I asked the technical head of Aprilia what the most difficult bit was for them to build on the bike and the instant response was the chassis. It may have been difficult, but they’ve got it right! The aluminum frame pays homage to the bigger Aprilia bikes and looks stunning! You get preload adjustments at the front and rear and that is all. It’s pretty easy to flick into corners and even when you lean all the way down the footpegs are set up high and don’t scrape the tarmac. I have no idea how the suspension will handle our roads but stay tuned for that.
With a seat height of 800mm the new Rs 457 is a comfortable bike for short people and even taller folks have plenty of room here to properly tuck and duck into the corners thanks to the beautifully placed footpegs. Another contributing factor is the slightly higher raised clip ons that don’t need you to get into an extremely aggressive stance. It’s definitely a lot more comfortable than the KTM and there’s plenty of room overall.
My only issue with the bike was with the brakes. On the track, they progressively turned squishy and soft but not to the point where I felt extremely uncomfortable. Now I’m sure this won’t be an issue in normal day-to-day riding, but for those who plan to take it on a track or ride a little harder, you’ll have to probably think of adding ceramic pads with a better cylinder.