After being spotted several times in the wild recently, Aprilia has now lifted the curtain on its completely new little one Supersport for the A2 driving license, which has been given the RS 457 as its baptismal name by the Italians. Aprilia hopes that the RS 457 will become the new benchmark in technology and style for young motorcyclists worldwide, the new key to Aprilia’s version of the sports world.
Over the past ten years, Supersport seemed to be on the verge of death, but it seems as if the tide is turning again. After CFMoto took the plunge with the 450SR, Aprilia seems to have gone a step further with the completely new RS 457 and that is really great news for anyone who believes that nothing beats a Supersport in terms of design. and know that it is much more fun to drive fast with a slow engine than slowly with a fast engine.
We may have been wrong about the ascription, but like our colleagues abroad, we were also convinced that the new little Aprilia for the A2 driving license, which our photographer had recently had in front of the lens, was the RS It was going to be called 440, but it turns out to be RS 457. Which suggests that it will have a cylinder capacity of 457 cc, but that is still a guess.
If it is indeed a 457 cc twin, then that is completely in line with the idea that Honda had with the CBR500RR ten years ago. Honda said at the time that it had opted for a cylinder capacity of 470cc, because the maximum power of 35 kW could be achieved from that cylinder capacity. Fewer cc’s would result in overload, while more cc’s would require throttling the power.
Well, first let’s see what Aprilia has announced about the RS 457. Aprilia says it has made a historic step with the RS 457 and not only in technical terms. Aprilia claims to be addressing new target groups and markets with the twin-cylinder Supersport to meet the growing global demand for easy but fun, technologically and stylistically groundbreaking motorcycles aimed at broad market segments.
“In recent years, the Aprilia brand has undergone an intense period of innovation, partly supported by continuous progress in the racing world.
The recent introduction of the 660 family, first the RS and Tuono and later the Tuareg, has expanded the offering and created a complete and competitive range. We are now ready to take another step into the future with an amazing motorcycle developed entirely in Noale, which can stimulate and excite young people and offer enormous potential in new markets, near and far. It is a step closer to the globalization of a brand that has always had the perfect combination of technology, fun and looking to the future in its DNA”
According to the Italians, the RS acronym represents their view on sportsmanship. Designed to amaze, with innovations derived from a long and successful racing history that has shaped Aprilia’s unique motorcycle culture. Aprilia says it has become the dream object of entire generations, fueling the passion of younger riders with extraordinary motorcycles.
At the same time, Aprilia was and is a leading player in the racing world, starting with a dominant position in two-stroke racing. After reaffirming its technological superiority by dominating WorldSBK with the RSV4 Factory, the Noale-based manufacturer has also risen to become a prominent player in MotoGP with the RS GP.
Now Aprilia returns to its original mission with a project for a new generation of motorcyclists, combining the knowledge gained on circuits around the world.
As of 2020, the huge success of the Aprilia RS 660 (Europe’s best-selling sports bike) has revolutionized the world of mid-range sports bikes, creating a new segment, according to the Italians. The same winning formula is repeated with the Aprilia RS 457, which started as a completely new project, conceived and developed right there where all Aprilias are made, including MotoGP bikes.
The new Aprilia fills the huge gap between the RS 125 and the RS 660. It completes the RS family with the powerful V4 superbikes and, at its most technologically advanced, the MotoGP-winning RS-GP.
The Aprilia RS 457 speaks the language of younger riders, of people who want to start on a sporty faired motorcycle, and uses all the company’s expertise to design and build a real sports bike. At least, that’s what they hope and claim at Aprilia.
According to Aprilia, the strengths of this motorcycle are its light weight, which results in the best possible power-to-weight ratio for a motorcycle that you can drive with an A2 license. What are we talking about then? A power of 47.5 hp (35 kW) with a curb weight of 175 kilos.
In addition, it offers easy handling and technological equipment. The RS 457 is designed to accompany motorcyclists on the road and on the track. The ergonomics are characterized by clip-ons protruding above the triple clamp, a sporty solution that offers the best compromise between sportiness and driving comfort.
The styling of the new RS 457 follows the legendary RS series, the super sports bikes that wrote motorcycle history, starting with the double front fairing through to the lower fairing muffler, with a 2-into-1 exhaust. The all-LED headlight features the light signature typical of Aprilia’s larger supersport motorcycles, while the turn signals are integrated into the light signature of the headlight. The dashboard features Aprilia’s well-known 5″ TFT color display, while the controls on the handlebars are illuminated.
The Aprilia RS 457 is powered by a state-of-the-art, liquid-cooled parallel two-cylinder engine with dual camshaft timing and four valves per cylinder, which delivers 35 kW of power, the maximum possible for a motorcycle with an A2 license. That means a dry weight of 159 kilos, 175 km ready to drive with a full tank.
To quote the Italians: “The power-to-weight ratio of the Aprilia RS 457 is simply unbeatable because Noale’s designers aimed for the maximum possible and delivered on it. This figure was translated into pure performance during road development at Aprilia’s headquarters in Noale. “
The parallel twin is mounted in an aluminum frame and that alone makes the RS 457 unique for engines in its segment. All of Aprilia’s design expertise, honed over decades of victories on all the world’s circuits, has been incorporated into this solution. The crankcase system acts as a load-bearing element, a solution borrowed from the RS 660 and which ensures the low weight, dynamic qualities and driving pleasure that Aprilia has become famous for.
The 41 mm upside down front fork has a spring travel of 120 mm and can be adjusted for preload. The same applies to the monoshock, which works on the steel swingarm and is adjustable in preload, for a suspension travel of 130 mm. The braking system consists of a 320 mm front disc with a ByBre radially mounted 4-piston brake caliper.
At the rear, the ByBre brake caliper brakes on a 220 mm steel disc. All this is assisted by a dual-channel ABS system with dual use options, on both wheels or just the front. The 17-inch sports rims fit 110/70 tires at the front and 150/60 tires at the rear, perfect sizes for excellent grip while maintaining agility, the true strength of the new Aprilia.
The electronic equipment of the Aprilia RS 457 is that of a true sports bike, designed for a wide range of motorcyclists and completely faithful to the Aprilia tradition. The Ride by Wire system – which Aprilia was the first to introduce, both in MotoGP with the futuristic RS Cube and in production – manages the engine with three riding modes that intervene on the power and torque delivery and the traction control, which can be adjusted to three levels and also can be turned off. The quickshifter is supplied as an accessory.
It is not yet known when the RS 457 will be available and how much it will cost.
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.