Overall, this is a wonderful machine as far as the power is concerned. Nothing comes close
BHPian R15M_Rider recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
RS457 Short Ride Impression from a 2024 YZF-R3 Owner
On a recent breakfast ride, I got a chance to experience the Italian Stallion for a good amount of distance thanks to a good friend and riding mate (who has a YT channel). If you’re watching this write-up, thanks a lot for letting me ride your treasured machine. Thought it would be a good idea to share some thoughts here. Do bear in mind, this is purely from the character of the machine perspective, not taking into consideration the after-sales service and support. Just me and the machine.
Two Italian Beauties
1. Riding Stance and Posture: If you have ridden an R15, you are very much in familiar territory. Almost the same ergonomics, hard seat, weight on your wrists, perfect for track, a bit difficult for touring (depends on your will, of course).
2. The Design: “Bellissimo”, from every angle, it’s hard to fault the design. Typically Italian.
3. Power Delivery: Absolutely Crazy. This bike’s character is everything the R3 isn’t and vice versa, of course! It has a BRUTAL mid-range. For guys riding this for the first time, especially coming from lower cc bikes or even 300-400cc which have linear power delivery, if you’re used to wringing the throttle more often than not, this will catch you off guard. 47 BHP and 43.5 Nm at just 6700 RPM, these numbers are no joke. The predator-like grunt as the bike just lunges forward with just a small wring of the throttle is enough to make your hair stand. While the R3 screams at the top end (12K RPM), this one makes a menacing growl as low as 5000-6000 RPM in the rev range. You will either scare yourself or laugh like a maniac. This reminds me of a slightly modified line from Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson in the McLaren P1 review – “The throttle is like a hyperspace button, twist it and you are gone”. This might feel like normal to owners of 600s and litre class, but to me, this felt like a world of power.
It also proves, this is nowhere near as beginner-friendly as the R3 is in this class. The long throttle travel, combined with the linear power delivery, makes it so much more forgiving than this. To folks who are aspiring to get a ZX6R or a middleweight supersports, from a calm 300cc class with a thirst to experience that adrenaline rush, do yourself a favor, save a few bucks, and get this. For our roads, this is way more than enough.
4. Gearbox: It felt quite clunky. Each gear change you can hear clearly, and it wasn’t as slick shifting as the R3’s one. I could feel the delay by looking at the TFT display, it indicates a few milliseconds after you have shifted up/down. I have heard the Tuono’s own is so much better than this one. Hopefully, the upcoming RS457s don’t have this issue. I expect this it a bothersome in city traffic, especially.
5. Brakes: Definitely a weakness in its armor. In peak Chennai Summer, at 39-40 degrees, you will certainly feel the brake fade on highways. Engine Braking helps, but that does not excuse this. It’s a huge miss that even the Tuono is sticking with the same brakes, something Aprilia should’ve considered and known with the RS being in production over a good amount of time. Don’t take chances with the stock brakes; if you can, upgrade them as soon as possible.
What a Time to Live In!
Overall, this is a wonderful machine as far as the power is concerned. Nothing comes close. While I will always be and remain a fan of rev happy, smooth, sweet-sounding sounding and linear-accelerating machines, I am glad to experience the other side too. If they fix the brakes and the overall reliability of the parts used in this bike (apart from the service-related concerns already circulating on social media), which is crucial for a product to succeed in a market like India, this bike certainly is the closest you will get and probably need to a superbike in the 300-400cc segment.
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