Aprilia Tuono 457 First Ride Review - Naked is Almost Always Better

If you ask me which is the best street naked in the world, my answer would have to be the Aprilia Tuono 1100 V4. It's got near-superbike performance in a compact, easy-to-manage package that makes it incredibly fun to ride. But unfortunately because of its pricing, it's out of reach for most of us. And it's the same problem with the Tuono 660 as well. Thankfully though, we have a new Tuono now - The Tuono 457, that's actually affordable and something that you and I can actually buy. But the question is… should you?

Does it look like a Tuono?

First let's talk about the design. Now unlike the Tuono 660 or the V4, which have a split headlight with a bikini fairing connected to the tank, the 457 swaps this signature Tuono styling element for a fork mounted handlebar. And it’s not just a random headlight design. Thanks to aggressive looking DRLs and a sharply sculpted shape with almost wing-like elements under it, it actually looks really good. Some people might argue that this is too much of a departure from the typical Tuono design. But look at the bike in real life, and you’ll realise that it actually does look properly handsome. And when paired with the wide tank extensions, it looks more naked, and more aggressive than the larger Tuonos. The 12.7-litre fuel tank is almost identical to the RS 457’s tank, but marginally gone down in capacity (just 300ml).

From the seat onwards though, all the way to the tail, this Tuono is the same as the RS457, which is not a bad thing at all. The exhaust is still mounted under the belly, but has a small bellypan covering most of it. But still, with most of the RS’ fairing missing, the Tuono’s glorious engine is on full display.

Goes like a Tuono

Now this engine is the same as the one from the RS 457 - a 457cc, liquid-cooled, inline-twin. It makes the exact same peak horsepower of 47.6PS and peak torque of 43.5Nm as well. This makes it one of the most powerful engines in the sub-500cc category in India. And there's no change to the tuning either. 

What has changed though is the rear sprocket - it's gone from 43 teeth on the RS to 44 teeth on the Tuono. Which means the gearing has become shorter. Now that results in better initial drive and better acceleration. So in the city, this engine, which is already very tractable, has become even more so. You can easily pull from speeds as low as 25 kmph in fifth gear without breaking a sweat, if you’re slightly easy on the throttle.

This tractability is not only great in the city, but coming out of corners too. Shockingly, even when going up the tight hairpin turns of Nandi Hills, the Tuono could easily manage in 2nd gear, and still accelerate hard out of those turns.

When you do open the throttle hard, this Tuono builds up speed rapidly and every time you dip the clutch to shift up, especially in the first three gears, you can feel the front jumping up just a little bit. Riding the Tuono hard is a really visceral experience, and the motor’s mad mid-range punch coupled with the precision of the ride-by-wire throttle is nothing short of addictive.

Now, of course, shorter gearing means the top speed should have come down a little bit. But that shouldn't be a big concern because some people have already seen a speedo-indicated 200kmph on the RS. But even if this comes down to maybe a speedo-indicated 180kmph, it’s still more than fast enough for most.

A proper streetfighter

Now one thing I will say is that the Tuono is a lot more comfortable than the RS. It's got the same 800mm seat height which is sufficiently low even for shorter riders to get both their feet on the ground comfortably. And the handle bar is tall enough to give you a nearly upright stance with a slight lean towards the bars. Not only does this feel quite natural and comfortable when commuting at slow speeds, slide back in the seat a little bit, and the riding posture can feel aggressive enough to go with the bike's mental character. 

But the only issue here is the footpeg position, which are just as rear set as the RS. Now that was fine for someone like me who’s 5’9”. I could still lock my knees on the tank pretty easily. But boy does this bike scream for a set of tank pads to allow you to hold yourself in place when braking or cornering aggressively - the tank finish feels just a little too slippery. And. on top of that, if you're 5’10” or taller, or have really long legs, you might find your low body posture quite cramped and it might push your knees into the upper edge of the tank, which might make it very uncomfortable. In that case, you might prefer the RS which has lower bars and will push your knees back on the tank and make it easier to ride.

Handles like a Tuono

The RS 457 was already a fantastic handling bike, but the Tuono takes it to another level. Even though both the bikes are the exact same kerb weight (175kg), thanks to the upright stance, and wider handlebars that provide better leverage, the Tuono feels even more agile. Changing directions is almost instant, and the sticky EuroGrip ProTorq tyres provide plenty of stability when leaned over. The Tuono 457 really is one of the best handling motorcycles that you can buy in this segment.

Doesn’t stop like a Tuono though

Now as great as the handling of the Tuono is, there is one almost fatal flaw and that's the brakes. It’s a very similar setup to other performance-oriented nakeds in this segment - it gets a 320mm front disc and a 240mm rear disc, with dual-channel ABS which is switchable for the rear wheel. And these brakes feel decently good when you start off riding. The feel too is pretty on-point when the brakes are cold. But start riding aggressively, start braking harder and that front brake starts to fade quite rapidly. Now coming down from Nandi hills after just half an hour of riding, the front brake had faded to the point where the lever was almost touching the handlebar grip. And I had a couple of puckering moments on some of the hair pins where the bike simply didn’t slow down adequately until I jabbed the rear brake as well. Now this is the same issue we observed with the RS 457 as well, and it’s something Aprilia needs to address ASAP.

Meant for the streets

In terms of suspension, it's the exact same setup as the RS in the same tune as well - you get a 41mm inverted fork and a rear monoshock, both of which are preload-adjustable. And this setup is sportbike-firm. But because you're sitting more upright and have less weight on the front end, the front suspension actually handles bumps a lot better than the RS. And similarly, because you have more weight on the rear thanks to the riding position, it actually handles small bumps pretty well. But the big bumps - you're going to feel all of them. The good thing here is because you're sitting upright you can brace against big bumps much easier. So while the ride quality is far from plush, it’s a lot easier to tackle our bad roads on the Tuono 457 than it is to do so on the RS 457.

Feature-packed

The Tuono 457 gets the exact same features as the RS 457. You get 3 riding modes as standard - Eco, Rain and Sport, which change the engine’s power output and throttle response to match your riding conditions. It also gets 3 levels of traction control, and it can be switched off as well, if you’re feeling extra feisty. You can control all these settings through the 5-inch colour TFT console, which also gets smartphone connectivity for call & message alerts, music control and even turn-by-turn navigation.

Should you buy the Tuono 457?

Now if I'm being honest the Tuono 457 is one of the best street nakeds that's made in India, despite its flaws. At a price tag of Rs 3.95 lakh (ex-showroom), it's Rs 25,000 cheaper than the RS which makes it a decent value preposition, as well as being more practical for everyday use. But still, it's Rs 50,000 more expensive than the Yamaha MT-03. But let's face it, the Yamaha isn't even in the same ballpark as this Aprilia. The only bike that comes close is the KTM 390 Duke and that's a whole Rs 1 lakh cheaper than the Tuono. That said, the Duke is a single, whereas the Tuono is a twin. It's also more refined, more comfortable and dare I say it looks classier than the Duke as well. So while you can't really beat the KTM 390 Duke when it comes to sheer bang for your buck, for everything else this Tuono just hits that right spot.