[MonsterTorque]

Originally Posted by Sebring

I feel you should wait it out till you understand the situation on-ground, regards spares/service

I have already waited long enough and do not want to wait any further

[SR1602]

Originally Posted by hikozaru

Anyone daft enough to take a measuring tape and measure the ground clearance on this bike?

Just a little over 140mm. The exhaust canister is a an mm or two below the plastic surrounding it which might be an issue of concern.

Originally Posted by MonsterTorque

This, indeed, seems to be the case. I booked, including colour selection, on the day bookings opened online. The dealer called to ask what colour was booked as he has to place an order now, which is ridiculous considering that the booking was done more than three months ago. The lack of coordination between Aprilia India and the dealership is also alarming. I am already dreading the prospect of waiting for spares.

I think this is more of a dealer level practice since they might be a little apprehensive about how things will proceed as this bike is hitting the market for the first time. They might be ordering colours basis requirement but there's no chance that manufacturing is happening after a customer places the order. I also feel this practice will only be for the initial phase till they understand the trends.

Apart from that I went to Express Avenue mall in Chennai to check it out again and unlike Bengaluru there was no crowd here. I spent a good 20 minutes talking to the ASM and showroom owner. I am number 5 on the booking order in Chennai so he said it's quite likely I'll get the first lot. I also sat on the bike and took my own sweet time navigating through the menus and all.



She's a looker there's no other perspective one can have. The finish also feels surprisingly well done and better than any other domestic product I have seen so far. The only plastic bit where I noticed some level of flex (also highlighted by Rishaad in the Autocar review) was the thin layer right adjacent to the top of the windscreen. Despite the flex it doesn't feel cheap by any means.



Sitting on it does give you that big bike feel thanks to the way the tank is sculpted. It's a really nice cockpit view to glance at. One niggle I did feel was the switchgear quality. I have never operated any motorcycle that has a 4 way button but the tactile feedback from the switches was very weird and required a little more effort than normal to press. This was only limited to the D-Pad and I am assuming it was done to prevent accidental clicks.



They've changed some parts in the final version. The crankcase colour is slightly darker, the pillion footpegs are different and they even changed the plastics around the keyhole based on journo feedbacks during the first ride review. The engineer confirmed however that the brakes are the same and no changes have been made to them.

[hikozaru]

Checked it out and if there is one thing that stuck in my mind, it was the incredibly comfy ergos. So much room to move around, nicely shaped tank, light throttle, light clutch, brake lever is reachable, footpegs seem grippy at least a standstill, very nice heel plates.

Front forks are stiff. Probably as stiff as the new duke 390. Rear shock seems to have a similar amount of sag for my weight. Unfortunately I couldn't really see what level the shock was at. The finish is objectively better than the duke 390 in some places but I cant help but feel the duke 390 is nicer. It is like the Duke 390 executed plastic based design very well and the RS457 has just an average metal finish. The span adjustable levers, the nicer looking master cylinder, better switchgear on the duke, just feels nicer. Both dashes are good that I suspect it will ultimately come down whichever display has a higher refresh rate. The RS457 also suffers from yellow markings that plague the display bike like jaundice. I asked the guy if customer bikes will also be like that and he wasn't sure. The paint on the rims also looks terrible (which is true on all bikes), I think this would get better with some grime on it for a proper distressed look.


On the right side of the radiator there seems to be a few splotches of blue, red paint too

Some not so good things of which there are only a few, it looks like a fairly involved process to adjust preload. The windscreen is comically small. Pillions are not going to have a good time on this bike. The on road price is eye watering. Clueless dealers with uncertain timelines.

[dsuman]

The bike is a looker making me drool over it. 1 year from now I will be in the market for a new bike. Will keep following the ownership reviews and take a call. Hope it shines in all aspects

[neil.jericho]

A couple of TBHPians and I had the chance to check out the new Aprilia RS 457, which was on display in Forum Mall, Koramangala. A few thoughts
- Whoever came up with the idea of putting 2 bikes on display in a popular mall in Bangalore, should get a bonus and a promotion! The 2 motorcycles garnered a LOT of attention, even on a weekday, when the crowd is a fraction of what it is on the weekends. It wasnt only motorcycle enthusiasts who came to check out the RS 457 bikes. Young women, parents with young kids and older gentlemen were all enquiring about the bikes and collecting details from the representatives.
- Given Aprilia's size (or lack of it) and their reputation, I had tempered my expectations on the RS 457. At first glance though, the bikes just blow you away. This looks and feels like a properly premium motorcycle. You have to look really closely and really hard, to find some areas where the fit and finish could have been a tad better. More than 90% of enthusiasts wont find these, even if they were examining the bikes with a critical eye.
- I had fallen head over heels in love with the Opalescent Light scheme, when the bike was first unveiled. After seeing the Prismatic Dark and Racing Stripes paint schemes, I am thoroughly smitten by the MotoGP inspired Racing Stripes option. Honestly, you really cant go wrong with any of these colour schemes.
- The rider ergonomics are very comfortable. You can move your bottom around the spacious seat quite easily. This has all the makings of the de facto sports tourer for discerning enthusiasts.
- The sculpted tank gives it a middleweight motorcycle vibe, in the best possible way.
- There is a suggestion of top heaviness when moving the motorcycle. A test ride will let us know more.
- Something tells me that the quality levels are a bit better than the bikes which were shown to the media folks.
- The on road price is expected to be Rs 5.38 L (as far as I can recall). Test rides should start on the 10th of March.
- Overall, it feels like the agonizingly long wait for the RS 457 has been well worth it. From the media reviews and my first impressions, it looks as though Aprilia's big gamble is going to pay off for them.

[AtheK]

Gamble is not the bike but the after sales.

[Mr.Ogre]

A very short and to the point review of what to expect from the bike. Now the only thing that can ruin this bike is the after sales service and overall reliability of the bike.

[surjaonwheelz]

Planned to utilize the extra day of the leap year by checking out the Aprilia RS457.


I need to bend my elbows for a proper Supersport stance, still the bike looks good on me. Or is it the other way round?

Some observations and points already shared here for Pune.
- First showroom which will have the RS457 will be A K MOTORS, Baner Road, Pune.
- Another showroom is planned in Kalyani Nagar (later)
- Made to order, book your bike and get it in a couple of months!

This is a strange strategy as somewhere down the line, there may be some cancellations and there can be a bike standing in the showrooms. Anyways, I shared my contact with them for a test ride!



The twin spar frame is the highlight of this machine.

These were pre-production models and mostly the ones used by media teams for test rides. Aprilia has not removed the OEM parts branding. Usually these are re-branded.


Suprajit cables


Star RR unit


Horn facing downwards


Not sure what this connector is for?


The suspension observations shared above are also spot on. I tried pressing down the front forks with the front brakes locked but I didn't feel it moving, stiff! Rear suspension movement was felt.


Overall impressed.

Happy riding,
surjaonwheelz

[SR1602]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

- Made to order, book your bike and get it in a couple of months!

I am genuinely confused with how they are going with this system. This is a mass-market motorcycle. You have to plan inventory, production schedule and everything beforehand. So, is Aprilia going to call each supplier and tell them to send a single horn or visor because they got another booking just after the suppliers dispatched a specified lot of parts?

[aniruddha_98]

Originally Posted by SR1602

I am genuinely confused with how they are going with this system.

Feels like marketing gimmick to make it sound more premium, built to order product. I'm sure they'll be mass manufacturing the bike and will be allotting the number of units based on region-wise booking number and some surplus for the first lot.

[ZenMaster]

Originally Posted by SR1602

I am genuinely confused with how they are going with this system. This is a mass-market motorcycle. You have to plan inventory, production schedule and everything beforehand.

Its probably more like, "Dispatched on Order". Basically, the dealer will not be buying in bulk and trying to sell off.

Suppliers will never agree to something like you explained.

[SR1602]

Originally Posted by ZenMaster

Its probably more like, "Dispatched on Order". Basically, the dealer will not be buying in bulk and trying to sell off.

That makes more sense. I don't get why they feel the need to deceive customers by saying what they said.

Originally Posted by ZenMaster

Suppliers will never agree to something like you explained.

Of course, they won't. That was a rhetorical question

The maiden internship I did in my engineering life was at their Baramati plant, back when they were only manufacturing the Ape and Porter over there. Ironically, that's when I got introduced to lean inventory systems for the first time. So, I know there's no way they're NOT going to use those for the 457 as well.

[2nd_gear_7krpm]

Checked out the display motorcycle in person at Nexus mall, Koramangala this evening. As others in the forum already stated, it was attracting quite a lot of shoppers at the mall. A wild life travel company had also put up a stall opposite to the Aprilia's pop-up space, with a few samples photographs of big cats and other majestic wild animals. I stayed there for about half an hour admiring both the beauties

My primary purpose of today's visit was to decide on the colour. I had booked for racing stripes, possibly thinking that I can become Valentino Rossi with those aggressive looking stickers 🤣. But somehow I wasn't very impressed with that colour in person. I was pleasantly surprised how good the Prismatic Dark (purple) shade looks! Invariably this is a mat finish. Opalescent Light (white) was not on display - this must be the only glossy finish amongst the 3 colour options.

Ergonomics felt super comfortable, the tank is large enough to grip your knees.

Also got to know that Aprilia would sell from two outlets in Bangalore. One in Marathahalli (Avant Motoplex) and another in Banashankari III stage (near BDA complex). I had booked from Avant, but BSK is close by to my place. The person at the counter said it's possible to change the showroom (not sure if it is possible only within the city) and also the colour.

Test ride would start from 10th March is what I was told.

PS: Don't ask me why I posted the picture of a picture of big cats. I couldn't resist.

[Pythonic]

Any Chennai-vasis here who has booked this? How was the experience? Is this on display anywhere here? I understand there is one showroom in Saidapet but haven’t had the time to go check it out.

[hikozaru]

Originally Posted by ZenMaster

Its probably more like, "Dispatched on Order". Basically, the dealer will not be buying in bulk and trying to sell off.

Isn't this how it works for every bike? Dealers put their own money to buy bikes from the manufacturers and we buy from dealers.