Aprilia Tuono 457 Special Edition: Redemption From Aprilia?

Aprilia recently updated its naked offering for the Indian market, the Tuono 457 and gave it a Special Edition badge. Although the bike is dubbed “Special Edition” there’s nothing quite special about it as it’s a replacement to the older bike and not a different variant. With the new bike, Aprilia wants to fix the two main issues of the Tuono 457 - comfort and ergonomics. Have the updates made the new Tuono 457 Special Edition a better bike? We head to Baramati, Maharashtra to get you the answer.

Aprilia Tuono 457: Design

So let’s start with the cosmetics of the motorcycle. On the design front, the overall styling of the motorcycle remains identical to the older bike, but there is one big change, which is the windscreen. The new windscreen masks the exposed instrument console as seen on its predecessor. Frankly, I was never a fan of the headlight design and the new windscreen makes the front end look better.  

Moving forward, you can see that the graphics on the motorcycle have been redesigned. The Aprilia font now extends from the tank extension to the fuel tank and looks cool. Also, the Tuono badging at the rear end has been redesigned, to further visually distinguish the new bike. There's also two new colour options - Mamba Black and there’s Puma Grey.

Aprilia Tuono 457: Suspension Upgrade

So the biggest change on the Tuono 457 Special Edition is on the suspension hardware. We had a big problem with the ride quality of the motorcycle because the suspension tuning felt firm for our Indian roads. Aprilia has taken that feedback and revised the suspension tuning on both the front and the rear suspension. Both the rebound and the compression have been changed on the upside-down fork. Even the spring rates are different, making the ride quality better, and you can feel that difference right away.

On bad roads, the new Tuono 457 feels much more composed, you don’t feel that judder on the handlebar. At the rear, the monoshock, the compression has been changed, while the rebound remains the same. And I think the biggest change is on the rear suspension because on the older motorcycle, you always felt like being tossed off the seat on bad roads. That’s not the case with the new bike. It feels more settled, and offers a composed ride quality making the new bike more comfortable.

Aprilia Tuono 457: Ergonomics

So on the ergonomics end, there are two big changes. First up, the handlebar is now 10 mm higher, and the seat foam density has been increased by 10 mm. The revised ergonomics has made a positive impact. The riding posture is now more upright and comfortable. The bump in seat height means that even tall riders don’t feel cramped like they did on the older bike and there’s more real estate for the rider to move around.

Aprilia Tuono 457: Performance & Handling

So what hasn’t changed on the motorcycle is the engine. The 457 cc, liquid-cooled twin-cylinder engine still remains the highlight of the Tuono 457, offering ballistic performance, very strong mid-range, and very strong top-end. Even that exhaust note with the 270-degree crank has that magic of a parallel twin engine. Despite the engaging performance, the refinement levels are still great. You can ride at speeds between 120-130 kmph very easily, the motor is very refined while the bike is stable at those speeds.

The handling dynamics of the bike remain unchanged and the baby Tuono will plaster a big grin on your face when you’re taking fast corners. It feels composed and confident when you’re hustling it around fast sweeping bends or tight corners. So in terms of handling, the Tuono 457 remains one of the best mid-capacity motorcycles out there.

Aprilia Tuono 457: Verdict 

So the new Tuono 457 is ₹5,000 more expensive than the older variant at ₹3.99 lakh (ex-showroom), and I will say that it is well worth that extra money. The big change is on the suspension hardware. Now the Tuono 457 feels much more comfortable on Indian roads. The ride quality is good and this makes the motorcycle easier to live with.

The second aspect is the change in ergonomics, because that again makes the riding position better. It gives the rider a lot of more comfort when you’re out touring. Apart from that, the engine still remains the highlight for me on this motorcycle. It’s an absolute rock star and the handling dynamics of the motorcycle is great. Yes, the Aprilia Tuono 457 remains an expensive bike but then again all good things in life come at a price. If you’re in the market for a mid-capacity performance street naked, the Tuono 457 should definitely be in your radar.