Hardcore Naked

The Aprilia Tuono 457 promises to be a more comfortable version of the faired RS 457, which should bring the RS' ballistic performance to a more usable form factor. Excited? So were we

- Devashish Puranik

THE STORY OF THE APRILIA Tuono 457 stems from its faired sibling, the RS 457, which is going to be a frequent mention in this road test because of just how similar the two bikes are. They share almost all the components, the primary differentiating factor being how you ride them and what sort of use-case each bike caters to.

The RS 457 took the country by storm when it was launched and for good reason. It was a proper charismatic twin-cylinder sport bike with a price tag that made it reasonably attainable for a large number of people. Yes, you were paying more than you would for some alternative bikes, but the bike also gave you more in return. While the committed and hardcore nature of the RS 457 appealed to many, it wasn't for everyone.

Internationally, the bikes in Aprilia's “RS” line-up always have a naked counterpart, the “Tuonos”. The arrival of the Tuono 457 is important because, in theory, it brings the fantastic performance of the RS 457 to a naked motorcycle, which is an easier format to live with.

A lot of the RS 457's visual appeal lies in its design, which is derived straight from the bigger Aprilia RS bikes. In my books, the Tuono 457 starts off on the back foot here. It doesn't have the other Tuonos' signature headlight-integrated half fairing and, instead, has a very complicated headlight design which I'm certainly not a fan of. The flared-out side shrouds and the headlight are also distinctly separate units here. The tank shape is different, too, but, apart from these few differentiating factors and the absence of a full side fairing, the rest of the bike is very RS 457-ish; it looks proportionate and sporty.