The adventure bike that beats the BMW GS for thousands less

The BMW GS series has always set the standard for adventure motorcycles. It does this with a combination of reliability, performance and plain, simple ability to be enjoyable no matter where they are ridden, or by whom. While previously the flagship GS bikes enjoyed this, today this statement applies to all GS bikes. Yes, even the middleweight F 900 GS duo.

All of this comes at a premium MSRP, though, and since you rarely get base model BMWs, the price for the optional equipment rises even higher. So if you’re not brand loyal and want something that does the same job, we recommend looking at some alternatives. Luckily, there are a lot of them, thanks to the popularity of ADVs these days. In that regard, we’re going to look at one of those adventure bikes that beats the BMW GS for thousands less.

The Aprilia Tuareg Rally is the adventure bike that beats the BMW GS for thousands less

The Touareg is currently Aprilia’s only carrier of the off-road flag in the lineup, but it does set a high standard. Aprilia has always developed its products through motorsport, and they always felt at their best when flying around the chosen course at flank speed. The Tuareg Rally is tuned to tackle any non-tarmac situation with the utmost refinement. Its price also makes it a great value, which is why it’s the adventure bike that beats the BMW GS for thousands less.

Aprilia Tuareg Rally Price: $13,799

The Tuareg Rally’s price places it almost $1,400 below the BMW F 900 GS Adventure. But that’s a gap that widens when you realize that the Tuareg Rally is a top variant with all the bells and whistles, while BMW’s price is for the base variant with zero options. It’s a strange feeling, but the Aprilia is the one here that offers value for money, without compromising on features or performance!

A reliable parallel-twin engine with V-Twin character

The Tuareg Rally shares its engine with the regular Tuareg, but has a different tune despite identical peak power and torque figures. You get the same 270-degree parallel twin engine with a displacement of 659 cc and 80 horsepower at 9,250 rpm and 51.6 pound-feet at 6,500 rpm. The difference is in the mapping. A smoother throttle doesn’t just help when you’re trying to go fast; it also helps you raise the front wheel more easily to clear obstacles, and kick out the tail to drive over dirt. A six-speed manual transmission is the only option and uses a chain final drive. There is an assist and slip clutch and a two-way quickshifter as standard.

Upgraded suspension for off-road prowess

Just like the engine, the chassis of the Tuareg Rally looks no different on paper than the regular Tuareg. It has the same steel trellis frame with an aluminum bracket and uses the engine as the stressed member. The 43mm Kayaba forks and Kayaba progressive link rear shock are fully adjustable at both ends and have the same 9.5 inches of travel as the standard Tuareg.

However, the difference is on the inside. More comfortable progressive springs are coming out, and single speed springs are coming out. While these are better for off-road use at speed and for jumps, at low speeds they will provide a harsher, less refined ride than the regular Tuareg suspension.

Aprilia has also subtly upgraded the wheels and tires. They remain the same size as the regular Tuareg, but the Ergal 21/18-inch spoked wheels are made of aerospace-grade aluminum, require inner tubes, and aggressive Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires are standard. Finally, dual 300mm Brembo discs at the front with two-piston floating calipers and a 260mm rear disc with a single-piston floating caliper provide braking power. There are braided metal hoses all around.

Aprilia Tuareg Rally dimensions

The Tuareg Rally’s stiffer overall suspension allows for higher ground clearance (9.5 inches) and seat height (a skyscraper-high 35.9 inches). The wheelbase remains identical to the standard Tuareg, as does the length of 87.4 inches. However, it is a whopping 10 pounds lighter than the standard Tuareg (439 pounds wet). This is mainly due to the SC Project exhaust!

Switchable ABS and intuitive electronic aids make the Tuareg rally safer than ever

A 5-inch bonded TFT display is used for instrumentation and provides access to customization of the APRC electronics, in addition to the usual Bluetooth connectivity and navigation capabilities. This electronics includes four driving modes: cornering engine braking, cornering traction control and cruise control. At the same time, not only is the ABS switchable when cornering, but you can also set it to one of three intervention levels, and there is also a limitation of lifting the rear wheels.

Aprilia has also given the Tuareg Rally a much more serious aluminum skid plate for the engine, a longer kickstand to accommodate the new ride height, and a new chain guide. It also looks different thanks to Dakar-inspired graphics, rally-style front fender, larger windshield and better handguards, all of which are standard on the Rally.

Aprilia Tuareg Rally Competition

The Tuareg Rally doesn’t really have any real competition from the other major brands. Sure, there are the very capable KTM 890 Adventure R ($16,299) and Ducati DesertX ($18,995) that could be faster, but they are priced as premium European ADVs half a class above the Aprilia. You could look for value in the Japanese brands: the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE ($11,799) and Honda XL750 Transalp ($9,999) are very competent products.

They’re not designed to handle off-road conditions as tough as the Tuareg Rally, so we’ll have to ditch them too. It’s a huge shame that the Yamaha Tenere 700 ($10,999) doesn’t have the World Rally version in the US market, otherwise we’d be having a completely different conversation here.

So we are left with two specialist products from niche manufacturers. The AJP PR7 ($13,999) is essentially a Dakar Rally competitor that’s just civilized enough to be street legal. It has a single-cylinder engine and is light enough to give big dual-sport bikes a run for their money. If you prefer the twin-cylinder layout, the Kove 800X Rally ($12,999) also has the chops on the spec sheet to battle the Tuareg Rally with its light weight, big power and incredible price. However, it will take a while before it proves its reliability.

Of course there is the BMW F 900 GS Adventure. We know the F 900 GS makes it extremely capable off-road, and the company offers off-road tires for the Adventure and electronic suspension, both of which should make it more capable in a wider range of situations. However, these are both add-ons that will push the price much higher than the base price of $15,195, allowing it to compete with the full-size adventure bikes rather than something like the Tuareg Rally.

Aprilia Tuareg Rally vs BMW F 900 GS Adventure

Source: Aprilia USA