Aprilia 2025 sport bike sales surge 18% on RS 457 launch

James Okafor | GlobalBeat

Aprilia said its 2025 sport bike deliveries rose 18% through April after the Noale factory shipped 2,847 units of the new RS 457 to 41 countries.

The Italian brand told investors the single-cylinder model now accounts for 31% of its global sport bike volume and drove market share to 4.2% from 3.6% a year earlier.

Aprilia has not offered an entry-level sport bike since the RS4 125 left Europe in 2020. Dealers said the gap allowed Kawasaki’s Ninja 400 and KTM’s RC 390 to dominate the segment.

Aprilia brand director Michele Colaninno told analysts the RS 457 “opened a segment we had abandoned” and said repeat orders from India, Japan and Brazil exceeded initial forecasts by 22%.

The 457 cc parallel-twin produces 47 hp and retails at $6,799 in the United States, $400 below the Ninja 400 ABS and $500 above the Royal Enfield 650 twins. Piaggio Group chief financial officer Alessandro Della Ratta told investors the bike carries a 28% gross margin, higher than the 24% group average.

Aprilia shipped 8,900 sport bikes in the first four months of 2025, up from 7,550 in the same period last year, according to Piaggio sales documents filed with the Milan stock exchange. The increase reversed a 9% decline in 2024 that followed supply-chain shortages and the phase-out of the RS 660 base model.

Dealers in Italy and Spain said 40% of RS 457 buyers are under 30, a demographic that comprised 28% of Aprilia sport bike sales in 2023. Paolo Bianchi, who operates three stores around Milan, told GlobalBeat the low seat height and quick-shifter option attract “first-license riders who previously walked past our RSV4.”

Aprilia plans to ship the RS 457 to China in June after obtaining homologation in April. Piaggio expects Chinese demand to reach 1,200 units in 2025 and has booked cargo space for 350 motorcycles on three July sailings from Mumbai to Shanghai, import documents show.

Rival manufacturers noted the spike. Kawasaki Europe product manager Tomoyuki Kawabe told motorcycle press the Ninja 400 “remains the reference” but conceded Aprilia gained “visible space in dealer showrooms.” Bajaj Auto, which assembles the RS 457 at its Pune plant, told Indian stock exchanges the model contributed $44 million in export revenue during the March quarter.

Aprilia reiterated its target of 25,000 sport bike deliveries for the full year, up from 22,100 in 2024. Company spokesperson Cristina Vignoni told GlobalBeat the forecast assumes stable currency rates and no additional EU tariffs on Indian-assembled motorcycles under the 2024 trade agreement.

European Union regulators will review motorcycle emission standards in October. Industry group ACEM expects stricter Euro 6 limits for 2027 models that could add €350 to production costs. Aprilia R&D director Piero Soatti told investors the current RS 457 engine “already meets the projected limits” and will not require redesign.

Background

Aprilia entered the sport bike segment in 1985 with the AF1 125 and won the first-ever World SBK race at Donington Park in 1988 riding the V-twin RSV 1000. The brand claimed seven SBK manufacturer titles between 1990 and 2010 but ceded market share after parent company Piaggio cut investment during the 2008 financial crisis.

The Italian factory returned to world-level racing in 2015 with the RSV4 and currently fields factory machines in MotoGP and World SBK. Racing successes include the 2022 SBK rider crown with Turkish racer Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, although the factory campaign is run jointly with partner team PATA Yamaha.

What’s Next

Aprilia will launch the 2026 RS 660 Evo at EICMA Milan in November with ride-by-wire updates aimed at the A2 license class. Piaggio has scheduled dealer previews for September and told suppliers to prepare 15,000 electronic throttle units by year-end.