Aprilia RS 457 VS Yamaha R3: Which Is The Better Pick?

The Aprilia RS 457 is one of the newest sport bikes to be offered in our market. Meanwhile, the Yamaha R3 has made a return to India in its new avatar. We spent a good amount of time exploring these motorcycles back-to-back to get a proper idea of how they stack up against each other and help you choose if you're in the market for a sub-500cc,twin-cylinder sportbike. We understand that the Kawasaki Ninja 500 would have been a worthy contender in this battle, although it is priced much higher than both of these bikes. That is why we decided to go with this young Italian stallion and one of the Japanese fan-boy favourites. 

Aprilia RS 457 VS Yamaha R3: Design

The Aprilia RS 457 is a gorgeous motorcycle to stare at for hours on end. With the design inspired directly from its larger siblings, the RSV4 and RS 660, it has that proper big bike feel to it and catches a lot of attention everywhere it goes. The new-gen Yamaha R3 on the other hand gets a redesigned fairing, LED lighting, and an inverted fork as well. The older-gen R3 looked just like a baby R1 but the styling of this updated model is more subtle. It is still a good-looking sports bike but the issue now is that it looks very similar to the R15 from afar. Apart from the redesigned fairing of the R3, the rest of the design stays similar to its predecessor and this makes it feel dated to a lot of people. 

The RS 457 gets three colour options on offer; Prismatic Dark, Opalescent White, and Racing Stripes, all of which look good, especially with the graphics all around that give the bike an even sportier appeal. The R3 on the other hand gets two colour schemes to choose from; Yamaha Black and Icon Blue. Both bikes have equally good build quality. Looks are subjective so opinions will differ but in my books, the Aprilia is the bike with better road presence. 

Aprilia RS 457 VS Yamaha R3: Engine & Performance

The RS 457 is the most powerful motorcycle in the sub-500cc, twin-cylinder sport bike segment in India. It is a smooth engine with strong mid-range performance and flattens out as it revs to the 10,500 rpm redline. The engine in the R3 has been well known for its refined power delivery and rev-happy nature. It has ample power in the mid-range for city use but truly comes alive higher up in the rev range. It revs up to almost 13,000rpm, making it extremely engaging to wring out on twisty roads. Both motorcycles are also very tractable, but for effortless overtakes, riders will need to downshift on the Yamaha, whereas you can just zip through traffic on the Aprilia by simply opening the throttle, even when it is in third gear. Both motorcycles have sweet-sounding exhaust notes with their twin-cylinder symphonies, but the Aprilia stands out more because of its 270-degree crankshaft layout, which gives it a more bassy note. 

The RS457 has an extremely light clutch action, but the gear shifts are a bit clunky with a loud thud under shifting. On the other hand, the R3 has a slick gearbox, but it misses out on a slipper clutch and its clutch action is on the heavier side. Out on the highway, both motorcycles feel relaxed doing 120kmph but because of the displacement advantage, the RS 457 feels more relaxed while it is at these speeds. A few vibrations creep in at around 7,500rpm on both bikes, although it is nothing that ruins the riding experience. What would have sweetened the whole package was if they were both equipped with a quickshifter as standard. It is not included even as an accessory for the R3, but the Aprilia gets it for an additional Rs 27,799. In our tests, the RS 457 took only 5.39 seconds in the 0-100kmph sprint. The R3 on the other hand did a 0-100kmph sprint in 6.09 seconds. 

Aprilia RS 457 VS Yamaha R3: Handling & Ride Quality

Both motorcycles have really good handling abilities as they are lightweight, tip quickly into corners, and are just bikes that you can have a lot of fun with. With a twin-spar aluminium frame, the RS 457 feels like the more confidence-inspiring motorcycle to attack a set of corners. The R3 is a great bike when it comes to carving corners, no doubt. But the tyres unfortunately might hold riders back from experiencing its full potential. The R3 comes equipped with Dunlop tyres that do offer good grip for daily commuting, although when you compare their performance to the super sticky TVS Eurogrip tyres on the RS457, they do somewhat feel like a compromise, especially when you consider that it is the more expensive motorcycle of the two. The suspension setup on both bikes is on the stiffer side considering that these are sports bikes but the R3 is slightly softer when compared to the RS 457. Overall, this makes the RS 457 the better bike to be hitting twisty roads while the R3 is the one that offers a more plush ride quality through bad roads, making it the better motorcycle for day-to-day commuting.  

Braking is a segment where both bikes do a great job; the R3 has a sharp feel at the lever which gets the bike to stop quickly and in a predictable manner. The lever of the RS 457 on the other hand lacks that initial bite but it comes in hard once the lever is engaged at around 25 percent. This is just something that riders will get used to after riding it around for a while. As part of the accessories, Aprilia also offers better brake pads which are surely recommended if the bike is going to be taken to the race track. The dual-channel ABS setup on both bikes is good with minimal intervention, ultimately allowing riders to get on the brakes later and also feel safer if they grab the levers hard in case of an emergency. 

Aprilia RS 457 VS Yamaha R3: Comfort

The RS 457 has a more aggressive riding position than the R3. The bars are not as low or forward set as something like the first-gen KTM RC 390, but still more aggressive when you compare it to the Yamaha R3 which offers a somewhat upright riding position for a sportbike. Meanwhile, the footpegs of both bikes are rear-set. The RS 457 has a seat height of 800mm and the R3 has a seat height of 780mm, making the latter more accessible for shorter riders. I was comfortable astride the R3 with my 5’7” foot frame although the lower body of taller riders might feel cramped. The Aprilia is roomier for both taller and shorter riders as well. 

Aprilia RS 457 VS Yamaha R3: Features

The RS 457 easily wins in the features department. It has a 5-inch TFT with all the necessary information laid out well, and the switchgear is user-friendly to operate with good tactile feedback. There are three ride modes that can be switched on the go and three levels of traction control with the option to completely disable it. Riders can also disable ABS at the rear and reduce ABS intervention at the front. And finally, it also gets Bluetooth connectivity. 

The R3 is more vintage in this regard and still gets a fully digital LCD screen. The switchgear is basic and in this new model, will take some getting used to because Yamaha have flipped the placement of the horn button and indicator switch. I feel like there is nothing wrong with simple motorcycles that aren’t feature-rich, but when you consider that it is Rs 55,000 more expensive than the RS 457, it's going to be a hard sell to the price-conscious Indian market. To put things into perspective, even the current generation model of the R15 has more features on offer. 

Aprilia RS 457 VS Yamaha R3: Verdict

When you consider the value-for-money aspect, the RS 457 is a clear winner. It has made a lot of heads turn with its 4.10 lakh (ex-showroom) price tag and Aprilia was able to do this because of the localization of the product. The Yamaha R3 comes to India via the CBU route which is why it is priced at Rs 4.65 lakh (ex-showroom), making it Rs 55,000 more expensive. The RS 457 has more power, more features, and sharper looks, all coming in at a more affordable price point. That being said, we do know that the 321cc engine in the R3 is extremely reliable and Yamaha does offer good after sales support to their big bike owners. The RS 457 is a new product and the first motorcycle to be made at Aprilia’s plant in Baramati. So reliability and after sales service are things that only time will tell. If the R3 were to be localised, updated with a couple of features and the price was to drop, it would make a much better case for itself.