Exclusive: Benelli Leoncino 800 Engine Specs, Pics And Details Revealed

The motorcycle is powered by a 754cc parallel twin, liquid-cooled engine

• The powerplant is Euro 5-compliant.
• It produces 81.5PS and 67Nm.
• Benelli has also equipped the bike with a TFT screen.
• Expect Benelli to launch the Leoncino 800 in India next year.

We’ve got our hands on some exclusive details including the full specifications of the Leoncino 800 ahead of its official unveil at the 2019 EICMA! Interestingly, the motorcycle shares its powerplant with the Benelli 752S, and even the bore and stroke configurations are the same. However, the Leoncino 800’s motor has been tuned to generate more power. 

It now produces 81.5PS at 9000rpm and 67Nm 6500rpm. In comparison, the 752S’ heart pushes out 76.1PS at 8500rpm and 67Nm at 6500rpm. The engine is Euro 5-compliant and Benelli says it will be available in international markets in mid-2020. So expect the Italian brand to launch the motorcycle in India around October 2020. The bike is likely to enter our shores via the CKD route with an expected price tag of around Rs 6.5 lakh to Rs 7 lakh (ex-showroom). 

The engine works in conjunction with a 6-speed transmission linked to a final chain drive. Benelli claims a mileage of 16.9kmpl for the Leoncino 800. This coupled with the 15-litre fuel tank should ensure a theoretical range of around 250km. 

Benelli has built the Leoncino on a new trellis frame, suspended over Marzocchi inverted front fork, which is claimed to be fully-adjustable and a monoshock which offers preload and rebound damping adjustability. For optimum performance over trails, the Leoncino 800 rides on tubeless Pirelli MT60 RS knobbies wrapped on spoke wheels with aluminium alloy rims. Even the brakes, dual 320mm discs with Brembo monobloc (a first in the Leoncino lineup) 4-piston radial calipers up front and a 260mm disc with a 2-piston caliper at the rear, are properly premium. The bike gets standard dual-channel ABS and Benelli offers a centre stand as standard as well.

In terms of heft, the bike tips the scales at 220kg kerb, which is 25kg more than the Leoncino 500. As far as the feature list is concerned, the motorcycle packs a modern TFT instrument console and there’s a set of directional buttons on the switchgear for navigation, like the KTM 390 Duke. You also get the traditional oval LED headlamp along with LED tail light and indicators. The design language is also quintessentially Leoncino, complete with the “Lion of Pesaro” ornament on the front fender.