[AtheK]

Imagine if this is situation before sale, god only save you in case of any issue later. Aprilia can take this bike in Italy and sell it, we have enough options to choose from. It's shameful the way some of these manufacturer treat us.

I suggest you go check the Ninja ZX-4R, it will give you all the fun this bike will give you and some more. On top of it, Kawasaki is very serious about Indian market and you will get great support.

[2nd_gear_7krpm]

Aprilia has announced the price of RS 457 in the US market. Its priced at USD 6,799 for the two colour schemes viz. 'Prismatic Dark' (dark grey) and 'Opalescent Light' (white). Add 100 bucks extra for the Racing Stripes (red and black) colour.

Link to Aprilia US and Canada website - https://storeusa.aprilia.com/rs-457.aspx

As per my prediction, the ex-showroom price in India would be between Rs. 4 - 4.5 lakhs. Basis for my prediction is in the screen shot attached.

PS: I do not have any insider information and this is purely my analysis based on the past data available in the public domain.

[Axe77]

That’s a massive sneak peak into possible India pricing for the 457. Apparently ACI got this input at the EICMA that they’re shooting for a sub 4 lakh price point in India. If that is true, they will definitely see a LOT of interest in this offering and while it is a niche segment by itself, it’ll certainly give the RC 390 as well as the incoming Yamaha R3 plenty of competition. They really do need to get their dealership act together though to fully capitalise on this.

Diego tells us that the main idea is for it to be available not at CBU prices. That being said, he confirmed that Aprilia will stick to its positioning as a premium company and will not get into price competition with other players. With the RS 457’s parallel twin motor, aluminium chassis and premium electronics, Arioli believes that Aprilia is justified to have an ambitious price.

It was always expected that the RS 457 would be priced at a premium, but the concern was by how much. We finally have a clear idea as Arioli tells us that the company is contemplating a price between Rs 3.75 lakh to 4 lakh. He goes on to say that the price needs to be ambitious and not for everyone, but still at a reasonable price.

LINK

[SR1602]

Got access to the official brochure from the Aprilia's American portal since I had signed up for the same when the USA launch was announced. The big question of torque figures is finally answered and it will be putting out 43.5 Nm at 6700 RPM.



A few other notable observations, which were important to me:

1. Brake lines are braided
2. 3 Riding Modes and 2 ABS modes confirmed
3. No mention of IMU anywhere against my optimism. Not like it's a sacrosanct necessity but would have been a good to have.
4. Wet weight is confirmed as 175kg



A comprehensive mobile suite exists with navigation, in-depth ride data and can be used to switch modes from the app as well. The caveat here is that this is going to be an additional accessory and not pre-installed.



^Full accessory list.

I am putting the brochure in the attachments section as well.

[hikozaru]

As someone who could not reach the clutch and brake levers easily on the R3, adjustable levers as accessories is huge. No need to look for shady cheap parts or import expensive aftermarket levers and pay import taxes on them. On a similar vein I hope pilot footpegs means OEM rearsets. If they could get 145mm+ of ground clearance, this looks like the top A2 bike in India on paper.

[AseemYadav]

Absolutely no updates from the dealer. At <4 lacs ex showroom, it should be a steal. Especially with the superior chassis, rider aids and fit and finish. Was in two minds regarding this or Yamaha R3. But the price and looks of the rs457 along with the vintage of the R3 have worked in favour of the Aprilia stable. Reliability is the only trade off. But that is nothing that cannot be managed with an RSA.

[SR1602]

Originally Posted by hikozaru

As someone who could not reach the clutch and brake levers easily on the R3, adjustable levers as accessories is huge. No need to look for shady cheap parts or import expensive aftermarket levers and pay import taxes on them.

Actually I noticed another tiny detail from the EICMA videos of the RS. They had 4 models on display, the road legal version in 3 colours and the race ready Trofeo version. Out of the 3 road legal colours, the Matte Black and GP Variant were in total stock trim with the mirrors, rear fender and pillion footpegs. I noticed in all the videos that they had adjustable brake levers with the basic adjustability mechanism.



The white one was decked with I suppose all the aftermarket parts and had the flashy red anodized levers that had the fancier adjustability mechanism (pardon my ignorance since I don't know what they are actually termed )



Going by this I am supposing the stock trim will have adjustable brake levers for sure. Whether the Indian variants will get it or not, I am not sure because the models showcased at the Bharat GP didn't have it.

Originally Posted by hikozaru

On a similar vein I hope pilot footpegs means OEM rearsets. If they could get 145mm+ of ground clearance, this looks like the top A2 bike in India on paper.

I think pilot footpegs just means fancier anodized red footpegs in this case. Since the rearsets seem just like the ones in stock trim and don't seem to be adjustable here.

[neil.jericho]

I had a chat with someone who works closely with Aprilia. His feedback was that the bike will be a sure shot 10/10. However, his concern was that the company doesnt seem to taking the right steps to ensure that the foundation is in place for the RS457 to be a success, at whatever premium-ish price they settle on. If the company is expecting some volumes in the Indian market, nothing that they are currently doing (or not doing, as is currently the case!) reflects this.

We could be dealing with the reality that Aprilia is moving agonizingly slowly but it is something to keep in mind.

[shastryBLR]

I own an aprilia SR 160. The servicing is exorbitant(4x₹2.5k / year) for a scooter. They never do a good job. You will have to trust the same dealerships to do a good job with your premium bike.

I will advise Bhpians to avoid them until Aprilia can demonstrate a reasonable ownership cost and servicing experience. Initial pricing be dammed - because you'll live with the machine.

[Amrit@wheels]

Originally Posted by shastryBLR

I own an aprilia SR 160. The servicing is exorbitant(4x₹2.5k / year) for a scooter. They never do a good job. You will have to trust the same dealerships to do a good job with your premium bike.

I will advise Bhpians to avoid them until Aprilia can demonstrate a reasonable ownership cost and servicing experience. Initial pricing be dammed - because you'll live with the machine.

I can't remember the last time anyone praised Italians for their after-sales service in India. A good product backed by poor after-sales is just a terrible ownership experience.

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by shastryBLR

I own an aprilia SR 160. The servicing is exorbitant(4x₹2.5k / year) for a scooter. They never do a good job. You will have to trust the same dealerships to do a good job with your premium bike.

+ 100
I own SR 160 race pro and it's the same story in Pune. they have below average service quality, long waiting time for parts (waited 2 months for rear shock absorbers in red color) and weird policies (in case of burst oil seal for front shock absorbers, they change the entire shock absorber assembly for INR 4000 instead of oil seal which may cost INR 300).
My nearest service center is also the service center for Aprilia premium bikes and I always see one or the other premium bike covered in dust waiting for parts.
I don't want to talk about reliability of Aprilia mopeds compared to other mopeds of Honda, Suzuki and TVS.
Despite of my above rant somehow I still love riding SR160, like its design and love cleaning and polishing it once a while. Probably that's what Apirlia brand is known for

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Shubhendra

+ 100
I own SR 160 race pro and it's the same story in Pune.
….

My nearest service center is also the service center for Aprilia premium bikes and I always see one or the other premium bike covered in dust waiting for parts.

Is this the one run by Mr. Apte? (Somewhere beyond Swargate IIRC?)

My Mumbai based friend services his Aprilia RSV4 and he swears by their service. On cost, quality as well as turnaround time. He owns a Ducati as well and he says the cost of owning the Aprilia superbike is far cheaper overall. I must admit even I was surprised to hear that an Aprilia can actually be (relatively) economical to maintain - my gut feel assumption would have been more on the lines you mentioned but of course his real world experience on the superbike front is heartening to know.

Hope Aprilia can create a good dealer support spread for the 457. That’ll be critical to any level of success for in any case what will be a slightly niche product.

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Is this the one run by Mr. Apte? (Somewhere beyond Swargate IIRC?)

My Mumbai based friend services his Aprilia RSV4 and he swears by their service. On cost, quality as well as turnaround time. He owns a Ducati as well and he says the cost of owning the Aprilia superbike is far cheaper overall. I must admit even I was surprised to hear that an Aprilia can actually be (relatively) economical to maintain -

No, this one is in Wakad.
Yearly maintenance cost of owning an Aprilia SR160 is almost similar to the maintenance cost of Ninja 650 which I have. And combined yearly maintenance cost of above 2 is equal to the maintenance cost of HD Custom 1200 I have

[VijayAnand1]

Aprilia's Indian Management needs to be re-shuffled for good. I feel the current management is simply damp-squib and a catharsis of the same is high in the order. With a lackluster launch, disappointing follow-up, delayed pricing.. simply not what any sensible management team would do after developing a product exclusively for ASEAN markets. Aprilia might have a great product by all means, with damp squib reliability, and an even squib servicing network and backup, especially parts.

Simply put, if this bike is meant to be the benediction Aprilia thinks it is for them, they better know how to get things right, straight and knuckles tight and get their "bolts" held together for good.

Oh Aprilia, why! Sigh!

Cheers!
VJ

[Shonith]

Originally Posted by shastryBLR

I own an aprilia SR 160. The servicing is exorbitant(4x₹2.5k / year) for a scooter. They never do a good job. You will have to trust the same dealerships to do a good job with your premium bike.

I will advise Bhpians to avoid them until Aprilia can demonstrate a reasonable ownership cost and servicing experience. Initial pricing be dammed - because you'll live with the machine.

I have a similar experience with my wife's vespa vxl 150. The scooter is plagued with electrical issues. Service center does solve them but these are reoccurring. Most common is the issue with key set if the scooter hits a rough patch or a big pothole it will switch off. This problem is persistent in the rainy season, during summers it's almost not existent. The only solution service center offers is to replace the switch in the key set, it's not an expensive part, but the problem itself is annoying and dangerous. I am surprised by how casual vespa is about this issue. As long as we keep this scooter I know for a fact that I'll have to keep replacing this switch once or twice during rainy season.