APRILIA
The parallel twin 660c introduced a few years back has revitalised Aprilia, and now the company is going smaller, announcing the RS457, a small-bore sportsbike.
A liquid-cooled parallel twin motor, rideby-wire throttle, 41mm forks, dual-mode ABS and a full fairing are all there. A trick version might be available as a non-LAMS model to take on the Kawasaki ZX-4R, tested in this issue.
BMW
Lots of new bikes are coming from BMW, including the F 900 GS, F 800 GS, M 1000 XR and R 1300 GS. Kicking off the 2024 fever would have to be the Roctane, which the editor rode at the Australian launch of the bike in September and which features on the cover of the previous issue. It's a massive twin-cylinder-powered motorcycle in the tradition of the American Bagger, but this one is proudly “Berlin Built”.
For anyone looking for a cruiser ride with luggage, ignoring the Roctane would be a little crazy as it's better suited to our lousy roads than most cruisers.
The R nineT has been replaced after a decade by the R 12 nineT… the older model was also built around the 1200 engine, so the name change for the new model might be an attempt to clear up some naming confusion (it was originally named for BMW's 90th anniversary, but was so successful it was retained in the line-up).
The parallel twin middleweight adventure bikes have received a boost in capacity and a drop in weight — the line-up is now F 800 GS, F 900 GS and F 900 GS Adventure. The F 800 GS is the “entry level” middleweight GS with cast wheels, lower-spec components, reduced power output and a lower seat than the 900s, which BMW is hailing as “class leading” in its adventure class capabilities.
The refresh has come about because the competition — notably KTM — is out to 900cc or so for the class and BMW knows it needs
