Benelli India To Launch More Bikes This Year

The brand has announced it will launch five motorcycles, including variants, this year

• Benelli India to launch Leoncino and Leoncino Trail next.
• The neo-retro bikes will be followed by a power cruiser.
• Benelli is yet to decide the other two products for India.

Benelli India launched the all-new TRK 502 and TRK 502X adventure tourers on February 18. At the launch, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer announced that it will launch five more bikes this year. The first two will be the Leoncino and the Leoncino Trail. Both motorcycles are powered by the same engine as the TRK 502. Even their power figures - 47.5PS and 46Nm - are the same as the TRK 502’s numbers. However, expect the final drive ratio to be different to suit the character of the bike. 

The Leoncino is more of a modern classic whereas the Leoncino Trail is essentially a retro-modern scrambler, complete with longer travel suspension and spoke wheels for better handling in the trails. Benelli plans to launch these two motorcycles in the second half of this year. We believe a price tag of around Rs 4.5 lakh (ex-showroom) would be ideal for the Leoncino while the Trail variant is likely to command a premium of around Rs 30,000 over the standard bike.

Soon after the launch of the Leoncino twins, Benelli is expected to bring the the 502 C power cruiser. Its sleek headlamp, bulbous and curvy fuel tank and a stubby tail section bear an uncanny resemblance to the Ducati Diavel. It also gets the TRK 502’s powerplant but generates 1Nm less than the ADV. However, peak torque arrives 1000rpm earlier (at 5000rpm), so the acceleration figures are likely to remain unaffected. Expect Benelli to price this power cruiser at around Rs 4.5 lakh too.

Benelli is yet to decide on the other two bikes for the Indian two-wheeler market. Considering that the TNT 300 has undergone a makeover in markets abroad and is now known as the 302 S, we wouldn’t be surprised if Benelli replaces the current 300cc naked with the new international-spec model. Another possibility is that the brand could scale up and bring the 752 S into the country as a CKD product. Only time will tell what the brand’s next move is. Until then, stay tuned to BikeDekho for more updates!