There’s something about the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb that sears itself into the imagination. It’s not just the altitude or the snow-covered views; it’s the men and their mental machines that dare to take on such an epic challenge. Stripped down and brutal, wearing number plates instead of fairings and bars instead of clip-ons, purpose-built to take on 156 turns and nearly 5,000 feet of elevation change. That look, that intent, is exactly what Los Angeles-based builder Michael Vienne of Championship Cycles had in mind when this 2022 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 landed in his lap.
Motorcycles, of course, no longer compete in the ‘Race to the Clouds’, following the tragic death of young gun and multi-time winner, Carlin Dunne. The final two-wheeler to take victory was Aussie Rennie Scaysbrook, in a blistering time on this exact model of Aprilia. “So when I was offered this V4 1100 Tuono as a track-only build, I knew immediately where we were headed,” says Vienne. “Mandated to have one-piece handlebars and, in lieu of bodywork, most just wore number plates; all had a purposeful form dictated by function. This would be the starting point of the project.”
Easy to say. Much harder to execute. The Tuono comes from the factory with a full suite of electronics woven into every corner: sensors, ECUs, relays, fuses, and enough wiring to hang a washing line. With the fairings, side panels, and tail section stripped away, Vienne faced his biggest challenge: repackaging all that tech without anywhere to hide it. The solution? A single-piece, flat track-inspired carbon tail unit, slim enough to show off the mechanicals but cunningly designed to house the essentials. “The stock Lithium-ion battery was five times as tall as the space I had. The new one is no thicker than a deck of cards,” he explains.
Power wasn’t the focus here. The stock 1100 V4 already spits out 180 horses, so Vienne kept things simple with an SC Project 70mm slip-on and an ECU reflash. Reliability mattered more than squeezing out a few extra ponies. Instead, the emphasis was on shaving weight and sharpening handling. Mission accomplished: with Marchesini forged aluminium wheels reducing unsprung weight, and the ruthless removal of 50+ pounds of streetbike-based clutter.
Braking also got serious attention. When you have 156 corners to tackle, ending up with a spongey lever, or worse, one that comes back to the bars, is simply not an option! Out went the stock hardware, and in came 330mm Brembo T-Drive full floaters, rebuilt Stylema calipers with BrakeTech ventilated pistons, and a Corsa Corta 17RCS master cylinder. “It’s about precision and consistency on track,” Vienne says. “Brakes are confidence. Confidence equals speed.”
Suspension, on the other hand, didn’t need rethinking. The factory Tuono comes loaded with Öhlins electronic suspension, which was retained. But to dial in the geometry, Vienne commissioned an RSV4-style billet adjustable offset triple clamp from IMA. “From a tunability standpoint, it’s fantastic,” he says. Pair that with Attack Performance rearsets and the flat bars to really leverage the bike through the corners, and you have one hell of a handling machine. Woodcraft switchgear, GPS timer and a tidy 520 chain conversion, and the controls are as lean as the rest of the bike.
Cosmetically, the bike is all business and an absolute beast in black. A modified tank pairs up with a set of custom carbon air runners that are all-purpose. A Kevlar belly pan can take the scrapes and catch any oil should a failure occur, and that razor-sharp carbon tail unit keeps the silhouette brutally compact. Nothing superfluous, nothing shiny. When a progress shot made its way to Miguel Galluzzi, head of Piaggio’s Advanced Design Center, his response was simple: “That’s all you need right there, a tank, a motor and a seat!”
The final numbers? Over 180 horsepower and a bike that now tips the scales at just 346 lbs (157 kg) fully fueled, a staggering drop from the stock 460 lbs (209 kg). A look straight out of the Pikes Peak paddock. And perhaps most importantly, the kind of stripped, muscular stance that makes you want to head for the mountains and never look back. Championship Cycles didn’t just build a lighter, sharper Tuono, they built a bike that embodies the essence of speed itself.
