MOTOFOODIE

It’s striking. It’s graceful and an absolute cracker to ride!🔥😍

Inheriting the elegant Italian-looks from the RS660 and the RSV4, the 2024 Aprilia RS457 is an angry child, ready to pounce ahead with each blip of the throttle – it’s strong low-to-mid-range torque, compact dimensions and agile handling, makes it a great blend of sporty riding and sedate commutes.

Engine:

Powered by a 457cc parallel-twin engine and 47ps of power, the RS457 has a 270-degree firing order that broadcasts a V-Twin like roar and rideability. 

The engine-note is a ‘beautiful symphony to hear’ , that is complemented by massive torque waves in the low-to-middle RPMs making it a super fun motorcycle to ride.

However, lacks the top-end rush. Torque band is very wide and useable, but drops closer to redline.

Handling:

This characterful engine is mated to a twin-spar aluminium frame delivering a sharp handling motorcycle that is an absolute hoot around the corners.

Suspension:

The front suspension is 41mm fork with adjustable preload only. The rear is a mono shock with 130mm travel and adjustable preload only.

The stock suspension setup is very plush and comfortable to tour and commute.

A fully-adjustable front and rear suspension is throughly missed – a shame, considering the premium pricing of the RS 457. 😞

Brakes:

The front brake is a  320-mm disc with a ByBre radial-mount 4-piston calliper and the rear is a 220-mm disc with a ByBre calliper. 

The OEM brakes on the RS457 offer great initial bite, but fade during repetitive engagement scenarios such as in city traffic, aggressive riding etc.

Electronics and Technology:

The 2024 Aprilia RS457 comes with a reasonable suite of rider aids and electonics:

• Three ride modes (Eco, Sport, and Rain)
• Three-level traction control
• SmartPhone Connectivity on the 5-inch TFT Color Dash

The system allows riders to disengage rear-wheel ABS and disable traction control altogether.

Smart Phone Connectivity on the RS457:

Smartphone connectivity is via Aprilia’s connectivity app, that allows users to tether to the bike via Bluetooth and access things like GPS route information, call notifications, vehicle info, music control and even change settings via the phone.

Seat Comfort and Riding Posture:

Not as committed a riding position as a full-fledged superbike, but definitely sporty.  Rider seat comfort is good for distances upto 100-150kms, beyond which a break is welcome.

Seat height is 800mm, which should accommodate a wide range of riders.

Pillion Comfort:

The pillion seat is actually usable for short weekend rides and city bursts.

City Commute:

The RS457 is an easy motorcycle to navigate through the city and the heat is bearable even in our painfully slow-moving traffic.

The combination of light-clutch, wide handlebars, great low-end torque and crisp throttle response – attribute for easy slow-speed manoeuvring.

Touring:

The Aprilia RS457 is an absolute delight to tour on – covers good and bad roads comfortably due to the plush suspension.

Smooth throttle response and fueling, beautiful low and mid-RPM torque, reasonably sporty ergonomics, room to strap luggage, comfortable seat and a fantastic soundtrack from the engine – makes it fantastic sport bike tourer.❤️

Loved every second touring on this beauty!

Paid add-on accessories like USB charging port, TPMS, taller windscreen are available, improving the touring appeal.

Mileage and Fuel Tank Range:

The RS457 comes with fuel-gauge and low-fuel Indicator.

• City Mileage: 15-18 kmpl
• Highway Mileage: 25-27 kmpl
• Full Tank capacity: 13 litres (fuel light comes upon finishing 10-11L)
• Real world full tank range: 195 – 350 kms 

Being a high-compression engine, it is recommended to fill 95-octane fuel.

What I love about the 2024 Aprilia RS457:

• Engine: the best sounding parallel-twin 400 and the intoxicating low-and-mid-range torque!
• Handling: Nimble motorcycle – that corners like its elder RS siblings – sublime!
• Great One-Motorcycle Garage: The RS457 is a sound 400 (minus the drama of service & reliability) – tackles city traffic with ease, comfortable to tour and to hunt down apexes on a racetrack!

What I dislike:

• Standard Equipment: Misses out on a lot of standard equipments like:
  • No quick shifter 
  • No steering damper
  • No adjustable front and rear suspension 
  • No cruise control
  • No adjustable brake and clutch lever
• U-Turn Lock: During an U-turn, the hand of the rider gets locked up between the handlebar and the fuel-tank – making full-lock u-turn a painful one.
• Brake Fade: Inspite of an reasonable spec equipment, the front and rear brakes fade too soon.
• Headlight Visibility: visibility at low and high-beam are very poor on the OEM headlights.
• No juice above 10,000 RPM: for the ‘Be a Racer’ 400cc motorcycle, the power ceiling comes very soon at 10,000 – 10,500 RPM. ☹️

Conclusion:

The 2024 Aprilia RS457 is an impressive motorcycle that dances beautifully on winding roads and the monstrous torque at the low-mid is absolute joy-wave to experience, but lacks the grunt in higher RPMs.

Minus the nagging issues/drama on the reliability of the motorcycle, the Aprilia RS457 is an extremely fun motorcycle to hunt corners on a twisty road and reasonable to tour solo with luggage.

Special thanks to Remo for trusting me with his beloved Aprilia 🤗

Follow his motorcycling on Instagram.