Following the successful - if delayed - rollout of its new 660 platform with the RS and the imminent arrival of its subsequent spin-offs, Aprilia appears to have already found its next project amid talk that a new ‘400’ line is in the works.
It’s been a busy couple of years for the Italian brand as it focused on getting its mid-capacity entry right, first with the RS 660 - which parachutes into a slimming segment with an entirely unique approach to attract buyers - before it is joined soon by the Tuono naked and Tuareg off-road variant.
But what next for Piaggio’s sporting flagship? Well, for a manufacturer competing with the very best at the top of sportbike tree, prior to the 660 there was a mighty big gap between its all-conquering 1100cc RSV4 and its next-in-line sibling, the Aprilia RS125 - about 200hp to be exact.
2021 APRILIA RS 660 - THE BIG REVIEW
With the 660 platform becoming the first bridge in that RS / Tuono chasm, it seems Aprilia is now eyeing up another with an entry into the 350-450cc segment, again with an RS and Tuono version.
This isn’t an entirely new story with Visordown reporting on plans back in September. However, more details have since emerged, with Bike Wale seemingly confirming a RS and Tuono ‘400’ are indeed on the way with a launch slated for 2023.
What’s less clear is whether this model line is destined for European consumption, with all the talk coming from Diego Graffi, the CEO of Piaggio India. While we’d consider the wisdom of going to the expense of developing new models without offering them globally, if one overseas market was going to trump relative logic, it would be India.
Indeed, it remains to be seen whether such models could successfully co-habit a space alongside their 660 big brothers in the European range, or whether they are necessary to be more affordable options in more emerging markets.
Either way, the prospect of a KTM RC390 and Yamaha R3 rivalling Aprilia is a very tasty proposition.
