DSK Benelli reveals four India-bound bikes at Auto Expo

DSK Benelli is set to expand its range of motorcycles in India. The four new additions to its stable of Benellis are on display at the Auto Expo 2016 and detailed below:

Tornado 302
In effect, this is a faired version of the TNT 300. The Tornado 302 features a full-fairing, with a clear visor for tuck and twist situations. The model comes with an angular fuel tank, with protruding knee recesses and a split-seat that tapers off into a sporty tail end.

The Tornado 302 is powered by a 300cc, in-line two cylinder, and liquid-cooled engine that makes 34.8bhp at a high 12,000rpm, and a healthy 2.7kgm of torque at 9,000rpm. The Tornado 302 has a six-speed gearbox, and uses a steel tube frame. It uses an USD fork setup in the front and monoshock at the rear.

Braking is via dual, 260mm petal discs in front, with a single 240mm rear disc brake, with an ABS system. Tyres are by Metzeler, on 17-inch wheels. Unfortunately, the Tornado 302 makes do with a box section swingarm rather than a more sophisticated alloy unit.

TRK 502
The TRK 502 is an adventure motorcycle, with little in common with the larger Benelli TreK bike. It looks more like the larger Bavarian adventure motorcycles – a tad smaller in size, which is a good thing. The TRK 502 is powered by a 499.6cc, in-line two-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine with four valves per cylinder. It makes 46.9bhp of power at 8,500rpm and 4.6kgm of torque at 4,500rpm. The gearbox is a six-speed unit, while the chassis is tubular steel-fabricated.

For suspension, the TRK 502 uses USD forks in the front and a pre-load adjustable rear monoshock. Braking is carried out by Brembo-made 320mm, twin petal type discs in the front, and at rear a single disc that measures 260mm. The TRK 502 gets the safety feature of ABS brakes. The new Benelli gets knobby type, 19-inch tyres up front and a 17-inch rear tyre, from Metzeler. Ground clearance is a tall 230mm, good for an adventure motorcycle. The fuel-tank capacity is a tourer-friendly 20 litres.

BX250
Benelli is showing real vision by bringing in the BXC250 motard to India. The BX250 comes powered by a single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 250cc engine that outputs in the region of 25bhp. Add to the equation the BX250’s relatively light dry weight of 132kg and you are guaranteed lively performance. The BX250’s steel tubular frame comes with USD front forks and a linked monoshock setup at the rear.   

TNT Naked T-135
An interesting addition to the DSK Benelli line-up is the TNT Naked T-135. Fitting the description of a ‘monkey bike’, the T-135 looks unique for its utilitarian design and 12-inch wheels. The T-135 comes powered by a single-cylinder, air-cooled, 135cc engine that makes 12.6bhp. Held together by a trellis frame, the T-135 uses USD front forks and a monoshock at the rear.  It will be interesting to see how Benelli positions it in India.

TNT 600i and 600GT
Also worth a mention is that Benelli is soon to offer its TNT 600i and 600GT models with ABS. The availability of the switchable ABS system will address a major shortcoming we noted on the big Benellis.

The manufacturer has not revealed prices or launch dates for any of the models as yet.