Aprilia Working On A KTM 390 Duke And RC 390 Rival

The Aprilia RS 150 and the Tuono 150 have been creating a lot of buzz ever since they were unveiled at Auto Expo 2018. The Italian brand upped the ante by launching the SR150 (now SR 160) and we were expecting something similar in the 150cc space. Both these motorcycles looked apt to rival the likes of the Yamaha R15 V3, Yamaha MT-15, KTM RC 125 and the KTM 125 Duke. But we didn't hear much from the brand. However, the Aprilia GPR 250 was spotted in early-2019, giving rise to speculations that the bikes might come from China and be locally assembled here.

Aprilia was among the few two-wheeler brands to participate in Auto Expo 2020, but there were no signs of any motorcycles. When we spoke to Piaggio India’s MD and CEO, Diego Graffi, about the delay in the launch of the Aprilia motorcycles, he had informed us that the 150cc project had been shelved. The Italian brand felt that the entry-level performance segment in our market had changed and that it needed a bike in the 250-300cc segment. However, at the Vespa Racing Sixties launch today, Graffi mentioned that they are evaluating a 300-400cc Aprilia motorcycle.

While he didn’t delve too much into details, he confirmed that the project is in its nascent stage and that the bike is two to three years away from production. A 300-400cc motorcycle does make great sense to take on bikes such as the Honda CB300R, TVS Apache RR 310, BMW G 310 duo, and the KTM 390 siblings. In our last conversation, Graffi had also added that this new Aprilia motorcycle will be completely new with a ground-up design. The Aprilia 300-400cc bikes will be designed and engineered in Italy with inputs from Aprilia India. The Italian brand also has plans to export this bike from India to Southeast Asian countries, Europe and even Latin America. Bikes like the KTM 390 duo, TVS Apache RR 310 and the Royal Enfield 650 twins have proved that world-class mid-displacement motorcycles can be built in India at a competitive price.

Since we have no details about the upcoming Aprilia motorcycles, we have to make an educated guess. The bikes are likely to be powered by a single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC motor with a displacement of around 350-380cc. They are also likely to feature a 6-speed gearbox and slipper clutch. What we can confirm is that the upcoming Aprilia 300-400cc bikes will be available as faired and naked machines. The styling of the upcoming bikes will be inspired by the Aprilia RSV4 1100 and the Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 performance bikes.

As mentioned before, the Aprilia 300-400cc bikes are still in their initial stages of development and we will be following them closely. If we had to estimate pricing, how does Rs 3.25 lakh sound for the Aprilia RS 350 and around Rs 3 lakh for the Aprilia Tuono 350? Pretty good, right! Watch this space for updates.