Aprilia RS 457 : Initial on-road impressions after 300km of ownership

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.

BHPian kai recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

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!

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