Aprilia Tuono 457

Bellissimo! I guess that’s what everyone exclaimed after riding the new Aprilia Tuono 457 at its first ride event in Bangalore a few months ago. Essentially the naked-street version of the astonishingly good Aprilia RS457, the Tuono 457 has a lot going for it.

This time, however, we’ve put the Tuono 457 through a hardcore 700km road test to see how it fares with the cut and thrust of India and its varying road and weather conditions.

Alright! Let’s begin by addressing the most controversial aspect of the Tuono 457’s design, its LED headlight cluster. I’ll admit, like many of you, I was initially taken aback by the look of the headlight and the flanking LED DRLs. It didn’t resemble the ‘Aprilia Tuono’ design language we’ve come to expect. But truth be told, this headlight looks much better in person. Within a couple of days, I began to like it - and I think most people will feel the same. The headlight, in fact, is also functionally good, offering ample throw and spread to light up a dark night.

The shape of the fuel tank adds visual heft that’s essential on a streetfighter motorcycle, while the exposed aluminium frame and boomerang-shaped radiator shrouds are neatly executed. Even the tail section complements the rest of the design seamlessly.

I’m still a fan of the ‘Batman’-shaped LED tail light, and overall, the Tuono 457 is a good-looking motorcycle from almost every angle.

As for the quality of the parts used, it’s a mixed bag. The paint quality, sticker neatness, and the finish on the frame and swingarm are commendable - same goes with the switchgear. However, what did come across as an eyesore was the uneven panel gap around the headlight cluster and the dull finish on the triple tree.

The Tuono 457 is designed as a streetfighter, and its ergonomics, at least for the upper half of your body - reflect that. The seat is spacious enough for my near six-foot frame, and the handlebar is placed at a height and distance that make it quite comfortable to reach. The issue lies with the lower half: the high and rear-set footpegs.

For taller riders like me, the seating can feel cramped, especially while commuting in city traffic where gear changes are frequent. The lack of room for foot movement becomes more apparent in such conditions. Even on long rides, the footpeg position is a bit of a bother. Although, a little stretching at periodic intervals was a solution that worked.

The Tuono employs a preload-adjustable USD fork at the front and a monoshock at the rear. These are the same units as seen on the Aprilia RS 457 and they do a decent job of soaking up bumps and undulations. Yes, the springs are on the stiffer end of the scale, and at low speeds, especially over wavy concrete, the bumps are felt more prominently. However, the ride improves slightly as speeds increase. It also manages potholes fairly well for a sporty street-naked. Playing with the preload settings helped to some extent, but there’s no denying that the ride is stiff.

The Tuono’s 457cc, parallel-twin engine is the showstopper here. It still baffles me how Aprilia has managed to incorporate performance and tractability so well. At low speeds, the engine will happily sit in a gear higher than you’d expect. So, riding at 30kmph in fourth gear is a cakewalk, and 35kmph in fifth won’t leave the engine grumbling. The best part is that all one needs to do is roll on the throttle to increase speeds without the need to downshift. Think of riding in ‘Sid the Sloth’ mode in city traffic, making commutes a breeze. The heat management is also pretty good, with no signs of excessive heat around the legs, even in choc-a-bloc city traffic.

And then, you find yourself on an open road and wring the throttle all the way to the stop. The way this engine changes character is like an actor switching roles, seamlessly.

With the ride mode set to Sport and the rev bar climbing past 3,000rpm, the Tuono 457 surges ahead - and how! The turn of speed is quick, and within no time, you’ll see the speeds rise beyond legal limits. The Tuono packs enough performance to keep you entertained, with the induction noise and exhaust note - with pops and crackles - adding to the theatre. On the other hand, it also feels refined and settled at highway cruising speeds, which makes it a great highway mile-muncher.

While all seems well with the engine, of late, there have been reports of a few Aprilia RS457 owners reporting power loss issues with their bike’s engine. We’ve reached out to Aprilia about this and shall update this story as soon as we get a word.

Moving on to the handling of the Tuono 457, and it is as expected of an Aprilia. The combination of the feedback-rich chassis, Eurogrip Protorq Xtreme tyres, and suspension make for a bike that handles with a lot of confidence. The bike drops into corners with minimal effort and holds an intended line with great precision. That said, it doesn’t feel as sharp or feedback-rich as the RS457, although this has mainly to do with the way one is seated on the supersport in relation to this street-naked. One can add more preload to the Tuono 457’s monoshock to have more weight and feel at the front end.

The brakes on the Tuono 457 are good for the most part, with enough bite and feel from the front end to brake confidently. However, we did notice brake fade while riding spiritedly down a ghat section. Repeated hard braking was the cause, and I believe this will be an issue if you take the Tuono 457 for a trackday at circuits like the Kari Motor Speedway, where one needs to brake hard and often. One could possibly remedy the issue by adding sintered brake pads, which Aprilia sells as an aftermarket item.

The Tuono 457 is quite well kitted out for a twin-cylinder naked street bike. You’ve got all-LED lights and a TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity and navigation. There are three ride modes- Rain, Road, and Sport, and three levels of traction control for each mode.

One can also disengage TC and rear ABS, which enables one to power wheelie the bike and engage on all sorts of tomfoolery that you’d want to with a sporty street-naked. All said, Aprilia should have included a bi-directional quickshifter as standard to sweeten the deal and help the rider make full use of the engine’s performance.

We put the Tuono 457 through the standard BikeWale fuel-efficiency test cycle, and the bike managed to return 22.5kmpl, with moderate to heavy traffic in the mix. With a fuel tank capacity of 12.7-litres, the bike should cover around 280km before needing fuel. That said, if you are going to be throttle happy almost all the time, expect the fuel economy to drop below 20kmpl.

The Aprilia Tuono 457 serves its role as a sporty, fun, and engaging naked street bike to the T. This is a motorcycle that will serve as a commuter, canyon road carver, and occasional track-day bike with ease. It's this versatility that makes it such a compelling choice for those who want a do-it-all naked street bike, not to mention the performance and handling prowess that it brings to the table.

At Rs. 3.95 lakh, ex-showroom, it is priced well, but I’d have wished for Aprilia to have offered the quickshifter as standard for the money it is asking. That said, there is practically no competition to the bike, except the sorted but dated Yamaha MT-03, when you consider the performance and features the Italian bike manages to offer. As a package then, the Tuono 457 is lucrative enough to be on your middleweight, street-naked shopping list.

Photography by Kapil Angane