We've been anticipating the arrival of the new Aprilia RS 660 here in Malaysia since last year, but COVID-19 threw one heck of a hammer to the plans for that. Now, it's officially available in Malaysia with bookings opened earlier this month and an expected price tag of around RM60,000. Not a bad deal for a bike of this calibre, folks.

Labelled as the true baby version of the Aprilia RSV4, the Aprilia RS 660 is filled to the brim with Aprilia's bells and whistles for a bike that is said to master the streets as well as the track. This middleweight beauty is fitted with a 660cc parallel-twin engine that produces 100hp at 10,500rpm and 67Nm of torque at 8,500rpm. Its power-to-weight ratio is also an excellent selling point considering it only weighs 169kg dry.

Its lightweight and compact aluminium twin-spar frame uses the engine as part of the stressed member in order to achieve this weight, and its further enhanced with the additions of 41mm USD Kayaba front fork (fully-adjustable), rear aluminium swingarm with monoshock (also fully-adjustable), twin 320mm front discs (rear 220mm single-disc) all from Brembo, 17-inch wheels (120/70 front, 180/55 rear), plus many more.

Perhaps its biggest features can be found on the massive electronic riding aids fitted on the bike in the form of the Aprilia Performance Ride Control (APRC) electronics suite. Here, you'll find Aprilia's latest riding aids such as:

• Six-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)
• Ride-by-Wire throttle management
• Cornering ABS
• Lean-angle-sensitive traction control
• Wheelie control
• Aprilia Quick Shift (both upshifts and downshifts)
• Selectable riding modes
• Active aerodynamics + many more

Many foreign media who have tested the Aprilia RS 660 abroad had huge praises for this particular Italian middleweight, which is said to excel when it comes to riding comfort on the streets, as well as a track-day beast with its capabilities to tear up corners and blast on the straights. You might think that a 'baby version' of the Aprilia RSV4 might be completely watered down, but it's anything but when you look at its specs.

Aprilia Malaysia will be selling the 2021 Aprilia RS 660 at RM59,900 (excluding insurance, road tax and registration). Interested parties can choose between two colour options - Apex Black and Lava Red. No Acid Gold for now, folks.