In September, Aprilia introduced the new RS 457, a sports bike for A2 license with a new 48 hp twin-cylinder engine. The prototype that has now been photographed indicates that the new engine will also be used in a naked model.
Aprilia is expanding the RS model family in 2024 with a sports bike, the Aprilia RS 457. With performance suitable for the A2 segment, it appeals to a younger target audience than the RS 660. However, the Italians also want to showcase their sporting vocation in the A2 segment. The power-to-weight ratio should be the best in class and an aluminum frame is also a novelty among A2 sports bikes. Naked bike prototypes with the 457 engine have already been observed. Will there soon be a sporty A2 naked bike from Noale?
The year is 2020: Aprilia has just developed a two-cylinder engine based on a V4 engine halved and launches it on the market with the RS 660. The sales numbers can definitely be considered a success by Aprilia standards and many people attribute to the northern Italians the revitalization of the mid-range sports bike segment. However, its naked sister Tuono 660 has hardly been able to capitalize on this success. The Aprilia RS 660 was sold 1,024 times in Germany in 2022, which placed it 18th among the best-selling bikes in 2022, while the Tuono 660 didn’t even make it into the top 50.
Therefore, it is not surprising that a future naked bike, which is also expected to be based on its younger sister RS 457, initially follows a different formula: The first images of a prototype suggest a model positioned independently that may have a noticeably lower price than its sporty sister.
