Stripped down and hard at work, lovely Laura Niles tightenes our nuts on the FastDates.com killer Tuono R Project Bike. You can see a lot more of our beautiful Calendar model Laura right now in Members Corner which is free with your Membership to The Paddock Garage!

Build FastDates.com's $5,000 Tuono R Project Bike!
Aprilia Tuono Conversion from 1999-2003 Mille

When Aprilia introduced their new Tuono naked bikes back in the fall of 2002 they were an immediate hit, both in the press and on the showroom floor where they sold out immediately. A full-on contemporary Mille R Superbike stripped naked with motocross bars and a minimalist bikini headlight fairing was the meanest, nastiest bike on the planet. We had to have one, but the fact the high end limited edition Tuono R with its trick race wheels and Ohlins suspenion was priced close to $20,000 and every one was presold even before they arrived at dealers in December. Our check book breathed a sigh of relief.

Fast forward to the summer of 2003 when we got the chance to ride a 2003 Tuono R on both the street and the race track, back-to-back with the out going 2003 Mille R and the new incoming 2004 Mille RSVR and Factory Superbike models. The new 2004 Mille Superbike is a huge improvement in handling, performance and comfort in a direct comparison to the old Mille which now feels huge and bulbous when you're bent over the tank holding onto the clip-ons. The now previous generation Mille's of which 10s of thousands were built from their introduction by Aprilia in 1999 to the end of the 2003 model year were now dinasours in comparison to the new model. And effectively dropping the bottom out of their resale value on the used bike market....

But wait! The Tuono R we tested at the same time as the old and new genertation Mille's was actually our favotite bike! Replace the Mille R's clip-ons with a set of higher positioned motocross bars and the Mille is transfored into the ultimate short course machine, and canyon racer and around town cruiser. The gas tank is no longer stuffed in your stomach and whole bike becomes really comfortable, while the tall handlebars make bike really light and agile -a pure blast to ride!When we rode the Tuono R on the tight race track at Pahrump, NV, where speeds are limited under 110 mph we could turn quicker lap times on the Tuono than on the Mille R and new RSVR Superbikes. Which got the cogs in our little head to start turning.... why not pick up a cheap used or crashed Mille and turn it into a Tuono?

Well we have done just that. For just $3,995 we purchased a crashed but nearly immaculate and almost new 2001Mille R with just 1,500 miles on the clock. And for just about $1,000 in conversion parts we've built our own Aprilia Tuono R valued at $19,995 at your dealer for a mere $5,000. Is this the deal of the century or what? What follows is a blow by blow description of what it takes to convert a Mille to a Tuono with all necessary factory part numbers, prices, and a list of sources for alternative and more readily available conversion parts.

Above: The current 2003-2004 street model model Tuono Racing with it's Ohlins suspenion will set you back $17,999. The origional 200 bike limited edition run Tuono R back in 2002 went for $17.299. Shown next to it on the right is the Race Kit version without lights. The Race Kit can be purchased as a Complete Kit including bodywork and race silencer kit, and the Tuono Racing can be purchased as a track only bike without lights and the race Kit installed from the factory. Now if aprille would just offer a Mille R to Tuono Racing Conversion Kit....

Finding a Bike and Getting Started
The conversion of a 1999 to 2003 Mille Superbike model to a Tuono is basicly simple. It actually takes just a few major componentss and the job can be done for between $1,000 to $1,500 if you are willing to keep your old Mille body parts like the seat and tail section cowling, and you aren't too concerned about buying cosmetic parts like the Under Frame Fairing, Radiator Resevoir Cover, and such. Trying to duplicate all the Tuono and Tuono R cosmetic bodywork can increase component costs up to the $3,000 range, defeating much of the attraction of this budget conversion.

Our 2001 Mille R was found at our local Aprilia dealer, ProItalia, Glendale, CA, and had been an insurance crash bike total. It only had 1,500 miles on the speedometer and was in perfect mechanical condition. Just cosmetic scratches and chips in the left side bodywork and fuel tank, plus broken off mirrors and a shift lever. The owner had even upgraded the $19,000 list price bike with AFAM sprockets and the Mille Racing Exhaust System with computer upgrade. The bike looked liked it had suffered a 20 mph low side on a dirt shoulder after running off the road. It could have been restored to like new condition for about $2,000 in new bodywork. But since Insurance claims require replacement of evey part with a scratch, plus shop repair time, the bike was probably estimated with $11,000 in damage, subtracted from the used markt value of $15,000, and Pro Italia had them a rebuildable bike for just $4,000. Fortunately for us the Service Department at Pro Italia was too backed up with work an their mechanics couldn't get to it. Meanwhile it was beginnig to be robbed for parts by the mechanics, so Pro Italia blew it out the door at a garage sale to us for $3,995 before it became worthless. So the best place to start your own Tuono project bike is to look for a crashed Mille with major or minor cosmetic bodywork damage (bodywork that you won't be needing anyway!) and wheel and deal the best price you can.

Another suggestion to building a Tuono R is if, you've already got an old Mille of your own which has now been made obsolete by the new generation 2004 RSVR Superbike, go on and convert your old bike!

The only stumbling block to having our Tuono conversion take place quickly is the availability of all the necessary replacement parts from Aprilia. We experienced almost a 50% backorder record for our needed Tuono parts, giving Aprilia USA one of the worst backorder records in the industry. Perhaps this has to be expected with a small US distributor, but we are talking about basic replacement parts like the shift lever (which also fits the Mille) , and the longer required Tuono hydraulic front brake and clutch control lines. And the fact our dealer's parts guy didn't take the time to research on Aprilia's parts diagrams what additional fittings like gromets, brackets and such were needed to bolt up a missing tail light, or a front turn signal.

Handlebar Controls Luckily the most critical parts to make the Tuono handlebar conversion from clip-ons were in stock at Aprilia USA -the upper Front Fork Triple Clamp for the Ohlins forks and the handlebar Riser Mounts. The handlebars were not in stock, but a set of gold anodized Answer taperedmotocross bars did the trick at half the cost of stock. No triple clamp pinch bolts in stock at Aprilia (or at our dealer), but metric bolts are easily sourced from suppliers in the motorsports market. You will need touse and remove the stock ignition switch from your Mille's old upper triple clamps and this requires drilling the heads off the tamper proof mounting bolts. The ignition switch assembly will then bolt up easily to the new Tuono upper triple clamp with new hex head bolts. The higher and wider Tuono handlebars require hudraulic lines to the clutch and front brake which are 3" longer, both of which were on backorder from Aprila USA for the 4 months of our project buildup, nor did any aftermarket dealer have ready made replacement lines.

We ended up sending our stock hydraulic front brake and clutch lines to Galfer which does custom build lines to order, so they could match the fittings and design, making the handlebar ends 3 inchs longer. Galfer turned the job around quickly in just a few days. However, on our first attempt we faxed them engineering drawings to work off off, and they installed the brake caliper banjos 90 degrees of of kilter. So make sure you send them your stock Mille lines for visual reference if they haven't kept a notes on what they built for our bike.

Installing the Throttle and Fast Idle Cables requires removing the Mille's fuel tank and airbox, which isn't too difficult. The biggest headache in not having stock replacement parts available from Aprilia and the back and forth hassle of having to prototype the parts with other suppliers.

Our low budget Tuono version for just $5,000 total. Were still figuring if we want to destroy our Mille R fairing lowers by cutting off the fairing sidepanel mounting tabs for a more finished look. Or we could just leave off the lower fairing alltogether. The factory Tuono comes with its own smaller lower faiting belly pan. plus ram air intake scoops that mount over the airbox breathing holes on the sides of the frame, and various covers for the exposed water resevoir tank, ignition coils and other parts. Just pretty cosmetic covers, none of which are needed for a really manly naked bike on a budget.

Go to Aprilla Mille / Tuono Conversion Page 2

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