Yes, folks – it's that time again: new bike season! The nights are drawing in, the schools are back, it'll be Christmas before we know it, and the only thing to cheer us up is the hot new metal being sprayed all over the place. The Milan show is a couple of months away, but there are a few tasty goodies out already. Here's what we're getting all hot and bothered about...
APRILIA RS45 7 A pocket-sized surprise from Noale
Well, we did NOT see this coming. The mini-superbike sector has been banging away in recent years, hitting the peak with Kawasaki's ZX-4RR, which dropped earlier this year. And now Aprilia's come out with another sweet-looking machine, the RS457. It's a twin-cylinder sportsbike aimed at novices and fans of lightweight machines, with some of the best spec in the 400cc twin class so far.
Aprilia released the RS457 as we were going to press, just before the San Marino MotoGP, with factory rider Maverick Vinales featured in the promo pics. It's a proper mini race-replica, with an all-new parallel twin 457cc engine bolted into a proper twin-beam aluminium frame, with full RSV -style fairing, decent sporty suspension and a comprehensive electronic riding aids package –
