Some Aprilia RS 660 and Tuono 660 owners will soon receive news from their dealer that their motorcycles are being recalled, in order to replace the Italian engines with new ones. In fact, defective connecting rods cause engine failure.
Aprilia unveiled the RS 660 and Tuono 660 with great fanfare at EICMA 2019. In addition to the ergonomics and aerodynamics of the mid-displacement platform, both models feature electronics derived from the Superbike and a powerful parallel twin engine. Based on Aprilia's famous V4, the brand took advantage of its developments to produce a 660 cmc twin-cylinder with 100 horsepower.
A batch of poorly produced connecting rods is forcing the Noale brand to consider an international recall campaign of nearly 700 RS 660 and Tuono 660 models. The components in question were not manufactured according to factory recommendations, which could damage the engine.
Exactly what the recall focuses on is not yet clear. Aprilia initially released a technical service bulletin regarding the factory valvetrain adjustments of these motorcycles, which would explain some of the problems encountered on these machines during the RS 660's US press unveiling.
There are also reports of failures involving a connecting rod from a motorcycle already delivered to a customer, which resulted in some pretty catastrophic engine failures. So far, the agency is reporting only one customer complaint from an RS 660 owner in Austin, Texas. The document reveals that the owner was driving at 75 mph (120 km/h) when "the vehicle began to emit an abnormal noise and vibration and the oil pressure light came on." A local Aprilia dealer confirmed that a broken connecting rod caused the engine failure. With only 1400 miles on the clock, or less than 2500 km, the Noale brand will cover the repairs.
As a precaution, Aprilia doesn't just replace faulty connecting rods, it swaps out the entire engine at no cost to customers. Following the recall work, the brand will also renew the factory warranty on the affected motorcycles. This issue does not affect motorcycles that are yet to be sold, nor motorcycles that have already been ordered and are about to be delivered.
