It’s been over a year since Aprilia yanked the handbrake and unleashed its most affordable speed demon, the RS 457, in India. The bike rolled out to a red-carpet reception, with the media tossing confetti and owners swearing allegiance for life over its drop-dead gorgeous looks and performance. In the real world, every fairy tale has a plot twist, as a proud Aprilia RS 457 owner’s dream machine broke down in the middle of a highway.
Aprilia RS 457: Huff and Puff
The RS 457 is one of the most gorgeous mid-weight sports bikes in the country. Priced at Rs 4.2 lakh, ex-showroom and power-packed with a 457 cc twin-cylinder engine, the motorcycle truly is an offer by Aprilia that’s almost impossible to refuse.
Thinking along those lines a vlogger Farhan Khan bought the RS 457 only to share his harrowing experience, which led to a recurring engine issue. The YouTuber took his bike out for a highway outing thankfully with a biker’s group, which included another RS 457. Once on the wide and clear highway, Khan decided to open the throttle and experience the RS 457’s true capabilities. Unfortunately, he received a rude awakening as his bike refused to go beyond 150 kmph. To confirm an engine issue, Khan swapped bikes with his friend who was riding the RS 457 and experienced a stark performance difference.
The power drop was so severe that, according to the vlogger, even a KTM 390 effortlessly pulled ahead, leaving the RS 457 fading in its rearview mirror. Before he could head to the Aprilia service station, the bike started to lose pace rapidly and then made a loud bang noise with smoke coming out of the exhaust as ultimately the bike gave up the ghost. With no other choice, Khan along with his friends pushed the bike to the roadside and called in a flatbed truck for rescue.
Aprilia RS 457: Not the first red flag
Khan revealed that this was not the first time his RS 457 had faced technical glitches. Earlier, he had taken the bike to the official service centre for a similar power loss issue. It was inspected and the service centre decided to change the entire clutch assembly. Alas, the engine problem continued and it’s back to the service centre for the YouTuber.
Aprilia RS 457: Specs and Features
The RS 457 is powered by a 457cc parallel-twin engine with 47.6 bhp and 43 Nm of torque. It is mated to a 6-speed gearbox with a slip-and-assist clutch. One can upgrade it and go for an optional quick-shifter. It is equipped with a 5-inch TFT digital display, three traction control levels, three ride modes — Sport, Eco and Rain and dual channel ABS with the option to switch off the rear ABS.
