The Challenger Has Arrived
For years, the KTM 890 Adventure R has occupied a throne that few manufacturers have dared challenge directly. It's fast, capable, and carries the DNA of the Dakar-winning KTM 450 Rally in its bones. Then Aprilia showed up with the Tuareg 660 — and now, with the updated 2026 Factory edition, they've sharpened their weapon considerably. We took both bikes to Sardinia for five days of proper adventure riding to find out if the Italian upstart can finally go punch-for-punch with Austria's finest.
What's New for 2026
Aprilia hasn't reinvented the Tuareg 660 for 2026, but the Factory trim level represents a meaningful step up from the base model. The headline changes include fully adjustable Öhlins NPX 25 suspension front and rear — a genuine upgrade that replaces the previously optional setup and makes it standard equipment on the Factory. Brembo Stylema calipers now do braking duty up front, replacing the M50s, and there's a new lightweight forged aluminum subframe that shaves 1.4 kilograms from the back end. Aprilia has also revised the electronics package, adding a dedicated Enduro Pro riding mode with more aggressive throttle mapping and expanded wheelie control adjustment. The color palette gets a striking new Superpolo White with gold frame option that, frankly, looks spectacular in the flesh.
The Engine: Small Displacement, Big Attitude
Let's address the elephant in the room immediately: the Tuareg 660 uses a parallel-twin displacing 659cc, while the KTM 890 Adventure R runs an 889cc LC8c motor. On paper, you'd expect the KTM to simply walk away in any straight-line comparison. In practice, it's far more nuanced than that. The Aprilia's engine produces 80 horsepower and 70 Nm of torque — numbers that sound modest until you realize the Tuareg 660 Factory tips the scales at just 187 kilograms fully fueled. That's a power-to-weight ratio that embarrasses a lot of supposedly more powerful machines. The motor revs freely and enthusiastically, pulling hard from 4,000 RPM and screaming happily to its 10,000 RPM redline. On tight, technical singletrack where momentum is everything, it's an absolute weapon.
The KTM's 105 horsepower and richer torque curve do make themselves felt on longer fire road blasts and when hauling luggage at speed. In pure horsepower terms, the 890 Adventure R wins. But horsepower isn't the whole story off-road, and we found ourselves grinning just as wide on the Aprilia in most situations we actually encountered during five days of mixed terrain riding.
Suspension and Handling: Where the Factory Earns Its Name
This is where the 2026 Factory edition really makes its case. The Öhlins NPX 25 forks offer 230mm of travel upfront, with the rear shock delivering 220mm. Both ends are fully adjustable for compression, rebound, and preload, and they're calibrated beautifully from the factory — something we genuinely didn't expect without significant tinkering. Riding through Sardinia's rocky mountain tracks, the Tuareg 660 Factory absorbed repeated hits with a composure that felt well above its price point. Body position is naturally upright and commanding, the 870mm seat height manageable for riders of average height, and the 21-inch front wheel tracks straight and true through the kind of rutted, loose limestone that has humbled better-equipped bikes than this.
The KTM 890 Adventure R's WP XPLOR Pro suspension is genuinely excellent, and more experienced off-road riders will appreciate its deeper adjustment range. But for riders who want class-leading capability out of the box without spending hours with a preload spanner, the Aprilia's Öhlins setup is arguably easier to live with immediately.
Electronics and Rider Aids
Aprilia's APRC electronics suite has always been a strong point, and the 2026 update refines it further. Five riding modes — Road, Offroad, Enduro Pro, Individual, and Rally — give meaningful variations in throttle response, traction control intervention, ABS behavior, and wheelie control. The new Enduro Pro mode is the most significant addition: it allows full rear ABS disconnection, reduces traction control to a light safety net rather than a nanny, and opens up the throttle response in a way that transforms the bike's character on loose surfaces. We spent most of our technical off-road time in this mode and loved every moment of it. The six-axis IMU underpinning the whole system kept us honest on a few slippery off-camber moments without killing momentum unnecessarily — a difficult balance that Aprilia has genuinely nailed.
KTM 890 Adventure R vs Tuareg 660 Factory: Head to Head
- Power: KTM 890 Adventure R wins with 105hp versus 80hp, though the Aprilia's lighter weight closes the gap significantly in real-world riding.
- Suspension: Aprilia's standard Öhlins is exceptional and easier to set up immediately; KTM's WP XPLOR Pro has more adjustment range for expert tuners.
- Weight: Aprilia wins clearly at 187kg versus the KTM's 199kg — you feel every one of those 12 kilograms in technical terrain.
- Electronics: Effectively equal; both offer sophisticated multi-mode systems with IMU. Aprilia's new Enduro Pro mode is a slight edge for aggressive off-road use.
- Ergonomics: Both bikes are well-suited to tall riders. The Aprilia's handlebar position feels marginally more natural for standing riding.
- Price: The Tuareg 660 Factory comes in notably below the KTM 890 Adventure R in most markets — a significant real-world consideration.
- Range: The Aprilia's 18-liter tank gives excellent range given the smaller displacement engine's efficiency. Both bikes offer similar touring capability.
Living With It: The Stuff No One Tells You
Five days and 600 offroad miles taught us things that no press day ever could. The Tuareg 660 Factory's engine heat management is genuinely impressive — it runs cooler than expected even in slow, technical riding on hot Sardinian afternoons. The seat, while firm, proved more comfortable over long days than its appearance suggests. Luggage mounting points are thoughtfully placed, and the standard fit aluminum bash plate did its job admirably against the island's rocky trails.
Our one persistent complaint: the windscreen is too short for comfortable highway use above 130 km/h, creating turbulence that fatigues the rider's helmet and neck on longer connecting sections between trail heads. It's a minor issue on a bike that's fundamentally trail-focused, but worth noting if you plan to use highways regularly. An aftermarket solution is available, but it shouldn't be necessary at this price point.
Verdict
The 2026 Aprilia Tuareg 660 Factory doesn't just challenge the KTM 890 Adventure R — in several meaningful ways, it genuinely beats it. If you prioritize low weight, accessible power delivery, class-leading standard suspension, and a lower purchase price, the Aprilia is the more compelling buy for the majority of adventure riders. The KTM remains the choice for those who demand maximum power, proven long-distance durability data, and the deepest suspension tunability available. But the gap has closed dramatically, and for the first time, we'd give serious thought to choosing the Italian machine over the Austrian institution. That, in itself, is a remarkable achievement for Aprilia.