Benelli Leoncino 500 BS6 Launched In India, Cheaper Than Before

This is Benelli’s third BS6 offering in the country

• The Benelli Leoncino 500 costs almost Rs 20,000 less than the BS4 version.
• Packs the same engine as the Benelli TRK 502.
• No other changes apart from the cleaner motor.

Benelli India has launched its third BS6-compliant motorcycle, the Leoncino 500. Priced at Rs 4,59,900, for the silver colour variant, the Benelli Leoncino 500 BS6 is Rs 19,100 less expensive than the BS4 model. On the other hand, the red colour variant retails at Rs 4,69,900 (all prices, ex-showroom pan-India). Bookings are open at a token amount of Rs 10,000. 

The motorcycle is powered by the same engine as the Benelli TRK 502 BS6. This 500cc parallel-twin liquid-cooled engine produces 47.5PS at 8500rpm and 46Nm at 6000rpm. The motor is linked to a 6-speed transmission. We wish Benelli had offered an assist and slipper clutch as standard. That would’ve made pulling the clutch lever effortless and would’ve also prevented the rear wheel from locking while downshifting aggressively.

No other changes have been made to the motorcycle apart from the cleaner motor. The retro-modern soft-scrambler design has remained unchanged. Even the underpinnings are the same as before. So it gets a 50mm inverted front fork, rebound and preload-adjustable rear monoshock, twin 320mm discs with radial calipers up front, and a 260mm disc at the rear with dual-channel ABS as standard. However, the BS6 bike now gets switchable ABS for extra versatility. The motorcycle rolls on 17-inch alloys on both ends, wrapped with road-biased Pirelli Angel ST tyres.

The BS4 bike was already on the heavier side, at 207kg kerb. Expect the BS6 version to weigh a few kilos more. It features an all-LED lighting system and a fully digital instrument cluster. A TFT screen with smartphone connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation would’ve been a welcome addition.

All said and done, the lack of new features can be forgiven as the bike is fairly more affordable now, despite being updated to comply with the stringent norms. The price cut is likely due to increased levels of localisation. Benelli also offers a three-year, unlimited km warranty on the bike for added peace of mind.

It has no natural rivals in its segment but lower down the line lies the Husqvarna Svartpilen 250. You could also opt for the Ducati Scrambler 800 if you have Rs 7.99 lakh to spare.