Aprilia RS457 Review
Test by Wayne Vickers
We finally got our hands on the latest entrant to the lightweight sports bike category, and it’s safe to say that the folks from Noale aren’t mucking about. On paper, the LAMS-approved RS457 was always set to be a sharp thing, coming in at 175 kg wet and punching out 47 hp and 43 Nm, it has the best power-to-weight ratio in the class.
Expectations were pretty high – and on our quick day’s taste test on both a tight track and out on public roads, the RS457 didn’t disappoint.
The new RS joins the middle weight RS660 and big dog RSV4 family, sharing more than just a name. The engine is derived from the front bank of that glorious V4 (arguably the best sounding production bike on the planet – don’t get me started), and so shares a bunch of componentry.
The bike is aimed at both the entry-level market as well as those wanting to take the next step and try their hand on the track. The bike being manufactured in India has enabled Aprilia to keep the costs down, while the build quality still looked the goods. Great materials and finishing, lovely Aprilia styling and the performance we all expect from an RS.
Throwing the leg over, the 800 mm seat height is nice and low and the riding position surprisingly comfortable. The RS457 is not a big bike, with a relatively modest reach to the bars, but it didn’t feel cramped. The clip-ons are actually mounted fairly high so it’s not an overly aggressive riding position at all.
Aprilia is expecting quite a few of its customers to be spending decent amounts of time on the road doing regular riding – which can be seen by the type of accessories available too. Panniers and tank bags are just a few of the accessories on offer.
On the move the bike feels very light and agile, thanks to the all-alloy frame, while not feeling lively at the front end at all. And it’s a lovely little corner carver. A few warm-up laps to get a real feel for the OEM tyres and we were scraping knees everywhere.
With good feedback from the suspension at both ends you can trail the brakes right up to the apex. And while change of direction is just as effortless as I had expected, mid-corner is where the bike shone for me. Tremendous feel when cranked right over on its side.
Speaking of suspension, it is adjustable for pre-load at both ends which is probably going to be enough for most riders. I’m a little shy of 90 kilos and didn’t feel the need to make any adjustments, but if you’re punting really hard on track or have even more of a liking for muffins than myself, then a spring kit is a simple thing to drop in.
Out on the road sections we were certainly aware of harsh road bumps, the ride not being the most supple in the world – and all the more exacerbated by the bike’s light weight. But it wasn’t really a problem. And even crazy big bumps mid-corner didn’t upset the line of the bike at all.
The track we were on had lots of very tight corners, but two were more open and let you really let the RS settle in on its side and feel what was going on. Let’s just say I like what I felt.
Plenty of feedback. Enough so that with the TC disabled, you could get the rear end walking around on the edge of the tyre pretty much at will on the right corner. Super user-friendly.
Bearing in mind that the OEM rubber isn’t super soft and I gave it quite a while to come up to temp, I can only imagine what a set of the stickiest rubber would do to the whole package. Holy moly. That would be fun.
That little 457 cc parallel twin is quite a nice thing. Super smooth and exquisitely fuelled, it’s surprisingly strong off the bottom with a lovely mid-range that doesn’t tail off in the top end. Grunt nice and early and a lovely flat curve the whole way through.
It’s not short of power either. I can vouch for it nudging past 194 km/h. I reckon with a decent tuck position and a slipstream 200 would have to be achievable. Which gives you an idea of what sort of tracks it will excel on.
First-gear wheelies are a doddle, and second-gear stand-ups are easy, too… It’s been a while since I’ve felt confident this quickly on a bike to throw down some stand-ups, but this thing seemed perfect for them. I didn’t know a lightweight sports bike could be such a hooligan machine, so if that’s important to you then look no further.
The gearbox was fairly tight which is not surprising as the bikes were fresh and only barely run in, but the shifts all felt clean and crisp. I must admit that I couldn’t help but think how nice a quick-shifter would be on the track in particular though. That’s a ~$400 option apparently, which I think I’d probably tick.
It comes with a fairly hefty array of electronics. Three ride modes, Eco, Rain and Sport. All are able to be activated on the fly and settings are remembered on key off. This includes TC and ABS settings (you can disable ABS on the rear, which we all did on the track). Big tick there for allowing the rider to keep their preferred settings. Why more manufacturers don’t do that is beyond me.
In terms of tech it also has cylinder deactivation on deceleration. We’re told this is to help meet Euro5 Plus emissions. I did not feel it at all during any riding. On track or road.
Braking is from ByBre, the Indian Brembo subsidiary and comes in the form of a single four-piston caliper biting a 320 mm disc on the front and a single piston 220 mm disc on the rear.
While we weren’t on a high speed track, these brakes seemed ok, without being amazing. I did spot ‘racing brake pads’ in the accessories list, I’d probably also tick that if I was wanting to do track time. I expect it would benefit it on the road too.
So really, the Aprilia RS457 was pretty much smiles all round. Priced at $12.5K on the road for the Light and Dark colours, and just under $13K for the racey one:
- Opalescent Light (which I made a beeline for)
- Prismatic Dark and
- Racing Stripes
Stylish, affordable, accessible performance. What’s not to like? I’d forgotten that little bikes can be so much fun. They’ve done well here.
Why I like the Aprilia RS457
- Wonderful, light, agile handling.
- That’s a cracking little engine. As usual, I’m already imagining it in other models…
- Surprisingly comfortable.
Where the Aprilia RS457 could improve…
- Not a lot… I reckon the premium racey colour variant could have the quick-shifter and optional race pads included.
- Those OEM Indian made tyres are only ‘ok’. I’d be swapping them out pretty smartly. They aren’t dangerous but aren’t great either.
For more information head to the Aprilia Motorcycles Australia website.
Aprilia RS457 Specifications
| Aprilia RS 457 Specifications | |
| Engine | 2 parallel forward facing cylinders, 4 valves per cylinder, liquid-cooled with Ride-By-Wire |
| Displacement | 457 cc |
| Bore And Stroke | 69 x 61,1 mm |
| Max. Power | 47,6 CV (35 kW) a 9.400 giri/min |
| Max. Torque | 43,5 Nm a 6.700 giri/min |
| Clutch | Multiplate wet clutch with slipper system |
| Gearbox | 6 gears |
| Frame | Dual beam aluminium frame |
| Front Suspension | 41mm upside-down fork, adjustable preload, 120mm travel |
| Rear Suspension | Monoshock, adjustable preload, 130 mm wheel travel |
| Front Brake | 320 mm floating disc. ByBre 4-piston radial calliper |
| Rear Brake | 220 mm disc. ByBre single piston calliper |
| Front Wheel | 17″ x 3” Aluminium alloy rim |
| Rear Wheel | 17″ x 4.5” Aluminium alloy rim |
| Seat Height | 800 mm |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 13 litres |
| Wet Weight* | 175 Kg |
| Standard Features | LED headlight assembly. Engine maps (AEM), dual-channel ABS with anti roll-over system (2 maps), traction control (ATC), 3 riding modes. 5”” TFT instrument panel. Metal braided brake hoses. Backlit handlebar controls |
Aprilia RS457 Gallery
