The IMOTY or Indian Motorcycle of the Year award is India’s most definitive and most important two-wheeler award and the highest accolade for any two-wheeler launched in the country, and the latest winner of the award is the Aprilia RS 457. The Italian sportsbike went on sale early in 2024 and has received rave reviews for its prowess as an everyday machine, besides its excellent track manners, making it perfectly suitable for everyday commuting as well as track days. Powered by a 457cc, liquid-cooled twin-cylinder engine putting out 47.5PS and 43.5Nm, the RS 457 has impressed rookies and experienced riders alike, besides its excellent design and impressive fit-finish levels.
These very aspects have also helped the RS 457 claim the IMOTY 2025 award, ahead of the first runner-up, the Bajaj Freedom 125, another motorcycle that was a strong contender given its innovative, CNG-powered engine and the Hero Xtreme 125R that was the second runner-up and has also impressed immensely with its design, sporty performance and handling. Besides this trio, the final list of contenders, shortlisted by the IMOTY jury, included the Bajaj Pulsar N 125, Bajaj Pulsar NS 400Z, BSA Gold Star 650, Hero Mavrick 440, Royal Enfield Bear 650, Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 and Triumph Speed T4.
The Aprilia RS 457 was announced winner at a gala dinner held in New Delhi in the presence of the who’s who of the Indian automotive industry, including the top bosses from every Indian automotive brand, also a nod to the IMOTY’s importance as India’s most prestigious two-wheeler award. Dr Raghupati Singhania, MD, JK Tyre and Industries announced the RS 457 as winner along with a representative from Deloitte, responsible for validating the scoring process and also knowledge partner for ICOTY and IMOTY, besides all the IMOTY jury members. What’s also interesting is the fact that this year’s jury for the IMOTY award was among the largest in the history of the award, and included India’s leading automotive journalists. Besides being highly experienced themselves, these are also journalists who represent India’s leading automotive publications.
Besides Abhay Verma, Editor and Publisher, TURBOCHARGED, the jury this year also included Rahul Ghosh, Assistant Editor and Abhinav Jakhar, Senior Correspondent from Auto Today, Shivank Bhatt, Assistant Editor and Manav Sinha, Digital Editor from AutoX, Aspi Bhathena, Editor and Joshua Varghese, Principal Correspondent from Bike India, Sirish Chandran, Editorial Director and Aatish Mishra, Assistant Editor from evo India, Kartik Ware, Managing Editor and Manaal Mahatme, Assistant Editor (2-wheelers) from Motoring World, Kranti Sambhav, Editor and Rohit Paradkar, Assistant Editor from OVERDRIVE, Vikrant Singh, Editorial Director and Pratheek Kunder, Deputy Editor from BikeWale, Varun Painter, Editor 2-wheelers from PowerDrift and Arpit Mahendra, Editor, Times of India Auto.
The jury round was held at the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida last month, where the jury evaluated the shortlisted contenders on the basis of various parameters, including but not limited to pricing, relevance to the segment, innovation, design, quality, features, comfort, safety, performance, practicality and more, before casting their votes.
