Upcoming Yamaha R3-rivaling Aprilia RS440 spotted testing!

- Seems ready for production 

- Spotted testing in India

- Will be powered by a 440cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled motor 

After its recent sighting in Europe, the upcoming Aprilia RS440 has been spotted testing in India, again. The bike seems to be in its final stages of testing and development before heading into production. 

With the multiple spy shots, it’s evident that the RS440 is being derived from the larger, RS660. The latter was launched a few years ago and is now the base for Aprilia’s answer to segment rivals like the KTM RC390, TVS Apache RR 310, Kawasaki Ninja 300 and the upcoming Yamaha YZF R3. The RS440 seems sizeable and looks identical to the RS660 with its split LED headlights, windscreen, clip-on handles, split seat and side profile. Even the rider triangle appears on the sportier side hinting at an overall engaging seating posture. 

As per our sources, the bike’s 440cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled motor could be an under-bored version of the middleweight Aprilia offering. It will dish out 48bhp and get a top speed of around 180kmph. The engine will be linked to a six-speed gearbox and benefit from a slipper clutch and quickshifter too. Then, the RS440 could get features like a fully digital TFT, smartphone connectivity, ABS, full LED illumination and more. 

Its hardware setup comprises USD front forks and a rear monoshock. The braking hardware comprises a front and rear disc brake mounted on 17-inch alloys wrapped in road-biased tyres. The previous test mule was seen riding on TVS Eurogrip tyres, so the production bike too could get the same. The Aprilia RS440 could debut during the festive season of this year. 

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