Benelli confirms debut cruiser in India

Soon after launching the 500cc Leoncino in India, Italian motorcycle manufacturer Benelli has confirmed that it will be launching its first cruiser in India by 2020. The Benelli 502C will be brought to India via the CKD route and is likely to be priced around Rs 5 lakh.

A report in Zigwheels states that the Italian company’s managing director, Vikas Jhabakh has confirmed that Benelli will launch the 502C in India by 2020. Though the motorcycle bears a striking resemblance to another unrelated Italian motorcycle, the Ducati Diavel, it shares its powertrain with the TRK 502.

Benelli could market the 502C as a reliable long-distance tourer, as the motorcycle is equipped with raked-out front forks along with a bulky 21.5-liter fuel tank. It has a low seat height of 750 mm making it ideal for shorter riders. It also gets forward-set footpegs and convenient handlebars for comfortable ergonomics. It also gets a stubby tail section.

The 502C borrows its engine from the TRK 502, which is a 500cc parallel-twin liquid-cooled DOHC unit and makes 47.5 PS of maximum power and 46 Nm of peak torque. Benelli claims it has a fuel efficiency of 27 km/l, which roughly translates to a range of 550 km.

The bike is built on a tubular trellis frame with 41 mm upside-down forks in the front and a pre-load adjustable monoshock in the rear. It gets dual 280 mm petal discs in the front and a 240 mm petal disc at the back. Dual-channel ABS is offered as standard.

The prices are yet to be officially announced by Benelli, but it is expected that the motorcycle will be priced around Rs 5 lakh (ex-showroom).