I recently sold my Monster after 7 years and bought a Tuono V4R.
There seems to be a bit of love for the Tuono so I thought I would put down some of my thoughts. I will compare some aspects to the monster as its a good reference point here.
My first impression sitting on it was that the seat is noticeably higher than the monster. You also feel that you are sitting on it rather than in it as the gauges and tank seem much lower.
It has a real bark when it fires up but unlike the monster you have to hold that start button until it starts. Caught me out the first few times when I didn’t hold it long enough.
The riding position is pretty comfortable. I have heard that some find the seat hard but I have the gel seat which I find quite comfortable.
Its a bit hard to describe why but it feels like a modern bike. Everything is smooth and easy. The fuel injection is spot on at any revs. All the controls are really light, especially the clutch compared to Ducati’s.
Despite the power (168hp) it is very easy to ride. It doesn’t feel like a snarling beast at legal road speeds at all. It does give you the impression it wants to go faster and the exhaust noise just dares you to rev it. The first time I did give it a bit of a handful was in second gear and when I finally had time to look at the speedo I was surprised how quickly I got into illegal speeds. The redline is supposed to be 11,500rpm but as I’m still running mine in, it’s limited to about 8,000. By the time you get to 8,000 you are already over the open speed limit in any gear other than first. Apparently it has a different character over about 7,500. Time will tell when I get the chance to open her up.
It does put out a lot of heat but I never noticed it on the open road, only when sitting at traffic lights after a spirited run. In Tasmania’s generally cold climate, I see any heat issues as a plus. It will help to keep me warm in winter.
It’s fitted with a quick shifter as standard. I didn’t think I would use it but its a lot of fun holding open the throttle and just banging up through the gears. I just had the train my brain to forget the clutch lever and not back off the throttle. I had a few fumbles initially when I kept the throttle on but pulled in the clutch out of habit. Hit the rev limiter then.
This is in no way a pillion friendly bike. My wife said it makes the Monster feel like a comfy lounge. The pillion seat is just too slippery and its angled down towards the rider. As there is nothing to hold on to, the pillions weight gets transferred to the rider. It’s actually uncomfortable as a rider to have a pillion on board.
You should also avoid this bike if you worry about your carbon footprint. It likes a drink. The tank on my bike holds 17 litres (the current model has been increased by 1.5lt). I have only put through a few tanks but generally the fuel light comes on at 160 to 170km (thats 100 miles). The odometer then starts to count upwards. I did a test to see how far I could get on reserve before it stopped running. Riding conservatively I did a further 46km. When I refilled it took 16.4 litres so you can use most of the tank. Apparently my fuel consumption will increase once I start using more of the revs. By comparison, my S2R800 used to get 200km to the light and then another 40 before it ran out.
The Tuono is effectively an RSV4 with a more comfy riding position and it feels every bit of it when cornering. This thing is a weapon. It is very quick steering and stable and just encourages increasingly faster corner speeds. The exhaust note, even with the standard set up, sounds brilliant and doesn’t help to maintain legal speeds.
I haven’t really touched on the electronics because you don’t feel them while riding. I don’t think I have pushed it hard enough to get the traction control involved.
As you can tell I am pretty stoked with it. While there are a few practical drawbacks, the riding experience more than makes up for it.
