A single-cylinder engine displacing between 300 to 400 cc and power figures to match its rivals are expected from new Aprilia sports bike
The premium end of 300cc sports bike segment is currently occupied by KTM RC 390, TVS Apache RR 310, BMW G 310 RR and Honda CBR300R. Kawasaki Ninja 300 comes close with its Rs. 3.4 lakh price tag. Keeway has spotted an opportunity here and recently launched K 300 R. However, Italians have been surprisingly absent from this segment.
Sure, we had the Benelli 302 R with its massive body and dual disc brake setup at the front which looked like a proper superbike. But it was offset by its heft and after that, no Italians have ever stepped into this segment. Until now. There is a new kid on the block who is under testing to have a piece of this pie. It is a new Aprilia sports bike spotted testing in Baramati.
New Aprilia Sports Bike
The new motorcycle is wrapped to the gills with camouflage and has testing equipment strapped on its back monitoring various parameters. Design language is mostly in line with what this Italian marque offers under its RS lineup. In effect, it looks like a toned-down version of an RS 660, which is not a bad thing in any way.
Even though it was clad with camouflage, the front fascia does resemble that of an RS 660. It gets a twin headlight setup with a pilot lamp in the centre. These are likely to be LEDs as every other bike in this segment provides LEDs. Taillights and blinkers are likely to be LED too.
Seating posture looks fairly committed. There is a decent amount of lean to reach its handlebars and rider footpegs are rear-set. This gives a lot of leverage for the rider to tip the motorcycle into a corner. The front wind deflector looks to be a little lower in angle and its chunky fuel tank seems to provide enough grip for the rider.
Componentry is likely to change until it reaches the series production phase. That said, this test mule offers USD forks at front and a mono-shock unit at the rear. Swingarm looks like it is an aluminium unit and not a box-section unit. Disc brakes at front are skinny, like the ones found on current gen KTM RC 390.
Engine & Pricing
Engine specs are not yet known. It can be speculated that it would displace between 300cc to 400cc with a single-cylinder architecture and make around 35 to 40 bhp of power and 35 Nm of torque. Features like ride-by-wire, liquid cooling, slip and assist clutch, quick shifter (at least for upshifting), dual channel ABS, riding modes and a modern TFT display for instrumentation can be offered.
Aprilia is not very popular in India where motorcycles are concerned, despite a strong presence globally. We get the RS and Tuono lineup in both middleweight and liter class segments. When Japanese offerings in middleweight and liter classes are brought into picture, Aprilia’s offerings come off as expensive.
If only Aprilia had launched RS 150 and Tuono 150 in India and established a brand identity in the affordable sporty motorcycle segment, it could have been a lot easier to launch and market this upcoming motorcycle. That said, pricing can go to Rs. 3.5 lakh (ex-sh).
Source
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
