On the eve of the final Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, Aprilia’s Australian distributors, Peter Stevens Importers, revealed a new model honouring the famous seaside circuit. The Aprilia RS 660 ‘Phillip Island Tribute’ – a special edition of the middleweight sportsbike defined by unique graphics – will be released in 2027.
The description of this model as a “special edition,” rather than a “limited edition,” suggests there won’t be a cap on production, with Aprilia to offer as many as customers demand. As the special edition is a cosmetic package only, that should be relatively easy to do.
Each unit will be individually numbered, with the example pictured carrying “N. 001”. This bike was ridden on the circuit and around Phillip Island by Aprilia’s Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi ahead of the Australian Grand Prix weekend.
A History of Success
Across all the grand prix classes they’ve competed in at Phillip Island, Aprilia has enjoyed multiple victories. The most recent was in 2025, when Trackhouse Racing’s Raul Fernandez achieved his first win in the premier class on the Aprilia RS-GP. This was Aprilia’s 300th win in grand prix racing, but their first in MotoGP at the Island.
The Italian manufacturer’s history of success the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit goes back to 1998, when Valentino Rossi won the 250cc race on an RSV 250 for Nastro Azzurro Aprilia, ahead of Loris Capirossi on the factory RSV. Rossi won again in 1999, this time as part of the Aprilia Grand Prix Racing team.
Subsequent victories in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011 – all in the 250cc or 125cc classes – were achieved by a pretty impressive roster of riders, like Jorge Lorenzo, Alvaro Bautista and Marco Melandri.
Along with their ten (to date) victories in grand prix racing at Phillip Island, Aprilia has also been a winner in rounds of the World Superbike Championship held at the circuit, with their RSV4 successful in the hands of Sylvain Guintoli, Eugene Laverty and Max Biaggi.
Circuit-Inspired Styling
Defining the RS 660 Phillip Island Tribute is white finish for the fuel tank, tail unit and Aprilia’s groundbreaking ‘double walled’ fairing. The latter is adorned with red accents and a large Phillip Island Circuit logo on the flanks. The fact that this logo carries the same red-white-green as the Italian flag is a neat coincidence, with the national colours repeated on the leading edge of the fairing and the pillion seat cover that’s fitted as standard.
The bellypan is finished in red with Aprilia branding, with the wheels in red, too, while the mudguards and front aero are black.
A decal on the fuel tank lists all of Aprilia’s winning years in grand prix racing at Phillip Island, including 2006 twice. This isn’t a typo. Rather, it refers to when Aprilia won both the 250cc and 125cc races at Phillip Island that year.
The finishing touch is an individual number on the top fork yoke.
660 Spec
Underneath its special livery, the Phillip Island Tribute is unchanged from the regular (full power) version of the RS 660. That means a 659cc parallel twin engine, producing 77.2kW (105p) at 10,400rpm and 70Nm at 8,400rpm. While Aprilia do offer a 35kW version of the RS 660 to meet LAMS regulations, this version will not be available with the Phillip Island Tribute livery.
The RS 660’s six-speed manual transmission is equipped with a slipper clutch, up-down quickshifter and chain final drive.
The high-performance, Euro5+ compliant engine serves as a stressed member for the twin-spar aluminium frame, which mounts Kayaba suspension front and rear. The 41mm USD forks are rebound and preload adjustable, with 120mm travel. The rear monoshock is also adjustable for preload and rebound, with 130mm travel.
Dual 320mm front and single 220mm rear brake discs are fitted with Brembo calipers, with Cornering ABS standard. The latter is part of an electronics package controlled by a six-axis IMU that includes traction control, wheelie control, launch control and cruise control.
The RS 660 also features five selectable riding modes, along with backlit switchgear, a 5-inch TFT instrument screen and full LED lighting. Seat height is 820mm, fuel capacity 15 litres and wet weight 183kg.
March Arrival
Scheduled to reach Australian Aprilia dealerships in March, 2027, the RS 660 Phillip Island Tribute is priced at $23,590 ride away. This is a small premium over the standard RS 660, but undercuts the RS 660 Factory (that’s equipped with fully-adjustable Öhlins suspension and its own special livery) by $1,700.
For more details and to order, see your Aprilia dealer.
