With all the hype and excitement surrounding ADVs these days, it is certainly exciting to see a new sports bike hit our market. The Aprilia RS 457 grabbed a lot of attention for its aggressive Rs 4.10 lakh (ex-showroom) price tag when it was launched in December last year. It is the first bike to be produced at Aprilia’s Baramati plant in Maharashtra and we recently spent a week with the bike to bring you a review after putting it through its paces in real-world conditions.

Aprilia RS 457: design

The RS 457 is a beautiful bike to gaze at for hours. Inspired by its bigger brothers, the RSV4 and RS 660, it has a true sports bike design and this Italian stallion turns heads on the streets. It has the iconic Aprilia LED headlights, a well-sculpted tank and a sleek rear end. There are three colour options available; Prismatic Dark, Opalescent White and Racing Stripes and they are all very attractive. For this review, we have the MotoGP inspired colour scheme, Racing Stripes. The overall fit and finish of the bike is very good for the price it is offered at.

Aprilia RS 457: Engine & Performance

On paper, the RS 457 is the most powerful bike in the sub-500cc sports bike segment in India. Acceleration is smooth, with a strong mid-range response before flattening out as the revs climb towards the 10,500 rpm redline. Around town, this bike is very usable and can easily reach 30 km/h in fourth gear without any jerking. If you’re riding in third gear around town, you don’t even have to downshift a gear for a quick overtake as the bike has ample low-end torque and pulls forward quickly. The clutch action is extremely light, although the shifting feels a bit wooden with a loud clunk when changing gear. With all the torque on tap, the RS 457 also greets you with the front wheel in the air when it blasts off the line. In our tests, we were able to achieve a 0-100 km/h time of 5.39 seconds.

There are few vibrations felt once the engine revs above 7,500 rpm, but nothing that will bother you too much. On the highway, it can easily maintain speeds of 120 km/h without breaking a sweat. The whole experience is made even better by the sweet exhaust note that gives it plenty of character, thanks to the 270-degree crankshaft. The only thing that would have sweetened the whole deal was if Aprilia had offered the quickshifter as standard. It is part of the official accessories but costs a hefty Rs 27,799. Overall, I really enjoyed this bike for how powerful yet responsive it was on the track and now for how fun and usable it is in the real world.

Aprilia RS 457: handling and quality

A combination of the twin-spar aluminium frame and TVS Eurogrip ProTorq Extreme tyres make the RS 457 a very agile and confidence-inspiring machine to ride. It leans over quickly, lets you lean over more and comes out of corners with ease. The suspension is on the stiff side, so you will feel potholes and patches of rough road when riding around town. Then again, anyone buying a sports bike isn’t really looking for practicality. Out on the highway, the RS 457 feels stable at high speeds. Although we tested the bike on our first ride, there was noticeable brake fade after a few laps. Having now had a chance to ride the bike around town, I found the brakes to be more than adequate for commuting and weekend rides into the corners. Aprilia also offers better brake pads as an accessory, which I would definitely recommend if the bike is going to be used on a track.

Aprilia RS 457: Comfort

The Aprilia RS 457 is a compact and lightweight motorcycle with a kerb weight of 175 kg. The seat height is 800 mm, which is a touch high, but was quite accessible with my 5’7 frame. The riding position is aggressive, with the rider leaning forward on the clip-on handlebars with the footpegs set higher and rearward. I’d say it’s not as aggressive as something like the first-gen KTM RC 390, but the rider’s upper body will be positioned more forward compared to bikes like the Yamaha R3 or Kawasaki Ninja 500. With the well-shaped tank, it’s easy to block a leg before leaning into corners.

Aprilia RS 457: Features

It gets a 5-inch TFT which has a similar layout as their larger models. This screen has all the necessary information, the switchgear is easy to operate and has good tactile feedback. There are three riding modes that can be toggled on the fly and three levels of traction control with the option to turn it off completely. The bike of course gets dual-channel ABS and there is an option to turn off the ABS at the rear and reduce the ABS intervention at the front. Additionally, the bike also gets Bluetooth connectivity.

Aprilia RS 457: Verdict

At Rs 4.10 lakh, the Aprilia RS 457 seems to be the most value-for-money twin-cylinder sports bike that you can buy in India right now. The reason for this aggressive price tag is the localization of this product. Considering the hefty pricing of its Japanese competitors, the RS 457 really makes a good deal for a rider looking to upgrade to a twin-cylinder sports bike. Now, the only thing that remains to be seen is the reliability of the engine and how Aprilia handles their service network. That said, the RS 457 is an extremely fun bike with a ton of character and with those stunning Italian looks, it stands out like no other on the streets.

Aprilia RS 457 Video Review