VAAN Moto, which commenced selling its products from Kerala last December has a joint cooperation pact with Italian superbike maker Benelli for engineering and supply chain.
The Benelli 502C is a touring-oriented middle-weight cruiser based on the same engine platform as the Leoncino 500.
The 302R also now gets a full-colour TFT dash to display a host of information to the rider and a new set of switchgears that are backlit.
Benelli has a great brand recall among motorcycle enthusiasts and the TRK 502 is a likeable bike despite its ‘weight’ issues.
Powering the TRK 502X is the same 499.6cc parallel twin. It has been updated to comply with the new emission norms, but the output figures remain the same at 47.5 PS and 46 Nm.
Starting January, Benelli intends to launch one product every month till August. The company will also open more than one dealership per week till the end of March. This will take the total dealership count to 50 from 34 now, with most coming up in Tier-2 and Tier 3 locations.
With bikes like the Royal Enfield Classic 350, Bullet 350 and the erstwhile Thunderbird 350 in play, it is no surprise that Royal Enfield managed the best numbers. Competition, however, came in from the likes of Jawa and Jawa 42, the Benelli Imperiale 400 and now, the recently launched Honda H’ness CB350.
When it comes to the domain of retro-themed bikes in India, Royal Enfield has been king of the field for a long time with the Classic 350 and the Bullet 350.
The Benelli Imperiale 400 is now available with an 85 percent finance scheme. Booking amount for the Imperiale is also as low as Rs 6,000.
According to plans that were revealed, Benelli will first help MV Agusta sell their motorcycles in the Chinese market and later carry out engine research.
First launched in October, 2019, the Beneli Imperiale takes the fight directly to the Royal Enfield Classic series of motorcycles.
Powering the TRK 800 will be the 754cc parallel twin engine that was showcased in the Leoncino 800. The motor is expected to churn out 81 PS of power and 67 Nm of torque.
The 2020 TNT Benelli gets a whole host of changes that is not limited to just the design. The bike is a lot more aggressive looking and the headlamp unit is a lot sharper.
The TRK bikes in their current form, get a 499.6cc parallel-twin engine that churns out 47.6 PS of maximum power at 8,500 rpm and 46 Nm of peak torque at 6,000 rpm.
The company could introduce the Leoncino 800 in India, which was unveiled at the 2019 EICMA.
The motorcycle sticks to the Leoncino family’s neo scrambler look, complete with an oval LED headlight.
Sticking to the Leoncino family design, the motorcycle gets a semi-oval headlight, a small wind deflector, and minimalistic body panels.
The smaller Leoncino takes heavy design cues from its elder sibling, the Leoncino 500.
The Imperiale 400 takes its design inspiration from the company's Benelli-MotoBi range that was produced in the 1950. Of course, the entire look of the bike is retro but there are bits and pieces of modernity thrown in.
Previously, the motorcycle had been spotted under testing which gave us an idea of what to expect.
The motorcycle was seen in two different design languages, though both share a certain amount of similarities.
The 302S was first showcased at EICMA 2017, which was followed by an international launch.
The bike is built on a tubular trellis frame with 41mm upside-down forks in the front and a pre-load adjustable monoshock in the rear.
The motorcycle was spotted in two different avatars, suggesting that Benelli may offer the TNT 600i in two variants.
The company would ramp up production at its assembly unit in Hyderabad and has set itself a target of selling around 12,000 units by that year.