Aprilia RS 457 – a new chapter in the RS saga

The acronym RS represents the sporting vision of Aprilia. These motorcycles were designed to amaze, with innovations derived from a long and successful racing history that shaped Aprilia’s unique motorcycle culture. Thus, Aprilia has become the dream object of entire generations, satisfying the passion of young riders with extraordinary motorcycles. At the same time, it has been a key player in the racing world, dominating the 2-stroke categories. After reaffirming its technological supremacy by winning SBK competitions, Aprilia also stood out in MotoGP.

The Aprilia RS 457 aims to become the new technological and stylistic reference for young motorcyclists worldwide, the new key to Aprilia’s version of the sporting world. The RS 457 is a historic step for Aprilia, not only in technological terms. In fact, the new two-cylinder sports bike from Aprilia appeals to new targets and markets to meet the growing global demand for easy but fun, technologically and stylistically innovative motorcycles, aimed at broad market segments.

Now, Aprilia returns to its founding mission with a project for a new generation of motorcyclists, bringing together the knowledge accumulated on tracks around the world. Starting in 2020, the huge success of the Aprilia RS 660 (the best-selling sports bike in Europe) revolutionized the world of mid-range sports bikes, creating a new segment. The same winning formula is repeated with the Aprilia RS 457, which began as a completely new project, conceived and developed where all Aprilias are created, including MotoGP bikes. The new Aprilia is the ideal link between the first 125 engines and the RS 660. It completes the RS family which includes the powerful V4 superbikes and, in its most technologically advanced state, the RS-GP, MotoGP winner. The Aprilia RS 457 speaks the language of young riders, of people who want to start riding bikes with tires, exploring all the company’s experience to design and build a true sports bike. The strengths of this bike are its lightness, with the highest possible power-to-weight ratio for a bike that can be ridden with an A2 license, ease of handling, and technological equipment. The RS 457 was designed to accompany the rider on the road and on the track. The ergonomics are characterized by a clip-on handlebar mounted above the upper triple clamp, a sporty road solution that offers the best compromise between sportiness and riding comfort.

The style of the new RS 457 follows the legendary RS range, the super sports bikes that have made history in motorcycling, starting from the double front fairing to the lower silencer, with a 2 in 1 exhaust. The front headlight, entirely in LED, incorporates the typical lighting signature of the great super sports bikes from Aprilia, while the front turn signals are integrated into the lighting signature of the front headlight. The instrument panel uses an elegant and practical 5-inch color TFT instrument panel, while the handlebar controls are backlit. The Aprilia RS 457 is powered by a latest generation liquid-cooled parallel twin engine, with double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, delivering 35 kW of power, the maximum possible for a motorcycle with an A2 license. In addition to pure power, there is also the weight of the motorcycle: 159 kg dry, rising to 175 on wet pavement. The weight/power ratio of the Aprilia RS 457 is simply unbeatable because the designers from Noale sought the maximum possible and achieved it. This value was translated into pure performance during road development at the Aprilia headquarters in Noale.

The new engine is associated with a rigid frame. The aluminum frame makes the RS 457 a unique motorcycle in its segment. All of Aprilia’s design experience, perfected over decades of victories on every racetrack in the world, is applied in this solution. The crankcase acts as a load-bearing element, a solution borrowed from the RS 660, ensuring low weight, dynamic qualities, and the driving pleasure that made Aprilia famous. The ø41 mm fork has 120 mm of travel and preload adjustment. The same goes for the monoshock, which works on the steel swingarm, adjustable in preload, for 130 mm of travel. The braking system includes a 320 mm front disc with a 4-piston radial-mount ByBre caliper. In the rear, the ByBre caliper grips a 220 mm steel disc. All of this is assisted by a two-channel ABS system with dual usage map, on both wheels or just the front.

The 17-inch sports rims mount 110/70 tires in the front and 150/60 in the back, perfect measurements for excellent grip, maintaining the agility, the true strong point of the new Aprilia. The electronic equipment of the Aprilia RS 457 is that of a true sports motorcycle, 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 driving modes that intervene in power and torque delivery and traction control, adjustable in three levels and can also be deactivated. The quickshifter is an accessory.

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