[Axe77]

Couple of comparo reviews have now recently dropped on YouTube. One by Overdrive and one by Sarge. The 457 unsurprisingly comes out tops in both.

I really hope they do a decent job of the after sales and overall support. It’s got most else going for it on the product front.

https://youtu.be/fb_5mL4Zq8M?si=zaQ3olr4zPK5Aabn

https://youtu.be/vE2MsZiV_v4?si=ISq8HZuPE7gcGPLo

[Ratan Prabhu]

As per this video by one of the first owners in India, the RS457 comes with sintered brake pads. Not sure why the test ride and media bikes has ceramic pads.

https://youtu.be/A3u0YNm_9DQ?si=QPJ0ySJyHn_Orsg-

[aniruddha_98]

The first service cost is out for one of the customers.



The cost of the oil filter is on the higher side because it is an external filter and probably it is shared between RS660 and RS457. Because European websites are listing the oil filter as common for all three bikes.

Surprisingly, they haven't added chain lube, clean and coolant topup consumable charges into the invoice. But my guess is, this will be vary from dealer to dealer. If anyone owns other Aprilia's, what is the labour charge rate per hour for Aprilia service? That might help us guess the paid service costs.

Source -

https://youtu.be/QxL94o2InHY

[NB_4763]

Took a Test Ride of the Aprilia 457 today at Motoplex Marathahalli. Here are the things I didn't like about the bike

- Build quality could have been better for the price of 5L+.

- I don't know if this was an issue with the TD Bike or not but the Gearshift feel was horrible. There were instances were I tried to shift to third gear and it just wouldn't shift

- I felt a slight throttle lag while riding it around. Not to an extent where the bike would jerk and accelerate.

- This is me nitpicking but the side stand doesn't look good.

Waiting is only 2-3 weeks and this showroom has already delivered 20+ Bikes

[SR1602]

Today marks exactly 5 months since I booked this motorcycle. Aprilia communicated with me on April 12th to make the payment with the showroom stating they'll deliver by the end of the month. I took a test ride on the 26th of April and found it to be absolutely amazing. There were a few niggles like the spongy brake lever feedback and gearshift notchiness just once while shifting from 2nd to 3rd but I was in love with this bike.

When I asked the showroom guys if they'd be able to deliver it by the end of the month, they clearly said not possible, they'll need at least till the first week of May. Obviously, that upset me quite a bit since my patience was already negligible by then. But I still put my emotions aside and waited.

The first week of May went by and still no update. I personally went and spoke to the showroom and they themselves were confused as to why the dispatch still hasn't happened. The reason given by Pune was that elections were taking place in Baramati so they couldn't go ahead with the transport. This reason straight up pissed me off since I was informed both by the ASM and showroom that the billing for my vehicle had been done on the 29th itself. Again they extended it to 2nd week of May. Around the same time, Aprilia India started a photo contest on Instagram asking people to post their best picture of the RS457. As childish as it sounds, this made my bubble explode and I became completely irate. I immediately sent them an email stating my frustration regarding their repeated delays and non-adherence to timelines, raised customer care escalations over the phone, put endless rants on Reddit and responded to that story with this:



As expected they just saw the story and said absolutely nothing. I got contacted by the customer care team and the ASM on the 9th of May who assured me that the vehicle has been dispatched, there will be no more delays and it will reach the showroom maximum by Tuesday, i.e. the 14th of May. They couldn't stick to the timeline even then since the bike actually reached the showroom early in the morning today. After all those weeks of anxiety and stress-filled sleepless nights, it felt like nothing short of an accomplishment seeing her in person for the first time.







Registration procedures will be completed by Monday and they'll most likely hand it over to me in the evening. Further updates to follow once the delivery is done.

[Prashant1286]

Congratulations SR1602! All that waiting is worth getting this beauty. Wish you a happy ownership experience. Do keep the thread updated.

[maskebail]

Originally Posted by NB_4763

...

- I don't know if this was an issue with the TD Bike or not but the Gearshift feel was horrible. There were instances were I tried to shift to third gear and it just wouldn't shift

- I felt a slight throttle lag while riding it around.
...

I faced the same issue at the same showroom. I spoke to the service guy at this showroom about it, he confirmed that they had not serviced the bike properly as there were too many test rides. He said the chain isn't serviced and has become too tight and some items in the service checklist are pending in the bike. The gear shift was very hard and feels really bad, especially when not going fast.
Bikes delivered do not have the problem, spoke to an owner there, they did not observe anything like that either.

Was the throttle lag in sport mode ? I found sport mode to have very precise throttle but eco mode had a relaxed throttle mapping.

[NB_4763]

Originally Posted by maskebail

Was the throttle lag in sport mode ? I found sport mode to have very precise throttle but eco mode had a relaxed throttle mapping.

Yep the throttle lag was in Sport Mode. It was not as noticeable as the lag present in the RR310, But it was present. It might be due to them not servicing the bike.

[kai]

Hello to all the readers and members of team-BHP, this being my first article on the forum, I’ve decided to share a part of my life with you.

Winding the clock back to 2018, we hadn’t heard about COVID, life was much simpler, I was in my final year of my university life and my love for sports motorcycles peaked.

September, 2018.

Back in the day, there were not as many options for fared sports motorcycles in the 150-200cc segment as there are today. By the time I decided I wanted a Yamaha and nothing else, a month had already elapsed. I became utterly impatient. To add more fuel in my fire, I would see hoardings, banners, advertisements and whatnot of the newly launched Yamaha R15 version 3. The first proper face-lifted version of the older generation R15 version 2.
And it was a lot more than just a mere facelift. I am not going to rant about the spec-sheet figures here, but for all the enthusiasts that would know, the non-ABS version of the YZF R15 version 3 (2018) had 19.6 bhp and 14.7nm of torque had the highest performance figures to date among any R15 ever. I had enough, I did not take a test-ride of the bike even though it was available and I left it on my luck. (Absolutely not recommended)

A couple of weeks later, I went into my local Yamaha dealership (Aquad Yamaha, Kolkata) to enquire about the motorcycle and they said it was readily available and they could deliver it the same day of payment. I was smiling ear to ear hearing that.

The very next day, I went and got myself my first brand-new motorcycle for only 1.51 Lakh on-road, the price back then unlike now, justified itself. I named him KAI. I was only a very new rider back then, having got my two-wheeler license four months prior.

I’ve happily covered over 45 thousand kilometres. Most of which has been on highways and touring.
As I did not stay in India for much long after the purchase not for once did the thought of selling the motorcycle come to my mind, not even today, every-time I’d come back home I’d get all excited to take KAI out for a spin and it would make me happy instantly.

Key points in looking after Kai over the years:

Choosing the correct grade of engine oil. By default, the R15 comes with 10w40 grade engine oil, which unless required should not be changed. My observations of changing the engine oil grade factored on the weather and climate I’d be travelling in. Personally, it helped a lot over the years.

Choosing the correct tyres, remember folks, wider isn’t always better. It originally came with MRF zapper tyres, which were absolutely shocking, to say the least. Finding the correct balance between two tyres is of utmost importance. Right now I am running on a combination of 150/60 R17 Michelin Road 5 on the rear, perhaps the best tyre I’ve ever used and 100/80 R17 Maxxis M6311, this was a gamble I took but so far it has worked wonders for me.

Always filling with the highest octane fuel, RON91+ this has helped me not only to get a higher mileage but it has such a subtle yet noticeable difference on performance. If you have a fuel-injected combustion system, please use high-octane fuel.

Periodic servicing from an authorised service centre, for its entire life Kai has never seen a local service centre for any issues whatsoever. I’ve always preferred the Yamaha servicing quality and it has never let me down.

The only major mishap that I’ve had with Kai happened last year in August, while I was on my way home from a friend's house, my chain snapped while I was downshifting. The whole motorcycle ceased right in the middle of the road, with the chain sprocket bent, the chain tangled and the clutch stuck.
It was completely my fault for downshifting too rapidly and I could only blame myself. Thankfully the RSA helped me a lot in getting it to the service centre. I had to change my clutch plates, clutch wire the whole chain sprocket. Dented my pocket quite a bit but that’s all that I have suffered on this motorcycle and it has been utterly reliable throughout everything else.

Choosing the Aprilia RS457:

Moving to 2023, I was itching for an upgrade, this time a lot wiser, and a lot more patient. I wanted to explore more options as I could stretch my budget a lot more. As were my preferences 5 years ago, it was no different though, it had to be a fared sports motorcycle.

I narrowed down my options as I wanted a twin-cylinder motorcycle this time, no questions asked. The two Ninjas the 300/400 and the biblically priced R3.

I did a test ride on the Ninja 400, which I loved, it is such a no-nonsense motorcycle, nothing fancy, nothing too electrical, just raw, rugged dependable machinery. I was almost certain I’d buy this motorcycle, I was already in talks with the Kawasaki showroom in Kolkata and they gave me an estimated waiting period of 20 days.

The glooming clouds of an Aprilia motorcycle in the Indian market finally decided to rain. Then came the big reveal and price drop of the Aprilia, and boy-oh-boy it looked gorgeous. The Italians and their styling never fail to impress. I immediately decided to hold my bucks and stepped a foot back asking Kawasaki to not bring the vehicle immediately. I had already paid an advance to them. A week or two passed by and I’d occasionally get calls from the Kawasaki dealership regarding my purchase. I would just fend them off sighting some financial crisis. Until one day I called them up asking to cancel the purchase as I would not be going ahead with it.

I was in deep waters by now. Held my nerves for a month more, contemplating if I was doing the right thing or not.
On December 15th 2023 came my day, Aprilia opened their online bookings and I was right onto it. Paid INR 10k and got it booked. I received a mail from Aprilia confirming the same.

That was it. At least for the next 4 months. I heard nothing from the official Aprilia team or my local Vespa/Aprilia dealership. On the 20th of April, I finally got a call saying, the showroom had my vehicle and upon payment, I could get it within the next couple of days. Tragedy struck as I was outside India when I received this call. I managed to get back in the country by 24th April and visit the showroom the very next day.

After all the paperwork and payments, I decided to take delivery of my motorcycle on the 13th of May 2024. (A special day for me). The dealership obliged my request. I got to know I was the first owner of the RS 457 in Kolkata. On the day of delivery, I was almost in tears, the gamble I took six months ago paid off. Looking at that beautiful Italian motorcycle in all its glory. To name it right, I call her Snõ. 
Point to remember, I had not test-ridden this motorcycle either. I am glad I did not, the moment I sat on it to ride it back home, I don’t think I’ve felt any happier. The sound, the refinement, the road presence. It had everything. 

Yet to get its first service done. I’ve covered approximately 400 km so far within the city. 
I’ll keep the ownership review for another article. 


Until then, ride hard and ride safe.
-BikramK signing off! 


[aniruddha_98]

Originally Posted by kai

After all the paperwork and payments, I decided to take delivery of my motorcycle on the 13th of May 2024. (A special day for me) The dealership obliged my request.
I got to know I was the first owner of the RS 457 in Kolkata.



Congratulations Bikram, hope you have a wonderful time with the bike. Please keep us posted about ownership experience, service experience.

Any plan for accessories?

[kai]

Hello Aniruddha, thank you! I have purchased certain accessories which I'll be installing on the RS 457 on its first service.

I have got the Quick Shifter, Racing Brake Pads, Taller Windscreen, USB Charging, Adjustable Brake levers. The only thing I am curious about is the TPMS, I have not purchased it yet, and with it's pricing it'll really have to be too damn good for me to get one.

[kai]

A warm welcome to all the viewers. I want to share my initial impressions of the Aprilia RS 457. My first 300 kilometres with the motorcycle. (Break-in period).
It's also my humble request to the other owners of the Aprilia RS 457 to share their thoughts and impressions and perhaps give some insights, Thank you.

Things that I have liked so far

1. Handling : Although it has a very upright stance and quite wide handlebars, its super-tight wheelbase makes it up for a great handling machine. So far filtering traffic has been a breeze. I haven't taken it out on the highways yet, but I could almost feel how good it would be.

2. Power & Torque : I have test-ridden the Ninja 400 quite extensively and I loved its high revving but on the RS 457 it's a completely different experience.

The power might not surprise you, but the torque definitely will. I was genuinely surprised by the amount of torque it offers on ALL THE GEARS. You can pull up from as low as 25-30km/h on 5th gear up to 150km/h and the engine does it like a knife through butter.

3. Looks : It's an Aprilia for god's sake, it is a head-turner. Not just people on the road that compliment your motorcycle, sometimes you can't help but ogle at it yourself with utter amusement.

4. The tyres : I was sceptical when I heard the motorcycle would come with TVS Eurogrip tyres. I was almost certain I'd immediately upgrade to the Michelin Road 5. But I was not ready for the surprise these tyres gave me. For one, this is the first time I saw a motorcycle company branding its name on the tyre of a different manufacturer. The tyres so far in both wet and dry conditions have been brilliant. It inspires a lot of confidence - on the corners, uneven roads and even late braking on wet road conditions. I've never struggled for grip so far. However, I feel not all "TVS Eurogrip protorq extreme" tyres will have the same level of grip as the one given by the manufacturer on the motorcycle.

Things that I have not liked so far

1. Little attention to detail : Considering this is a made-in-India motorcycle, I did feel it misses out on certain subtle features which should have been given for our road conditions.
Firstly, heel guards - why would that be missing is still beyond me. On the wet, the mud kills the back of the shoes and trousers.

Secondly, I would have preferred a longer mud guard for the front wheel. Riding 60km/h or faster on wet roads, it shoots dirt, water, mud and all of that towards the rider's face, and fuel tank from the gap between the front forks and radiator.

2. Vibrations at a specific point : I'd like to know from the other viewers, if they have experienced this or not. I am facing a lot of buzz on the handlebars at @4000 (from 4100-4900) rpm on the 4th gear. I stay on 3000 rpm it is butter, I move up to 5000 rpm and again it is normal. Nowhere else does it feel buzzy or create such vibrations.

Is it because it hasn't gone through the first service yet and it should change that after the service, it is the only thing I can imagine. If anyone else felt such vibrations please do share your thoughts.

3. The Gearbox : So, I have installed the Quick Shifter on the RS 457. I am not used to quick shifting and thus mostly I use the clutch. But I did not like the gearbox so far. The downshifts are perfect with or without the clutch. It is the upshifts that have its woes.

The 3rd gear for me has its own mind, doesn't like to be told when to change. So many times already in my short 300km experience of riding this motorcycle the 3rd gear refused to change to 4th unless I pulled the clutch in, no matter what speed or rpm I was in. (Mind you this happens in like a 4 to of 10 scenarios) but it is frustrating.

Low speed, shifting up the clunk is so loud (from 1st to 2nd and then to 3rd) that I've had people look at me due to the sound. Is it me and my incompetence or does any other owner find it slightly more difficult to slot this motorcycle into Neutral in traffic? Especially, from 2nd gear.

4. The Headlights : I was really expecting a good headlight set on this motorcycle. The low beam does its job but it has such a horizontal spread that up ahead the illumination is quite poor. The high beam is a joke. It points towards oblivion and the throw isn't great either. I suppose that is adjustable. Riding this at night on highways, you WILL need more lights.

5. The Horn : It has to be the funniest motorcycle horn I've ever heard. EVER. It's almost embarrassing to use that in public. The battery-operated e-rickshaws have a better horn than that. I mean come on Aprilia, for an India-manufactured bike, you cannot possibly give that horn. For the non-RS457 owners, if you've heard it you should be happy your motorcycle/car doesn't sound like that. And for us, the owners, we cannot operate that publicly, please.

That's it for now, Please do. share your thoughts and insights. Looking forward to it.

Until next time, ride hard & ride safe.

-Bikram K signing off!

[extinctdodo99]

Hey, thank you for the detailed review.

Could you post some pictures of the accessories? Especially the Quickshifter, Taller windscreen, The USB and the Adjustable Brake lever. I was thinking to purchase the exact same accessories and wanted to have an idea what I could expect. Do share your experience with these accessories and how much it cost for the equipment itself and labor charges to install them.

[ramki.grandhi]

Originally Posted by kai

A warm welcome to all the viewers. I want to share my initial impressions of the Aprilia RS 457. My first 300 kilometres with the motorcycle. (Break-in period).

Hi, congratulations on your new ride. Glad to know that you liked this machine very much, and I enjoyed reading thru your experience.

After riding in highway for few hundreds, can you please update us with your findings on brakes? This was a concern pointed out in some reviews. So, real life experience would add lots of value. Thanks.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by kai

4. The tyres : I was sceptical when I heard the motorcycle would come with TVS Eurogrip tyres. I was almost certain I'd immediately upgrade to the Michelin Road 5. But I was not ready for the surprise these tyres gave me. For one, this is the first time I saw a motorcycle company branding its name on the tyre of a different manufacturer. The tyres so far in both wet and dry conditions have been brilliant. It inspires a lot of confidence - on the corners, uneven roads and even late braking on wet road conditions. I've never struggled for grip so far. However, I feel not all "TVS Eurogrip protorq extreme" tyres will have the same level of grip as the one given by the manufacturer on the motorcycle.

Not sure why you should feel this way as the Eurogrip Protorq Extremes are widely regarded as one of the stickiest rubber options in the 110/150 sizes. Earlier, the infamous 'Euroslip' moniker came mostly from the poor OE rubber provided on the NS200s. That was a decade ago. The Eurogrip brand has multiple sub brands depending on the grip level & price these days and the Protorq Extremes are at the top of the pile for small sub 500cc bikes.