Game On: Aprilia’s New 440cc Faired Motorcycle Takes Aim at Yamaha R3 and Ninja 300 and 400
The sub 500cc multi-cylinder motorcycle space is likely to get heated up with the launch of Yamaha R3 and MT-03. As of now, Kawasaki Ninja 300 and Ninja 400 are the only ones in this space as of now. Royal Enfield’s 650cc portfolio falls somewhat falls into this space owing to its extremely competitive pricing.
Benelli 302R used to be the only Italian in this space. But now, Italian motorcycle manufacturer Aprilia is set to enter this space soon. The company is testing a new motorcycle. Rumour mill suggests that it will have a 440cc parallel-twin engine that should take on Kawasaki Ninja 400 and upcoming Yamaha R3. Let’s take a look.
Aprilia 440cc faired motorcycle – Benvenuto in India
The first set of images surfaced on the internet earlier this year. As of now, multi-cylinder motorcycle market hugely favours Royal Enfield. That said, there is enough wiggle room for sporty, fully-faired motorcycles from pedigree brands. That is where Yamaha is betting big with Yamaha R3 and MT-03.
Aprilia 440cc faired motorcycle will feature a sporty design language reminiscent of its elder sibling RS 660. Previous test mules spotted in January featured full camouflage which gave very little hints as to what it was packing. New test mules seem to have production-ready body. There’s no branding on it and this won’t be final finishing.
Fairing is aggressive and we can see multiple cuts in it for airflow. It looks like it has a perimeter frame and it might get contrasting paint to accentuate. In this case, silver. Front fascia is likely to feature twin headlight design and there is an underbelly exhaust instead of a side-slung unit. All these attributes scream RS 660.
What wonders it holds – Expected
Rider’s triangle will be aggressive and should command a lot of commitment from rider. We can see a muscular fuel tank and we hope it is around 17L to 20L for an impressive tank range. There is a functional visor and fairing-mounted ORVMs. We can see a rectangular fully-digital instrument cluster that is likely to be a TFT unit.
Split seats are very probable and pillion seat had testing equipment strapped on. Split tail lights take inspiration from Ducati Diavel or Bajaj Dominar. There is no tyre hugger, which could be a part of production model. Other componentry includes a custom-design swingarm, single-disc setup at both ends, alloy wheels, USD telescopic front forks and mono-shock rear.
Front brake seems to be of floating type. Because of the blurry image, can’t say for sure. Engine is likely to be a 440cc parallel-twin unit with around 45 bhp of power and 40 Nm of torque. 6-speed gearbox, ride-by-wire, slipper-clutch, quick shifter (bi-directional), DOHC setup, traction control, dual-channel ABS, cornering ABS are likely to be onboard. Launch timeline is unknown. But 2024 could be the year.
Image Source : Powerdrift
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
