öhlins and Brembos, the left-hand control pod is the spot they clawed the budget back. Not a dealbreaker. Just the only place the bike feels built to a price.

Fun-for-the-money lands at 8. At $13,499, you're getting the suspension, brakes, and electronics of bikes that cost $5–7k more. The value math is shameless.

The Chase Score & final thoughts

With a Chase Score of 80/100, Great Tier, the Tuono 660 Factory proves that "middleweight" can be a ceiling-raiser, not a compromise. It's 45 ride points plus 35 usability points of pure "I'd buy this."

Buy it if you want one bike that does sporty commute, canyon weekends, and track days without making you choose. Skip it if your riding is mostly long-haul highway miles. This isn't a tourer, and the ergos will tell you so by hour three. Chase's dream garage after this ride: Tuono 660 Factory plus a Multistrada V2 S for the long days. That's the honest pair. This is the aggressive half.