“Design has no boundaries”, says Marco Lambro, design director, Piaggio, on the Aprilia Tuono 457

Aprilia launched the Tuono 457 in India earlier this year, and the twin-cylinder motorcycle is the naked sibling of the RS 457. The Tuono sports an all-new design, and to gain more insights about the same, we had a conversation with Marco Lambro, design director, Piaggio.

Marco works on the design of all of the Piaggio Group brands, which includes Vespa, Moto Guzzi and of and when asked about the design philosophy of the Aprilia Tuono 457, Lambro said, “Aprilia is a brand known for its bike and for its scooters – not only for performance, but also for the design. And to explain with words, the design (philosophy) is not so easy. I would prefer that shapes speak, but, unfortunately, they don't.” Lambro went on to add that three words are most important when describing an Aprilia’s design. “Dynamism, lightness, and sportiness,” Lambro says. “Dynamism because Aprilia motorbikes must communicate, move and spin. When you look at the Aprilia, you should see something well balanced. The bike has to be in movement, lightness because the weight is the opposite of sportiness. And we try to express the lightness through shapes to make a right Aprilia. And sportiness because, you know, that Aprilia races in the world championship. It has won many world championships and it has a real racing DNA. So these three words are probably the words that drive our jobs.”

Interestingly, the smaller displacement Tuono motorcycles continue to get a half fairing while the Tuono 457 does not. We asked Lambro if this design will trickle down to newer models later on or if it was just a decision for the 457, and the designer said that, “The Tuono born in 2001 didn't have all the fairing. I don't know if you remember the first model of the Tuono. It was a true sports bike with the high handlebars and no fairing. And over the years, its performance has grown and their fairing has become necessary in terms of aerodynamics. So for the performance of the smaller displacement, it is not necessary.” Lambro went on to add that “We think that the half fairing will be only on the heavy and big bikes, not for the smaller. So for us, for the 457, it is the best solution.”

We asked Lambro about whether he had considered designing the Tuono as a ground-up new motorcycle rather than it just being an RSV without the fairing and taller handlebar, and the designer said that he had not. But when we followed up with the designer asking whether this move would be something that he would want to consider, Lambro said that, “Customers are changing, and they use the bikes in a different way. Ergonomics is changing. And if you compare a sport and also a naked bike, from the previous generation, they are completely different. So, the position of the handlebar, the ergonomics are changing, and the reliability is going to something more easy, when the rider can ride the bike in the easiest way. So it is an interesting field because the architecture of the bike is more or less the same. But the aerodynamics and ergonomics also are changing. So the rules are changing.”

We also questioned Lambro about his initial design thoughts on the Tuono 457 and how they have transitioned into the production motorcycle. Marco said “When we started rolling the 457, we looked at the most iconic models in the Aprilia engines, before and the 660s. And in all our products, we have an all-new philosophy. And with the sport bikes in the Aprilia range, we had just designed the 660 range, and we started from that. The face, the look, and to underline the family feeling. And we decided to use a front line with three eyes, like I was saying before. That was, that is and probably it will be the light signature of the Aprilia. The designer went on to add that, “The displacement (of the 457) is small, but the bike seems bigger. The proportions are very good and they are a little bit more extreme, compared to the others because the bike is small. But to us, it's a real Aprilia.”

When asked about some of the challenges faced in the design process of the Tuono 457, considering that it’s being manufactured in India, Lambro said, “I can say that this is a new platform, built in India.” The designer went on to add, “India is the best place to produce the bike and the Indian market is very important for us. But today, when we think of a new product, we think globally. So, during the development of the bike, we share all our decisions also with the Indian market, not only with the Indian. Today, we think that Aprilia is becoming a global brand, and we have to just think globally.”

When asked about how the design process looks, Lambro said, “A company as large as the one I work for has very complex processes involving many people and many skills. The design process is part of a long development process that lasts years. We talk to marketing, engineering, suppliers and everyone involved in the project. What really distinguishes our phase is that there is an intangible part that is the result of the designers' sensitivity. It is a matter of passion, of the heart, sometimes of suffering, often of happiness and satisfaction. And these things cannot be part of a standard process.”

Lambro also added that they take a lot of inspiration from the racing bike world and riders, when asked about sources of inspiration. “Aerodynamics has become very important for performance in the championship and rough use, in terms of performance and comfort. This is primarily because aerodynamics can help obtain good results in terms of comfort and protection. Aprilia is continuing to evolve its formal language, and the 457 is the last bike designed by us,” said the designer. “We started drawing the bike from the 660 – probably the middle-range bike of Aprilia, and looked at the bigger and larger bikes before this, but designing the little Tuono was very difficult because it wasn't so easy to be different from the others in a naked motorbike segment. Aprilia design has never followed anyone, it had to be original and brave in shape. Its design is made of straight line surfaces that tend to be flat, and the 457, let me say, is the last interpretation of the power of the Aprilia design language. Aerodynamics has become very important, not only for the MotoGP bikes but also for the smaller ones, because it can create a feeling like the bigger bikes of Aprilia. The 457 has many components. Starting from aerodynamics, the wing under the headlight is not only for aesthetics, but it also has a function – it works with the side part which is the cover of the radiator. So, it's a very simple naked bike but we are very satisfied with the result because to us it is different from the others, in terms of what it communicates – proportion as Aprilia bikes, a prominent front, very minimal tail, and the headlight has a room which is very important. Aprilia usually has a three-eyed face, and the little Tuono also has that kind of image to underline the family feeling with the other bikes of the Aprilia range."

We also asked the designer about what he thinks is the most iconic design, and he said, “It depends. With blind eyes, I like to listen to our V4 because that sound is music for me. For riding off-road, the Tuareg is wonderful, and on the road, the 660. The 457 has also surprised me because it's very easy. It is a fun bike, and I'm 57, so to me V4 is too much. Today, I prefer 457 or 660 because these are closer to my needs. The concept of sportiness is changing, and Aprilia to me, can reinterpret that concept. Today, you must enjoy it when you ride a bike, and for me, Aprilia is the right bike to do that.”

Lambro also spoke about how the design is affected by safety. “The evolution of vehicles with safety in mind is very important and designers must also consider it. Sometimes it is a problem to put this technology in a motorbike, because there is little space, but we are at the beginning of this phase and the components to be used are evolving quickly.” We also asked Lambro if two wheeler design has any inspiration from the design of cars, and the designer said, “Design has no boundaries. Inspiration can come from other fields, including the automotive field. There are big differences between designing a car and a motorbike, mainly because the relationships between the driver and the vehicle are different. Just think about the proportions or the driving position, but I think the passion is the same. Sometimes we inspire the car designers and sometimes they inspire us.”

When asked about his thoughts on where motorcycle design is going in the next few years, Lambro said, “When I think about the evolution of the motorbike, from the point of view of design, I believe that the big changes have been the consequence of technological innovations and the change in customers. I am not referring so much to the shape, which changes according to the taste of the moment, but to the change in use that technological innovation has enabled. Think of a component as simple as the front headlight. Once upon a time it only served to illuminate. Today it is part of the design of the bike, characterises its expression and allows you to ride in the dark with great confidence.”

As we reached the end of our conversation, we asked the designer about the motorcycle design trends to look out for, and Lambro said that the concept of sportiness is changing. “The racing world continues to be a reference and to fascinate our customers, but the way of experiencing the sporty motorbike is changing. You can also see it in the design. I believe that the extremes of performance, and therefore of form, are giving way to a cleaner and simpler design, more on a human scale.”