MUMBAI :

Over the years, Aprilia, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer, has delighted high-adrenaline racing enthusiasts with some of the most dynamic and performance-packed machines. Recently, it launched its first ‘Made-in-India’ motorcycle, the Aprilia RS 457, in the Indian market. The motorcycle debuted in September last year in the country at a media-only event and it was also later showcased at the MotoGP Bharat in Greater Noida, though the price announcement took place in December at the India Bike Week 2023, in Goa. Here’s a closer look at the Aprilia RS 457 to see what it offers in terms of  performance, features and styling.

While the RS 457 is designed and developed at Aprilia headquarters in Italy, it is locally produced at Piaggio’s factory in Baramati, Maharashtra in India for both, the domestic market as well as for the international market. It comes at a sticker price of INR 4.10 lakh (ex-showroom, Maharashtra). While the bookings commenced from Dec 15 last year, the first deliveries started in March 2024. 

Having a dry weight of around 159 kg, it flaunts clip-on handlebars, which are mounted above the front registration plate. Underpinning an aluminium perimeter frame, the RS 457 rides on 17-inch wheels which are shod with 110/70 section front and 150/60 section rear tyres. This is the first motorcycle from the Italian brand to get factory - fitted TVS Eurogrip Protorq Extreme tyres.

As far as the features of the RS 457 go, the motorcycle comes equipped with slip-and-assist clutch, adjustable traction control, backlit switchgear and 5-inch TFT instrument console. Most of these bells and whistles have been borrowed from the bigger Aprilia motorcycles. The RS457 also gets three riding modes in the form of Eco, Rain and Sport. A quickshifter is also on offer, albeit as an optional feature.

The RS 457 is powered by a new 457cc twin-cylinder liquid-cooled petrol engine which develops top power of 47 bhp at 9400 rpm and peak torque of 43.5 Nm at 6,700 rpm. This engine boasts of double camshaft timing with four valves per cylinder configuration. Aprilia has incorporated a 270-degree crank which returns an exhilarating exhaust note while keeping the refinement levels quite high. The engine is paired with a 6-speed transmission.

The suspension duties are helmed by USD forks at front with 120mm of travel while there is a monoshock unit at the rear with travel of 130mm. Both the suspensions are preload adjustable units. As far as the brakes are concerned, it features a ByBre-sourced 320mm disc unit at front and 220mm disc unit at the rear.

While the RS 457 is the most expensive bike in its segment as compared with the aforementioned motorcycles, it appears relatively cheaper than the Kawasaki Ninja 400 which retails at INR 5.24 lakh.

The RS 457 locks horns with KTM RC 390, Yamaha R3 and TVS Apache RR 310 in the Indian market.