BREAKING: Benelli 502 C Unveiled In India, Launch By End Of The Month

Pre-bookings are open for Benelli 502 C, the Italian brand’s first cruiser in India

• The Benelli 502 C’s powerplant is shared with the Benelli Leoncino 500 and the Benelli TRK 502.
• It features laidback ergonomics, modern performance cruiser styling, and a generous fuel tank for easy mile-munching.
• Is likely to command a premium of around Rs 20,000 over the Leoncino 500.

Benelli has unveiled its first modern cruiser in India, the Benelli 502 C. The company has now commenced pre-bookings for the cruiser at a token of Rs 10,000. The bike will be launched in the last week of this month at an expected premium of about Rs 20,000 over the Benelli Leoncino 500, which retails at Rs 4.69 lakh (ex-showroom India).  

The Benelli 502 C shares its powerplant with the Leoncino as well as the Benelli TRK 502. The BS6-compliant 500cc parallel-twin liquid-cooled motor churns out the same 47.6PS at 8,500rpm and 46Nm at 6,000rpm as its siblings. The engine is mated to a six-speed transmission linked to a final chain drive. 

Benelli has built the bike on a trellis frame linked to an inverted front fork and a preload-adjustable rear monoshock. For optimum braking power, it features twin 280mm petal discs with radial calipers up front and a 240mm petal disc at the rear with dual-channel ABS as standard. 

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This motorcycle is a potent touring machine, thanks to its laidback ergonomics, an accessible 750mm tall seat, and a humongous 21-litre fuel tank. What’s more, it even gets a generous 170mm ground clearance, so there’s no need to worry about bad roads. 

Its styling is reminiscent of the Ducati Diavel 1260 and our very own Bajaj Dominar 400. That said, the design is attention-grabbing. As expected from a modern cruiser, it gets an all-LED lighting system and a full-TFT instrument cluster with dual display modes. We’d have liked it if Benelli offered smartphone compatibility with turn-by-turn navigation as well. 

Overall, at least on paper, the Benelli 502 C seems like a well-rounded cruiser in the middleweight segment, and we can’t wait to see how it actually feels to ride. The only alternative as of now is the Kawasaki Vulcan S in the 650cc space. The Honda Rebel 500 will be its apt competitor, but it isn’t available right now. Expect the Japanese brand to launch the cruiser in the coming months.