KTM RC 390-rivalling Aprilia RS440 Confirmed For 2023

The supersport has already been spotted testing in India

In a press release issued by Piaggio India celebrating its 25 years in the country, the Italian group has announced its product lineup for 2023, and sneakily announced the debut of the Aprilia RS440.

The company stated that Aprilia Motorcycles will be entering a new segment with a new product, which hints at the launch of the mid-size supersport that was spied recently near Pune. We expect this bike to debut in the second half of this year.

The upcoming Aprilia RS440 is likely to use a liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine with a capacity of 420-440cc. This would give it a displacement and hopefully a performance advantage over its competitors, the KTM RC 390 and the TVS Apache RR 310.

From what the spy shots revealed, Aprilia’s upcoming supersport seems to have taken inspiration from the RS 660, with sporty yet comfortable ergonomics to make it a comfortable everyday hustler without compromising on its track-riding capabilities.

Furthermore, just like the RS 660, we don’t think the RS440 will skimp on electronics either. So expect riding modes, dual-channel ABS and from what the spy shot revealed, a TFT console as well.

The Italian manufacturer is likely to manufacture this motorcycle at its Baramati plant, which would help keep its price in check. That said, we expect it to demand around Rs 4 lakh (ex-showroom), which would be a bit steep over the RC 390’s Rs 3.16 lakh and the RR 310’s Rs 2.68 lakh price tag. But we hope the Aprilia RS440 makes up for it with better performance and handling than its competitors.