Aprilia Issues Statement: RS457 Engine Issues Caused By Modifications, Irregular Servicing
Aprilia created quite a stir in the Indian motorcycle space with the launch of the RS457 and the Tuono 457. These, however, did not end well for the manufacturer as owners soon started reporting serious issues with the powertrains, including terrible blow-outs, dragging the manufacturer into trouble. We were among the first to carry these stories and do follow-up articles on them. Now, Aprilia has finally shown up with an official statement on these.
What Aprilia Has To Say On Engine Fails
In an interesting turn of events, the manufacturer has put the blame on modifications and irregular servicing! The official statement reads:
"Aprilia India today reiterated its immense pride in the groundbreaking 457 platform, an engineering conquest born in Noale. Since its global and Indian debut in 2023-24, the exceptional RS 457 has rightfully dominated the mid-performance super sports category, boasting a best-in-class power-to-weight ratio.
The 457 platform has garnered widespread acclaim and numerous accolades from our valued customers, dedicated dealer partners, respected journalists, and even elite MotoGP racers, all recognising its outstanding performance and comprehensive riding experience. We stand firmly behind the world-class product we have brought to the passionate community of super sports enthusiasts.
At Aprilia, our commitment extends beyond delivering exhilarating motorcycles; we are equally dedicated to providing unparalleled after-sales support and service. We are aware of recent discussions among a small segment of motorcycle enthusiasts concerning the “reliability” of the 457 platform. We want to unequivocally assure our esteemed customers and the broader motorcycling fraternity that Aprilia has meticulously investigated every single of the handful instances brought to our attention regarding alleged issues.
A majority of these “issues” are attributed to only two factors - Unauthorized Aftermarket Modifications and Irregular Service Schedules. For the few genuine cases that arose, we promptly addressed and resolved them in a timely manner, ensuring minimal disruption to our customers.
For riders seeking to enhance their stock RS 457, we strongly encourage the installation of our extensive range of genuine aftermarket accessories, available exclusively through authorized Aprilia service centers. The Aprilia RS 457 platform embodies excitement and pure riding pleasure. It deserves to be enjoyed responsibly and maintained exclusively by certified technicians at authorized Aprilia dealerships.
The company is equally responsible and proactive in - ensuring best in class after sales and service and stands firmly by the side of every Aprilia owner. Moreover, we give our 100 percent assurance that all products sold through our authorized dealerships are in optimal condition, free from any inherent issues, and meet our stringent quality standards.”
Our Take On This
Instances of Aprilia 457 engines failing haven't been one-off occurrences. We have seen several 457 owners report identical issues over the past few months. Many of these were backed by video and image proofs as well. Thus, dismissing these for baseless claims stands no ground.
So, how did Aprilia try to address these grievances? Did they really do so? Well, Owners have reported being ill-treated by dealer and being denied warranty claims. In some cases like the one which we talked about in a previous story, the brand replaced the engine head if not the entire unit.
However, it remains unclear if the replacement managed to get the issue solved or not. Making things worse for affected users, Aprilia offers non-transferrable warranty. If the user chooses to sell the bike off, the buyer won't be covered.
In most cases, 457 owners faced sudden compression losses from their engines, problems with their cam chain tensioners, head gasket issues, power losses and even complete engine fails and blow-ups (which were significantly less in number). Buyers have also reported battery drain issues and weird rattling noises from the engine.
Now, let's look at the other major issue flagged by Aprilia: irregular service and unauthorized modifications.
Citing irregular servicing and modifications as reasons for so many cases which stand diverse in themselves, is hard to digest. Clearly, many of the affected motorcycles were kept stock and many were well-maintained.
We'll buy this for the motorcycles that had modifications gone into them, and those which skipped proper periodic maintenance. But, what about the rest of them?
What happens to those owners? This is something that Aprilia as a brand will have to focus on addressing. We would, however, appreciate the fact that the brand has admitted the existence of 'the few genuine cases', and have got the respective owners proper fixes.
According to data collected from owners, 10-15% of the RS457s sold exhibit battery drain when kept unused for a few days. The reason for this is apparently a faulty Regulator-Rectifier (RR) unit. This happen on stock motorcycles. Similarly, many other instances involved stock bikes with proper service records. Aprilia should dig deeper into these cases and address the broader issues that are causing these fails.
Aprilia's 457 twins- the Tuono 457 and RS457- are both priced in the ball park of Rs 5 lakh, if not more. These are definitely on the expensive side of things. Buyers would never want premium motorcycles like these to give them trouble right from the first year of ownership, as a lot of less-expensive motorcycles are far more reliable. Plus, we pay for the motorcycle, not its issues!
Aprilia will indeed need to sweat a lot on perfecting these products and rebuilding the customer trust, before they can regain their lost reputation as a performance player.
More people calling for engine replacements can be painful to handle. As a responsible manufacturer, Aprilia should deal with it and get the grievances of these buyers resolved properly. At the end of the day, it is buyers and their satisfaction levels that matter!