Aprilia RS 400 spotted without camouflage, ready for India launch

As it gears up for a launch expected in September, the Aprilia RS 440 has once again been spotted testing, this time without any camouflage.

• Sharp bodywork with fairing-mounted mirrors
• Twin-spar aluminium frame, USD fork, monoshock
• 440cc parallel-twin engine likely to make over 40hp

Production-ready appearance:

The absence of camouflage and the well-finished bodywork with logos and badges suggest that the bike is nearing production. However, the test mule seems to have data-logging equipment, implying that it is still under development.

New details revealed:

Still, there are several new details to notice in these latest pictures. A pair of narrow LED headlights with what look like small air intakes below each one sit at the front of the sleek fairing. A central light that will probably house the high beam, as seen on the bigger RS 660 and RSV4, is between the two headlights.

The front fairing serves as the base for the mirrors, and then smoothly transitions into fairly large side fairings that cover a big part of the front sides. This means that we can’t really get a good look at the engine, except for the clutch cover. The clutch cover design is not shared with any other current Aprilia bike, and it seems to be a significantly smaller clutch than the one on the RS 660.

We do know that this is likely to be a 440cc parallel-twin engine, derived from the bigger 660cc parallel-twin in the RS 660. Expect liquid-cooling, DOHC architecture and 4-valves per cylinder. If these specs are true, the Aprilia should be able to comfortably exceed 40hp, and be in the same range as the Kawasaki Ninja 400 (45hp).

Frame, suspension and brakes:

A neat-looking aluminum twin-spar frame holds everything together, suspended on an upside-down fork and a monoshock. We see 17-inch wheels and a single disc brake at both ends, with the front caliper being a radially-mounted unit. Just behind the clutch cover are what look like nicely machined rearsets, and the clip-on handlebars seem to have very little risers, if any.

Riding position and design:

Overall, these spy shots show a fairly aggressive riding position, suggesting a bike with quite serious intentions. There is also a fairly large step up to the fairly spacious-looking pillion seat, and the short, sleek tail section matches well with the overall aggressive design.

Another theme here is premium-ness, with the alloy swingarm, aluminium frame and neat rearsets, all looking very classy and high-spec. An underbelly exhaust exit also ensures an overall neat and tidy look.

Price and launch date:

Considering everything we see here, it’s unlikely that the Aprilia RS 440 will be able to compete with something like the single-cylinder KTM RC 390 (Rs 3.18 lakh) for price, even though it will be made in India at Aprilia’s Baramati plant. However, at the same time, it should be cheaper than the Kawasaki Ninja 400, which comes to India as a CBU and costs a steep Rs 5.19 lakh (ex-showroom, India).

You can expect an official launch at around Rs 3.5 to 4 lakh mark, and it should arrive in September, around the time of the Indian MotoGP round.