Didi Group has recently launched the Aprilia RS 457 with a special appearance of MotoGP rider Lorenzo Savadori. The RS 457 is Aprilia’s new twin-cylinder sports bike, that aims to meet the growing worldwide demand for easy but fun, technologically and stylistically groundbreaking motorbikes targeting broad market segments.
The Aprilia RS 457 is the perfect bike for younger riders, of people who want to start riding faired bikes. The main highlight of the RS 457 are its light weight, with the highest possible power-to-weight ratio for a bike you can ride with an A2 licence, ease of handling, and technological equipment. The RS 457 is designed to accompany riders as they progress on road and track. In fact, the ergonomics feature clip-on handlebars mounted above the upper steering plate, a road sports solution that provides the best compromise between sportiness and riding comfort.
The new RS 457’s styling delivers light weight and dynamism beginning with the slimmed down front end, characterised by the triple full LED headlight unit, an Aprilia signature stylistic feature, framed by the futuristic perimeter profiles with the built-in turn indicators.
RS 457’s double-wall fairings, characterised by a large air extractor and a particular aerodynamic appendage (nolder) that connects to the frame spars, contributes to increasing rider comfort, protecting against air pressure and deflecting the flow of hot air from the engine and radiator.
The riding position, thanks to the semi-handlebars mounted above the steering yoke and relatively low footpegs, offers the perfect compromise between a sporty setup and comfort in daily use. The shape of the fuel tank has also been designed to accommodate the rider’s chest and helmet, contributing to a feeling of perfect integration with the bike. Riders of any height therefore benefit from a position that guarantees maximum control and relaxation, even in the most extreme riding.
The sporty and dynamic line of the RS 457 is also determined by the positioning of the 2 in 1 exhaust beneath the engine, with the underbelly silencer integrated with the line of the lug. This solution leaves the entire rear area free and allows for greater flexibility in positioning the passenger footpegs.
The low seat – just 800 mm – is slender along the sides to favour footing on the ground, whereas the sleek tail fairing integrates the LED rear light cluster and is characterised by two lateral winglets. A generous portion of the saddle is dedicated to the passenger, whereas a single seat tail is available as an accessory.
The heart of the Aprilia RS 457 is a new and ultra modern twin-cylinder engine, the displacement of which – 457 cc – gives its name to the new Italian sportbike as a testament to its central role in the project.
The new unit is a liquid cooled forward-facing parallel twin-cylinder with double camshaft timing and four valve per cylinder, which reaches maximum power of 35 kW (47.6 HP) at 9,400 rpm, the maximum possible for a bike that can be ridden with an A2 licence, and torque of 43.5 Nm at 6,700 rpm, 82% of which is already available at 3,000 rpm. This latest generation powerplant, compact and lightweight, also contributes to achieving a simply unbeatable weight/power ratio, a high-priority goal of the designers from Noale. In fact, the bike’s dry weight is 159 kg, which goes up to 175 when filled with fluids.
As happened with the RS 660, the particular layout of the engine was chosen to fully optimise light weight and compact dimensions, leaving great design freedom on the chassis architecture front. The engine also has a bearing function, providing the connection point for the swingarm in the rear area.
Various solutions were used to minimise internal friction. The cylinders are offset by 6.5 mm with respect to the crankshaft, thereby reducing piston pushing friction. The countershaft and the water pump work on needle bearings instead of bushings, and the piston pins have DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) surface treatment. Last, but not least, the gearbox operates on roller cages instead of bushings – like on the Aprilia V4 engines – and it also uses an unprecedented, patented solution for lubrication with an integrated system in the gearbox fork axles.
The camshafts of the double shaft timing with 4 valves per cylinder controlled by a lateral chain are hollow and use calibrated bucket tappets – useful for reducing inertia – to move the valves. The multiplate wet clutch is servo assisted and has a slipper system.
Engine response is managed by the electronic multimap Ride-by-Wire accelerator through the selection of three Riding Modes.
The new RS 457 is the only bike in its segment with an aluminium frame. In order to achieve the best compromise between stiffness and weight, the shape of the frame was optimised through Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), in tandem with numerous development sessions on the road. The result is a layout dedicated to the lightest possible weight which ensures rigorous dynamic performance and the characteristic feeling that all Aprilias have with the front end.
The frame is made up of two lateral aluminium spars bolted in the area of the headstock and in the rear part. The engine is used as a bearing element, a specific solution inspired by the one already seen on the RS 660 which contributes to forming a compact, lightweight, and stiff structure.
In order to make the frame even lighter and more essential, the steel swingarm is pivoted directly into the engine. All of these solutions contribute to achieving a top of the line weight/power ratio, the best in the category.
At the front, the 41 mm fork and 120 mm travel features preload adjustment, just like the rear monoshock, which works on the steel swingarm, also with adjustable preload, for 130 mm wheel travel. The braking system includes a 320 mm front disc, with ByBre radial mounted, 4-piston calliper. The handlebar brake lever is adjustable to always ensure the best ergonomics. At the back, the ByBre calliper grips a 220 mm steel disc. All of this is assisted by a Bosch two-channel ABS system with double use map on both wheels or on just the front.
The sporty 17” wheel rims are shod with 110/70 tyres at the front and 150/60 at the rear, the perfect size for excellent grip but without sacrificing agility.
The Aprilia RS 457 uses Ride by Wire system – which Aprilia was the first to introduce both in MotoGP with the futuristic RS Cube and in production with the Shiver – manages the engine with three Riding Modes that intervene on power and torque delivery and traction control, adjustable to three levels and that can also be disabled.
In the spirit of an adrenaline-charged riding experience which is simultaneously easy to manage, all the rider has to do is select the desired Riding Mode – using the button on the right-hand control block – to obtain the best engine management and traction control tuning.
The three Riding Modes are:
ECO: engine power output is progressive, whereas the traction control intervention level is medium (Level 2). Ideal for travel and daily riding.
SPORT: the ideal mode for sport riding, with more responsive and dynamic engine power output and less invasive traction control intervention (Level 1).
RAIN: riding mode designed for use in poor grip and wet asphalt conditions. Power output is extremely gradual, whereas the traction control is set to maximum (Level 3) for total safety in acceleration.
The ATC traction control (Aprilia Traction Control) is always adjustable, regardless of the selected Riding Mode, even on the fly, through the convenient UP and DOWN buttons on the left-hand control block. In all Riding Modes, ABS is set to the maximum level, present on both wheels. ABS can be disabled at the rear with the bike stopped by pressing and holding the Riding Mode button.
The rich catalogue of accessories dedicated to the RS 457 also includes AQS: Aprilia Quick Shift, the bidirectional electronic system for extremely fast gear changes without shutting the throttle and using the clutch, also active in downshifting.
Aprilia RS 457 astonishes not only for its design and performance, but also for its extremely modern instrument cluster, which boasts a 5” colour TFT display and backlit, practical, and intuitive handlebar controls. The parameters are displayed using strong-impact graphics, dominated at the centre by the speedometer and the large and sporty rev counter scale.
An accessory that further expands the features of the rich instrumentation is the Aprilia MIA system, the multimedia platform from Aprilia that allows you to connect your smartphone to the bike. The system offers a connection protocol that reduces smartphone battery consumption to a minimum and it includes both the Infotainment system to manage the voice assistant, phone calls, and music through intuitive handlebar controls, and the navigation feature with which, once your trip destination is set on the smartphone, allows you to view the pictogram directions directly on the bike’s instrumentation. The Aprilia MIA app also lets you record the routes you have ridden and analyse the data acquired directly in the app through the geo-referenced telemetry feature.
Aprilia RS 457 is available in three brand new graphic versions. The Racing Stripes livery masterfully blends black, red, and violet, reminiscent of the gritty Time Attack colour of the Aprilia RSV4 Factory superbike, as well as the colours of the Aprilia RS-GP machines which are protagonists in the MotoGP World Championship. Also clearly inspired by the racing prototypes are the Aprilia lettering that strongly characterises the front end, running along the winglets located under the headlight, and the red trim on the rear wheel rim channel.
The other two colour schemes, Prismatic Dark and Opalescent Light, are also extremely distinctive, matched with red painted wheel rims with numerous sporty details in bright red.
Aprilia RS 457 is available in three versions. The Racing Stripes starting price is RM 35,900 and the other two colour schemes, Prismatic Dark and Opalescent Light selling price is at RM 33,900. The Aprilia RS 457 are now available at all authorised Aprilia dealers nationwide.