Aprilia RS 457 review: Beginner’s Charm

457cc parallel twin producing 47hp / 43.5Nm.
Indian made to keep price down – quality looks good.
Great for the road and track.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a small-capacity sporty offering from Aprilia. But now there’s the perfect first step for new riders with RSV4 aspirations. We headed to the NZ launch at the Hampton Downs circuit and then spent an hour on the road to really put the small machine through its paces.

Photos: ASP (Aaron Staples Photography)

I was finding it a little intimidating being on the twisting tarmac of Hampton Downs with a gaggle of other riders, most of which had anywhere between 50 and 150hp more than me. That meant the two areas where horsepower really matters – the climb up to the start/finish line and the long, flat back straight – saw my 100kilo self and the little Aprilia acting like a mobile chicane, with riders blasting past either side. And while there’s supposed to be a mandatory 2-metre distance kept between bikes on the track, it seems many of these guys obviously have a problem judging length, probably something to do with their inner macho taking over the thought process and thinking it funny to give me a close fly-by.

Heading into turns though, the ownership of the smiles was well and truly changed, as the RS 457 has obviously inherited some of the DNA from Aprilia’s past small-capacity sportsbikes like the legendary RS250 2-stroke, as I found myself with the throttle still held on the stop long after these big horsepower heroes had shut the taps and hit the front brake, turning them into a mobile chicane for a big fella on a 457cc parallel twin. Oh, with a bigger smile under his helmet. Yep, smaller really can be more fun…!

Inspired Choice

When the importer of Aprilia invited BRM to Hampton Downs for the launch of the new LAMS-approved, small-capacity machine, to be honest, there were a few raised eyebrows. With the high-speed nature of Hampton’s 2.7km circuit, maybe it wasn’t going to be the ideal place to sample the new model. But they were obviously counting on the sporting heritage of Aprilia and knew this wasn’t going to be some mediocre town bike with racing stickers, and instead were confident the track was the best place for us to push it to the limit. And, just to keep things balanced, as we’re pretty sure most RS 457 owners aren’t going to be spending every day on the racetrack, they also gave us a road session in the afternoon around some epic twisty roads around the northern Waikato. There aren’t many motorcycle press launches in NZ, but this was certainly going to be one for the books!

Looking over the line-up of machines outside a pit garage, the first thing that struck me was the fact that it’s actually quite hard to distinguish which model is which within the Aprilia range. Okay, the naked Tuonos stand out, but when it comes to the RS 660 and RS 457, Aprilia has done an excellent job of keeping the small capacity – and obviously, cheaper – machine following the same family silhouette. The LED DRLs at the front and the air intake beneath give it the same racy look, with the only really noticeable difference at a glance being the lack of a second disc and brake caliper at the front.

The small, sporty screen has a TFT dash nestled beneath it, while the switchgear all looks like standard Aprilia fare, and switching on the ignition sees you greeted with the excellent info on the dash that we’re used to seeing on their more premium models. There are modes to play with – Eco, Rain and Sport – while the traction control can be turned off and the rear ABS disabled, all of which are useful additions.

The fact the RS 457 is made in India came as a bit of a surprise as there are no indications in the build quality of the bike to suggest it’s been made to a price. And what a price it is, with the RS 457 starting out at $10,590 for the white version, with slight increases when you option different colours or add an accessory like the quickshifter – and you really do want to add that! The only real tell was when I tried to see what make the tyres were, with a brand I’d never heard of (TVS Eurogrips) written on the side along with the Aprilia logos. Apparently, developed especially for Aprilia and the 457, they were a bit of a question mark. One that was only going to be answered after the first session on track.

At the heart of the 457 is, as you probably guessed, a 457cc parallel twin producing 47hp and 43.5Nm of torque. And it’s come just at the right time, with the 300-500cc category seeing loads of sales growth while also filling the gap at the bottom of Aprilia’s line-up. With the RS 660 and Tuono variant offering riders a sporty alternative to the fire-breathing V4 models, the RS 457 now enables riders to join the Aprilia family at the beginning of their riding career, with a natural progression of 660 and up as they gain more confidence and are looking for their next machine.

Track Time

Despite being smaller in stature, the RS 457 doesn’t feel cramped or overly sporty in its riding position, despite my 182cm stature. The small screen caused me to raise an eyebrow, and looking at an accessorised version Aprilia had brought along for us to test, which featured a double-bubble option, I figured the extra height would probably be advantageous. As it was, once I was in the zone on the track and crouched down on the tank, the standard screen did a decent job of deflecting windblast. And even on a stretch of expressway during the road ride later on in the day, the smaller screen was okay.

Being significantly down on horsepower compared to pretty much everybody else on track is a little disconcerting, especially with the mirrors taped up, so I was unable to see if anyone was approaching me at a significantly greater rate of knots. So, it was a case of concentrating on the 457’s advantages, which soon became apparent as an ability to brake so much later into a turn than many others, while also carrying plenty of corner speed. It was just the drag race out of the other side that the small capacity Aprilia couldn’t overcome the advantage of more cc’s and more power. Still, it was a blast attempting to keep up, which saw the throttle on the stop and every gear held to maximum revs to get the most out of the twin.

And you know what? It was an absolute giggle, proving that you don’t need loads of horsepower to have fun. The tyres, once they’d had a bit of pressure dropped out of them, provided plenty of grip, with the rear not likely to be overwhelmed by the horsepower on hand. While the front offered plenty of feel even when hanging onto the front brake deep into the downhill, righthander which has seen many a bike end up in the kitty litter. Gassing out of turns reveals that for a small capacity powerplant, the Aprilia has a surprising amount of stomp lower in the rev range, with a claimed 82% of the max torque figure delivered from 3,000rpm, while peak horsepower sits close to the 10,500rpm redline. That gives the twin a really useable character, something that was even more noticeable on the road ride later in the day. It’s a flexible powerplant which lets you sit in a gear higher than you’d expect and run with it up and down the rev range. And jumping on the bike with the optional quickshifter, it was a delight to then flick up through the gearbox with the throttle on the stop as the track or road opened up.

The RS 457 features a cast aluminium frame which is the only bike in the class to do so, and it’s typical Aprilia in feel, with the sporty nature of the chassis shining through. Combine this with reasonably firm suspension, which only features adjustment for preload, and the RS 457 was sharp and agile on the racetrack and never felt like it was wallowing or getting upset under heavy braking or accelerating. The 41mm forks gave plenty of feedback, especially under hard braking, although that was one area where the punishing pace began to show, with the single ByBre four-piston caliper gripping a 320mm disc beginning to fade slightly at the end of each session. But, to be honest, that probably had more to do with my size and the fact I was trying to make up as much time as possible by braking hard and late into turns to try and keep in touch with the riders of bigger horsepower bikes. And with so many of Hampton’s corners requiring a lot of speed to be scrubbed off, the single disc set-up certainly had its work cut out.

Road Ride

Heading out into the Waikato for a road loop was going to be a real test of whether the RS 457 was too track-focused, but it soon became apparent that the flexibility of the powerplant combined with the sharp handling works together to make this an extremely entertaining road bike. And I don’t think it would only be learner riders who would appreciate the RS 457, with the lightning-fast reflexes and excellent manners of the Aprilia making it just as much fun for riders who enjoy working to make a bike perform rather than simply twisting a throttle while perched on top.

Okay, it’s not the biggest bike in the world and probably isn’t a machine you’re going to tour on if you’re tall. But I was surprised just how well the screen worked while cruising at speed, and even the riding position isn’t too extreme, with Aprilia claiming they’ve designed it to sit somewhere between the sportiness of KTM’s RC 390 and Kawasaki’s more relaxed Ninja 400. And it wasn’t a bike I was finding myself needing to stretch my legs on despite a decent amount of time in the saddle, talking of which, there was plenty of room to move forward or backward to get a bit more space, while sliding from side to side to hang off is helped by the angled edges.

Affordable Italian Flare

With the pricing of the RS 457 starting at $10,590, it’s an impressive motorcycle for the money. With Aprilia taking their knowledge of producing great-handling motorcycles with premium electronics and bringing that into the LAMS class, it’s a well-sorted machine for riders looking for a bike that will offer them sports-bike handling and real-world performance while looking as premium as the brand’s bigger offerings.

Thinking back to the days when I was dreaming about bikes like Aprilia’s RS250 two-stroke, the new RS 457 has that same sort of appeal, with the sharp looks and sporty performance making this a model that younger riders are sure to lust after. Yet, if you are an experienced rider who fancies a machine that doesn’t go into hyper-drive when you hold the throttle on the stop, you’ll be amazed at how much fun you can have on the RS 457.

The trick with the RS 457 is that it isn’t just about being sporty, with the package versatile enough to use as a daily runner while offering the sort of performance that will make weekend blasts great fun. And with one of the models featuring graphics that make the LAMS machine look like a mini MotoGP bike, you’ll get plenty of looks everywhere you go.