aprilia tft display brands

Gauge cluster design is a dying art. Speedometers and tachometers used to sit at the front of motorcycles like single-handed mechanical watches, projecting only the most pertinent information to the rider: vehicle speed, engine speed and the odometer. Then, like most analog things, digital became the preference and, for the most part, still is the preferred way to display even more information to riders like time, temperature, ride modes, traction control and any other minute pieces data the manufacturer deems necessary.

No one is saying having access to all that data is unnecessary or overbearing — quite the opposite. The more you can know about what’s going on with your bike the better, but, on a modern bike, all that information is more than an analog gauge can handle. So digital displays are a necessary evil, but their principal downside is they lack style, character and they all seem to look the same. However, it seems like the motorcycle industry is at a crossroads and the opportunity for unique, yet modern design is on its way back.

Thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal — or full-color TFT displays — are gaining popularity in the motorcycle industry. TFT is merely a more refined version of the well-known liquid crystal display (LCD), whose potential is already on display in the Lexus LFAand Audi’s Virtual Cockpit. And now, motorcycle manufacturers like Ducati are bringing that technology to the two-wheeled universe to exploit the benefits of a TFT display even further.

Ducati Monster Line Product Manager Stephano Trabusi explained, “TFT is more visible during the day, even in direct sunlight, the resolution is much higher than normal LCD so that you can have much more information on a display.” Given that the cockpit of a motorcycle doesn’t have the benefit of shade from a roof, more common digital and LCDs fall victim to severe glare. The Bosch system Ducati runs even goes one step further with a night mode that can tell if it’s night time, if you’re in a tunnel or a low light environment and flips the display background to black and the font white, so it’s easier to read.

Night vision is just the tip of the TFT iceberg, though. The complex levels of traction control and ride modes that come along with the Bosch system mean the screen has to be able to cycle through numerous menus and pages and display the traction control, engine modes and ABS settings once programmed. “Given that the bikes are so much more complex nowadays, they have more and more functions and more electronics; we need that higher resolution to display all that information.” And not only that but Trabusi justifies Ducati’s use of the display in the most modern way possible, “you always see the display when you’re riding, and it has to have a premium feel for a premium ride. Today, we are so used to our smartphones with color displays — it has become just so familiar. And to have this level of resolution and color on our bikes — it was common sense.”

Therein lies the problem with the Bosch system. Because it’s from a third party electronics and software company, and because it’s so close to a complete plug-and-play package, a handful of other manufacturers — BMW, KTM, Aprilia — use similar if not identical systems. So we wind up with cookie cutter displays no better than the uninspired digital systems they replaced. But thumbing through, pages, levels, toggling ride modes and taking calls via Bluetooth, it’s undoubtedly intuitive, but there’s an overwhelming sense that no one is exploiting the display for all it can do. It’s the same as getting an iPhone X and only using it for dim-lit selfies and tri-color wallpaper.

There’s no reason Ducati couldn’t create its own version of Audi’s Virtual Cockpit — between the maps, different gauge cluster layouts and creative displays, it would be like nothing else on two wheels. The creative potential is there, but until someone unlocks it, we’re stuck in this dull purgatory of right angles and primary colors.

Take the MotoGP Aprilia Racing Team riders, let them loose like kids having fun for a few hours in Misano with 3 brand new Aprilia RS 660 bikes, and then wait for them on pit lane for an exceptional triple interview...A wide range of original accessories

The RS 660 is designed to accommodate a host of accessories that not only improve performance, style and comfort but also allow riders to express their own personality.LEARN MOREAprilia “for race use only” complete exhaust by Akrapovič: a complete exhaust system with a carbon terminal, designed exclusively for use on the track and as such is not certified for road use. Extremely lightweight, it optimises the bike’s sound and the twin-cylinder’s performance so that riders can push their RS 660 to the max. The kit contains an engine control unit programmed with its own maps and software that enables quick shift to be used in a reverse shift pattern (this is also available separately).

NEW ERA OF STREET DOMINANCE- 201hp! The RSV4 RR ABS was upgraded last year with COLOR TFT display, Aprilia Cruise Control, Cornering ABS, and Aprilia Quickshift with clutchless downshifting, and 330mm double discs with Brembo M50 calipers. A new era of RSV4 RR has surfaced.The refined RSV4 RR delivers asphalt terrorizing performance on the track, and endless riding pleasure on the street. With its signature three-headlight design and streamlined aerodynamics, the RSV4 RR speaks elegance - even while standing still. Was $17499. MILITARY and 1st RESPONDERS - $750 ADDITIONAL rebate off our discounted prices. Limited time offer. For all active, reserve, and retired United States Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard and Reserves as well as Fire, Police or Doctors, Nurses and EMS with a valid ID. Advertised prices include all incentives and may exclude factory finance offers.

Vespa Elettrica is not just a silent, environmentally-friendly and technologically advanced vehicle; it is also highly connected: the many features offered by a new version of the Vespa Multimedia Platform, the multimedia system that connects the smartphone to the vehicle, can be managed through a completely new man-machine interface that incorporates digital color instrumentation with a TFT display.

Another great new feature launched at EICMA 2017 is the Vespa Primavera S: in addition to all the new features that enhance the range, the sporty version of the beloved Vespa adopts totally digital instrumentation through a 4.3” full color TFT display. The instrument, in addition to displaying all the classic information, works as a display for the Vespa Multimedia Platform in its latest release.

Vespa Sprint S further accentuates Vespa Sprint’s sporty styling and is designed to be the most spirited of Vespa’s “small body” family. The most important new feature is the instrumentation which, as in the sister model Primavera S, is a full color TFT multifunction display.

Aprilia Racing is the most advanced Piaggio Group platform for the development of technology applied first to racing bikes and then to factory models. The Racing Division that has brought the Noale-based Manufacturer 54 world titles, launched the “Factory Works” program last year to make the same technology developed for the Aprilia RSV4 — seven-time World Superbike champion — available to anyone who wants to compete in top-level championships for standard derivatives or for those who simply want to have an RSV4 with optimized performance for track use.

The program has been expanded with the introduction of an Aprilia RSV4 kit that maximizes engine performance, reduces overall weight and improves aerodynamics. Thanks to new pistons, different heads, full racing exhaust and regenerated control unit, the engine reaches 215 HP. The additions that lighten it include a lithium battery, a new fuel tank, which, together with the complete exhaust system, some carbon pieces and the aluminum upper casting plate made in a single piece, carry a total weight of around 10 kg. The new Factory Works kit can be further enriched by a flush mount set featuring aerodynamic appendages, developed by Aprilia on the RS-GP prototype used in the MotoGP World Championship.

In the world of motorcycles, there aren’t many companies in the world that have the same enigma and character as Aprilia. Perhaps one of the smaller bike companies to come from Italy, Aprilia was founded after the end of the second world war in 1945 and originally started out manufacturing bicycles before moving on to scooters, small motorcycles and ultimately morphed into the sportbike manufacturer it is today, with of course its own factory MotoGP team.

Aprilia has built some remarkable machines over the years, and one machine that we are all keen to get our hands on is the new Aprilia Tuareg 660. The company has already offered two 660cc models recently in the form of both the RS 660 and the Tuono 660, and has now revealed the third bike on that platform, the Tuareg. This is a bigger machine than those previously released 660cc bikes, and from the images that the company has revealed so far, it looks like it could be quite an impressive machine. This is everything that we know so far about the latest bike to come from Aprilia.

Let"s take a look at the basics of the Aprilia Tuareg 660, starting with the engine. Of course, the bike comeswith a 660cc engine, a parallel twin-engine that has been modified to produce around 80 hp in the Tuareg. The engine is a higher torque version of the one that can be found in the RS and the Tuono, and the peak torque of the engine is around 70 Nm. Whilst the RS 660 produces more power at 100 hp, the higher torque output means that the Tuareg should produce more grunt in the lower RPM range, exactly what you want from a bike like this.

Being classed as an ADV, the Tuareg needs to tick a few more boxes than just provide good power output and torque at the lower rev ranges, and it seemingly does these too. It is a lightweight machine, built for the return of Aprilia to the adventure motorcycling arena. The suspension travel at both ends of the bike is 240 mm and Aprilia say that this is adjustable at both ends too. There is a very significant amount of ground clearance too, exactly what you need when adventuring on the bike.

In terms of just how light it is, the Tuareg 660 is an incredibly light machine. Designed to be a rival and better offering over its rival, the Yamaha Tenere 700, the Aprilia is similar in weight but is ever so slightly over. The Tuareg 660 weighs in at 187 kg, whereas its rival from Yamaha is 180 kg. However, a weight difference of just 7 kg shouldn’t be seen as detrimental to the bike, which by all accounts is basically on a par with its Japanese rival.

Aprilia is looking to give its creation an advantage over the Yamaha when it comes to tarmac riding. To that end, Aprilia is offering its Aprilia Performance Ride Control, or APRC, on the bike. This allows the Tuareg 660 to offer a more sporting dynamic on the tarmac, and to complement this there are four riding modes on offer on the bike, with two of those modes being fully customizable by the user. To allow even more customization, the Aprilia offers ABS that can be turned off for both wheels, a traction control system, cruise control, and engine mappings, all of which are easily accessible via a user-friendly 5” TFT screen in front of the rider.

Of course, it"s all very well having a bike that offers a lot mechanically and on the roads or dirt, but it still has to look the part. Being a modern bike of 2021, the Aprilia offers all the bells and whistles that you would expect of it. There is LED lighting, that TFT dash we have talked about and a unique styling design with a standalone headlight unit sat under what is quite a large windscreen. This though does help to give the bike quite a minimalist look, and to give the Tuareg 660 a bit more of a tough, off-road style appearance, there is a sump guard, knuckle guard, and a high mounted exhaust.

Aprilia’s return to the adventure motorcycle arena is quite a high-profile one, and taking on the likes of Yamaha is no easy task. Just look at how the Japanese brand is performing in MotoGP compared to Aprilia right now. However, the Tuareg 660 right now looks like it could be a highly impressive alternative and a very serious rival to Yamaha’s Tenere 700, and no doubt it has got Yamaha quite worried about what it has on offer. It"s an impressive-looking machine that offers a lot to the customer.

Aprilia has already brought us the grand unveilings of the new Tuono 660 and recently debuted RS 660 – so now it’s time for their bigger full-size brothers to get some time in the spotlight. The RSV4 and Tuono V4 are coming into 2021 with some notable updates to the base and factory versions.

For those not caught up on Aprilia’s model guide, with both the V4 and 660 versions; the Tuono and RS share the same engine and general DNA, but the Tuono is typically more comfortable for every-day streetability leaving the RS as a highly-capable track-missile.

The engine has been revisited due to Euro 5 regulations and as a result, Aprilia took the opportunity to bump the engine displacement from 1077cc to 1099cc’s for a total of produce 217 horsepower.

The RSV4 also comes with a new (and bigger) TFT display featured in the dash along with an updated ECU. The electronics have had a go-over with new multi-level engine braking, six riding modes, and the ride-by-wire system has seen improvements.

The main difference between the Tuono and RSV4 going into this year will be the engine. Aprilia opted to keep the 1077cc engine (producing 157 hp) in the Tuono V4, so if you’re looking for face-melting power the RSV4 is the better option in that regard.

At the moment, we have no official pricing for the V4 duo available from Aprilia, but you can probably expect a slight pricing increase from last year’s model due to the big changes that have made their way over to both bikes.

Having now ridden the 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660, it’s easy to see that this machine will be a serious contender in the middleweight adventure class. Slim, stripped, lightweight, and without nonsense, it is a bike of pure function.

The bikes we rode were equipped with the optional quickshifter (Aprilia Quick Shift, $249.95), which makes life on the bike even easier. It provides seamless shifting up and down through the gears while forgiving attempts to modulate the throttle or use the clutch. While upshifts can be clutchless at any throttle setting, for downshifts to be smooth riders need to unload the engine. That should be obvious for any experienced rider but for some reason at times I forgot. Unlike most first-ride introductions, over-revving, stalling, missed shifts, or false neutrals were absent from our group of 13 jaded journalists. The feel and feedback of the controls are spot-on.

Adding to the Tuareg’s versatility is the Aprilia Performance Ride Control (APRC) suite of electronic rider aids, which includes cruise control as well as multiple modes for throttle response, engine braking, ABS, and traction control. There are presets in the four ride modes – Urban, Explore, Off-road, and Individual – and the switchgear next to the left grip allows easy scrolling between them. Our test ride included dry and wet pavement, mud, gravel, dirt, rocks, and a healthy stream, and the ease of cycling through the Tuareg’s modes on the fly was appreciated.

Leaving the pavement, the choice of mode was obvious. Off Road provides the most manageable (softest) power delivery and ABS can be disabled at the rear wheel or switched off entirely. Individual gives the rider freedom to either craft the perfect recipe of preferences or muck things up incomprehensibly. Individual was a fun distraction and if I lived with this bike, I’d regularly experiment with it. The TFT dashboard where all of this is on display is nicely laid out, well angled, and wasn’t susceptible to sun glare.

TFT LCD technology is that interface. All the potential of the data stored between your front and back wheels is released by the dazzling array of shapes and colours displayed by these newest dashboards. They can show you anything and everything, which in turn allows designers and engineers to load you up with more and more electronic features.

These dashes are a combination of the latest liquid-crystal display (good ol’ LCD) technology and the brilliance of thin-film transistors (TFT). TFT and LCD as a team can show us an endless variety of information in incredible clarity and colour, using very little power in the process. It is light weight and takes up very little space, vital considerations when motorcycle designers choose anything to perch above the steering head.

TFTs are certainly not new. The technology was developed in Bell Labs in the USA 60 years ago. It took a while to evolve and become commercially viable. The first TFT LCD colour TV, the tiny Epson Elf, was launched in 1984. This was just two years after Honda dazzled us with the very advanced VF750S, a bike that included an electronic speedo and tacho, as well as an LCD gear indicator, which doubled as a fault-code display.

But realistically, motorcycles of that era didn’t pack the electronic muscle that makes TFT displays almost compulsory nowadays. In fact, Honda perhaps overstepped the mark with its first VF and stripped much of the tech out of subsequent models. Motorcycles plodded along with analogue dials and filament-lit warning lights for years. That was fine while motorcycles were simple mechanical devices, but they’re now far more than that.

Today we need to control all manner of electronics in our motorcycles. Adjustable engine parameters. ABS. Adjustable traction control. A display of info configured for commuting. Another for track days. Entertainment. Communications. Navigation. Our mechanics need access to fault data. They need to update programming. Hell, there was even that scooter that flashed tweets across your screen. Which was that? No, probably best forgotten…

A TFT LCD display can be a touch screen giving you direct control, although dash- or handlebar-mounted buttons, toggles and switches are more common and practical on motorcycles. Arguably, the best setup puts all the controls on the handlebars, where they’re easily and (you’d hope) intuitively manipulated. BMW, for example, has taken great pains to try to make its multi-controller the centre of a logical system, one that demands little direct concentration to manipulate while you ride.

And therein lies the crux of good TFT-based information displays; is it intuitive, so a rider can scroll menus, get warnings, read information and choose settings without having their attention drawn away from the act of actually riding the motorcycle? Distractions kill.

TFT technology is indispensable in avoiding distraction as manufacturers flash more and more information at riders. Apart from the fact that we couldn’t get all the data without TFT LCD screens, we also couldn’t possibly digest it. We’d be facing dashboards that resembled the pilot’s view in the seat of a Boeing 747; dials, lights, buttons, digits and switches everywhere.

There are more subtle advantages of TFT LCDs. Compared with your old-school LCDs, you get better resolution, smoother movement across the screen, sharper contrast and better clarity in sunshine. That last point is a good one when the sun is reflecting off the screen, although there is still room for improvement there.

Viewing angles are a hot topic of conversation among TFT screen users. One drawback of the currently technology is that once you’re a little off-centre from the screen, the detail begins to disappear before the image vanishes altogether. That’s not a problem for us when we’re riding, as we’re centred in front of it and highly unlikely to need to look at it while dangling off the side of the bike.

Another essential factor in the rise of TFT dashboards is their willingness to take input from anything and everything. It will accept multiple digital inputs, giving you access to all your motorcycle’s vital signs, your sat-nav, your communications, your music. Naturally, it will do this wirelessly when the devices warrant it.

There are no limits to the graphic designs that can be assigned to TFT LCD displays. Take your pick of colours, typefaces, sizes, symbols and everything else. From a rider’s perspective, design is vital. Good dash design puts emphasis on crucial information being very visible. The most important info should have the most prominence.

Knowing the name of the person calling you on the phone could be good to know if you don’t want to be sprung wagging work to ride your motorcycle. TFT dashboards can, if the programming is provided, give you choices about what information sits centre stage at any particular time.

The quality of your own eyes may have something to do with whether a dashboard display works well for you, so try before you buy, and check the options available in the menus.

There are plenty of alternatives to TFT LCD screens, some relying on back-lit panels like TFT LCDs do, others emitting their own light. A third type projects images onto a screen. All three types are in use somewhere already, in TVs, mobile devices and more.

A short step up from TFT, IPS (in-plane switching) uses a different means of exciting the liquid crystals, which orientate differently. The result gives wider view angles, more accurate colours and better image quality, but it costs more and has greater power demands. The benefits probably aren’t worth it for a motorcycle screen, simply because we don’t need the quality that, say, a picture editor might demand from their Apple — which is one example of where IPS screens have been employed.

So-called LED (light-emitting diode) screens may imply they are their light source, but the reality is that the LEDs are usually just the source of backlighting for LCDs. In fact, there’s a good chance your TFT LCD screen is just this type.

OLED (organic LED) is different. As the name implies, they’re made from an organic source, electrically stimulated to produce the desired light. This type of display is used in TVs, computers and mobile devices. A handful of cars are using OLED displays, dating back to the Aston Martin DB9’s debut early this century.

Further down the track, electroluminescent displays (ELD), and variations on e-paper and other technologies, may come into play. ELD is already in use in many cars but generally in simpler dashboards than what’s being fitted to current TFT-equipped motorcycles.

Cost and efficiency will determine if and when anything else takes over, but for now TFT plays that role beautifully. Because of our mobile phones and computers, we’re already quite used to looking at flat screens, and we almost instinctively know how to use them as the conduit between us and our technology. Where older dashboards used to give us a page full of information, TFT screens give us a tome of information, displayed a page at a time.

Without TFT screens, we would not have access to the myriad technologies that now add efficiency, safety, entertainment and practicality to our everyday riding.

At the riskof oversimplifying a complex system that would baffle the average brain, your TFT LCD dashboard is created using layers. The thin film containing transistors — the TFT part — is merely one of them, trapped somewhere near the middle, and sandwiched between sheets of glass or transparent plastic.

A backlight behind the dash display is illuminated. However, the liquid crystals in the system block that light. Electrical signals to the crystals cause them to alter their orientation, releasing light. There are also polarising filters to add further control to the transmission of light.

Assuming the electrical impulses are correct, the transistors create a dancing light display to shine through the screen, revealing everything you want to know.

Every pixel ina TFT LCD display has its own transistor, maximising control across the whole screen. Pixel count dictates resolution, so the more pixels you have, the better your screen will look. In theory, there’s no reason why you couldn’t have cinema-quality movies playing seamlessly across your dashboard.

It can also be very efficient, in that the distribution of power is extremely fast, allowing very quick re-drawing of the displayed information, and power is only directed to where it is needed.

There is a difference between motorcycle and cars though. Currently the TFTs motorcycles have is the only display, that shows speed, gear, revs, riding mode, etc. If CarPlay is supported that TFT would be used entirely for that. So, a secondary display would be required to show this vehicle information while the main TFT displays CarPlay. Not impossible as Honda, Indian, HD are already doing it on some of their models. But I guess a hurdle for motorcycle manufacturers none the less.

There is a difference between motorcycle and cars though. Currently the TFTs motorcycles have is the only display, that shows speed, gear, revs, riding mode, etc. If CarPlay is supported that TFT would be used entirely for that. So, a secondary display would be required to show this vehicle information while the main TFT displays CarPlay. Not impossible as Honda, Indian, HD are already doing it on some of their models. But I guess a hurdle for motorcycle manufacturers none the less.

Aprilia sportbike and naked bike lineup commonly sport the brand’s black and red livery, tying the road-going models to the Noale factory’s MotoGP and Superbike World Championship efforts. While the Aprilia Black livery is a signature look for the firm’s high-performance platforms, some riders prefer a stealthier look. To cater to a more restrained crowd, the company is releasing the 2022 RSV4 Factory in an Ultra Dark colorway.

After learning from the RS 660 development process, Aprilia integrated the RSV4’s bi-plane winglets into the double-wall fairing. That shift enhances engine cooling while also maximizing high-speed stability. Similarly, the new MotoGP-inspired swingarm is now lighter and features a reinforced lower brace to improve stability under hard acceleration.

A matte black livery keeps things low-key but touches of gold add that trademark Italian flourish. The forged aluminum wheels, RSV4 badges, Aprilia logos, and tail unit receive a refreshing splash of gold. Even the Ohlins suspenders complement the new color scheme. While the understated paint and decals are a new direction for the RSV4, the Ultra Dark livery calls back to the 2006 RSV 1000R Factory.