POTENTIAL PREDATOR

A much-anticipated racing bloodline, but does it deliver?

- Keshav Teiva Poumai

The Italians have always had a flair for building things that are meant to go fast, be it on four wheels or two. I have always had an affinity for the latter (as if that needs to be specified). The latest from Italian manufacturer Aprilia, the RS 457, is no exception, and we made our way to the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore to check it out. At first glance, we could immediately tell that the RS 457's design was heavily inspired by its elder siblings, the RS 660 and the RSV4, and, considering this performance pedigree, expectations were set fairly high.

After a quick briefing on the motorcycle, we were introduced to Aprilia Racing MotoGP rider Lorenzo Savadori, who was to join us for a few laps around the track towards the end of our session. Surely, it's not every day that we get to share the track with a rider of his calibre, so that was something we looked forward to. Back to the matter at hand, we promptly suited up and made our way to the motorcycles in the pits. All three shades of Prismatic Dark, Opalescent Light and the MotoGP-inspired Racing Stripes were parked in a line, sitting there looking pretty, and quite a sight to behold.

As I mounted the RS 457, I immediately noticed how comfortably I was positioned, sitting inside the motorcycle rather than on it. Another point to mention is that the cockpit looks neat and well laid out. The switchgear may not look too fancy but feels pretty solid in terms of component quality.