India-bound Aprilia RS 457 revealed

Earlier this year, we were the first to break the news that Aprilia was working on a twin-cylinder sport bike that would be made in India at its plant in Baramati in Maharashtra. That bike has now been globally revealed, and it’s called the Aprilia RS 457.

1. Aprilia RS 457 powered by 48hp parallel-twin engine
2. Has a 175kg kerb weight
3. Made at Piaggio’s plant in Baramati, Maharashtra

While it was initially expected that the bike would be called the RS 440 (in line with the bigger RS 660), Aprilia has instead named it the RS 457. This name could be down to the engine capacity, but the Italian bike maker has yet to reveal that detail. 

Aprilia RS 457 underpinnings

What we do know is that this is a 48hp, four-valve per cylinder, DOHC, liquid-cooled motor that uses a 270-degree crank, which should result in good refinement, but also an exciting sound. The bike gets a 6-speed gearbox and a slip-assist clutch is likely to be standard, although this is not yet confirmed. A quickshifter will be sold as an accessory, but whether this is a bi-directional unit is not yet clear.  

The RS 457 uses an aluminium perimeter frame similar to what’s on the bigger 660. Suspension is handled by a preload adjustable 41mm USD with 120mm of travel, while the preload adjustable monoshock has 130mm of travel. Dry weight is 159kg and the bike weighs 175kg when fully fueled. 

Braking is handled by a single 320mm front disc and a 220mm rear disc with ByBre components. Tyre sizes are 110/60 R17 at the front and 150/60 R17 at the rear. The RS 457 is the first motorcycle to ship from the factory on TVS Eurogrip Protorq Extreme tyres. Our experience with these tyres on the race track left us highly impressed, and they should make a good match for the motorcycle. 

Aprilia RS 457 features, design

In terms of features, the Aprilia RS 457 comes with a 5.0-inch TFT display, backlit switchgear, ride-by-wire, and three-level traction control. 

Style and quality appear to be a high point on this motorcycle, with beautifully detailed elements like the aluminium triple clamp. The clip-on handlebars are positioned above the fork clamp, which should result in a sporty riding position, but one that is not too extreme.

The RS 457 was designed and developed at Aprilia’s headquarters in Noale, Italy, along with developmental inputs from the Indian team. The motorcycle will be built here in India at Piaggio’s plant in Baramati.  

Aprilia RS 457 India launch

The RS 457 is likely to make its India debut at the Indian MotoGP later this month. The price is sure to be considerably higher than the likes of the KTM RC 390, but given that it is manufactured in India, Aprilia should be able to offer a more competitive price tag than the likes of the Ninja 400 (Rs 5.2 lakh, ex-showroom, India). However, Piaggio India has always adopted a premium positioning and it’ll be interesting to see how they price this motorcycle. 

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Aprilia RSV4, Tuono V4 Factory get special colour schemes