Aprilia RS 457 Review - A Delightfully Sharp Fun Machine

Published: Wednesday, January 17, 2024, 9:59 [IST]

Italian two-wheeler manufacturer Aprilia has been mainly known in India for its range of sporty scooters that pack more than enough power so that you can have a bit of fun.

However, outside India, the Italian firm is known for racy-looking sports and superbikes and has been racing around in Moto GP as well. The latest fruit of these racing exploits was revealed to the world just before the San Marino Grand Prix as the all-new Aprilia RS 457.

But what excited Indian fans was the fact that the new Aprilia RS 457 middleweight sports bike would be made in India and that it would be hitting our roads. This was confirmed at the Indian GP race of the Moto GP Series last year before Aprilia gave us a price for the RS 457 at India Bike Week last month.

Aprilia invited us along to test out the all-new RS 457 at Coimbatore's Kari Motor Speedway, so we packed our bags and headed to the track to see what this new middleweight sports bike was all about.

Aprilia RS 457 Review: Design & Features - Delightfully Sharp

The Aprilia RS 457 brings the firm's sports bike range into the entry-level middleweight scene. To ensure that those in the saddle know just what awaits them, Aprilia has ensured that the new RS 457 inherits the RS design language from its larger RS 660 and RSV4 siblings.

The new Aprilia RS 457 looks like a smaller version of the more powerful RS 660 sports bike. This can be seen up front with the signature triple LED headlight setup with the integrated LED DRL sections that also act as the turn indicators. These make the RS 457 look more compact and sharp when viewed from the front.

Underneath these lights sit vents that help channel air to the engine and around the aluminium frame of the new RS 457 with the help of the double fairing setup that helps the new middleweight bike cut through the air more smoothly.

The sculpted fuel tank adds to the sharp aerodynamic looks of the new Aprilia RS 457 as does the underbelly silencer which is integrated with the belly pan of the new sports bike. The split seat with the raised pillion section gives credence to the racy nature of the RS 457 and the sharp yet short tail section is further accentuated by the LED taillight.

The Aprilia RS 457 is offered in three colour options - Prismatic Dark, Opalescent White and Racing Stripes. While the first two colour options are offered with red wheels, the Racing Stripes version gets black wheels with red rim tape.

The Aprilia RS 457 comes loaded with quite a bit of tech, the most visible of which is the 5-inch colour TFT display. The screen also offers Bluetooth connectivity (optional) allowing riders to connect the display on the RS 457 with the Aprilia app.

The Aprilia RS 457's display is controlled using the illuminated controls on the handlebars and it displays everything from the riding mode and gear you're in to the speed you're doing, distance to empty and service and quite a bit more.

Aprilia RS 457 Review: Specs & Dimensions - Cutting Edge Fun

The Aprilia RS 457 is powered by an all-new 457cc parallel twin engine. The liquid-cooled, four-valve engine features dual-overhead camshafts and forward-facing cylinders.

The Aprilia RS 457's parallel-twin engine generates 46.93bhp at 9,400rpm and 43.5Nm of peak torque at 6,700rpm. The engine is paired with a 6-speed gearbox that can be specced with an optional quickshifter.

The Aprilia RS 457 is offered with a ride-by-wire system that allows for three riding modes which change how the powerplant behaves on the go. There is also a 4-way traction control on offer - three modes plus another with the system switched off.

The Aprilia RS 457 sports a twin-spar aluminium frame setup that uses the engine as a stressed member. The frame is suspended off a 41mm upside-down fork at the front and a monoshock at the rear.

Both the front and rear suspension components can be adjusted for preload. The USD fork at the front offers 120mm of travel while the rear monoshock on the RS 457 offers 130mm of wheel travel.

Braking duties on the Aprilia RS 457 are handled by a 320mm disc at the front and a 220m disc at the rear. These discs are clamped down by Bybre callipers - 4-piston radial units at the front and single pistons at the rear.

The brakes are aided by dual-channel ABS with an anti-rollover system. The ABS also has two maps - one for both wheels and one for the front wheel alone.

The Aprilia RS 457 rides on 17-inch lightweight aluminium alloy wheels that are shod with TVS Eurogrip's Progrip tyres. These tyres measure 110/70 at the front and 150/60 at the rear.

Aprilia RS 457 Review: Riding Impressions - Sharp Scalpel In Need Of Sharper Brakes

The Aprilia RS 457 is a bike that lets you have quite a bit of fun on the track. That being said the bike is set up for everyday riding with relatively low pegs and gently set clip-on handlebars (adjustable ones are optional). You can find a comfortable riding position quite easily and the shape of the bodywork also allows you to tuck in quite easily when you hit the corners.

The parallel-twin engine of the RS 457 is quite tractable and has a very linear power delivery. The Aprilia RS 457 gets on the power quite low down and stays on it till around 9,500rpm with a slight bump up in power noticed around the 7,000rpm mark.

The RS 457's engine's linear delivery allows you to put the power down easily with the Protorq tyres from TVS Eurogrip providing more than enough grip to deal with the near 47bhp on tap, even when you wack open the throttle.

The traction control system with its four modes means that you can easily find a mode work that works well with your riding style. However, if you need a supernanny to help you out at the start, the most aggressive mode will be there to keep you in check.

The suspension setup on the RS 457 is quite well-tuned and felt neither too hard nor too soft on the track. The bike glided in and out of corners with ease and allowed you to have a bit of fun.

However, that fun was a bit curtailed by the brakes on the Aprilia RS 457. Finding the bite point took a bit of time as when you first push down the pedal or pull the lever, the initial impression is that you haven't done anything before the brakes finally get to work. The ABS setup kicks in every time you brake hard and coming to a stop from higher speeds felt unsafe at times.

Aprilia RS 457 Review: Final Thoughts & Verdict - A Delightfully Sharp Fun Machine

The Aprilia RS 457 enters a segment in the Indian biking scene that has a trio of tried and tested performers in the form of the KTM RC390, Yamaha R3 and the Kawasaki Ninja 400. However, Aprilia seems to have done its homework and with RS 457 has a bike that can take the fight to the established trio despite needing to finetune the brakes.

At least that's the way it feels on the track. We do hope Aprilia will let us ride the RS 457 on the streets soon enough. But as far as first impressions go in the saddle, we find ourselves quite happy to state that anyone looking for a sports bike at this price point needs to test out the Aprilia before making a final decision.