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Italian bike maker Benelli had recently announced of their return to India in a brand new partnership with Mahavir Group. With this new partnership, Benelli plans to launch 12 new bikes ranging from 250cc to 1200cc. They also plan to make investments for design and manufacture of mid-capacity bikes in India along with a new R&D centre, a manufacturing facility, and a parts supplier park.
The small and mid-capacity motorcycles will play the most crucial role in securing market share in the highly competitive Indian two-wheeler markets. Perhaps the most interesting of their line-up is going to be the TRK 251 compact adventure bike.
With the demand for small capacity ADV's increasing, the Indian market is running short. At most, we have the Royal Enfield Himalayan and BMW G310 GS currently available while the Hero XPulse 200 and KTM Adventure 390 are yet to see the light outside factory doors. The TRK 251, when launched will compete with all of the above and if priced around the expected Rs 2.3 lakh will definitely have an advantage.
However, calling it an outright ADV would be a bit of a stretch. Sure, it comes with a beaky front fairing, a taller stance thanks to the suspension and a tall windscreen for protection from windblast. From the looks of it, it seems like the bike will be happier on the tarmac. A little bit of mud and bumps may not deter it but the Metzeler Sportec M5 Interacts are road-biased tyres and they don't do well anywhere else.
The other problem is the lack of a skid plate. The tall suspension would definitely help when maneuvering over bumps and ditches, but a skid plate, even a fragile one, could save the exhaust from damage if the bump is too high or the ditch too steep. Even if you don't plan to go mud-slinging, a skid plate will definitely make it more appealing.
Mechanically, the bike is pretty decent. Powering the mini TRK will be a 249cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder producing 25.8 PS at 9,250 rpm and 21.2 Nm of peak torque at 8,000 rpm mated to a 6-speed transmission. Braking duties will be managed by dual channel ABS on 280 mm and 240 mm petal discs at the front and rear respectively. The suspension will come from a 41 mm upside-down fork and a preload adjustable rear monoshock.
The TRK 251 will come via the CKD route, assembled at the Hyderabad plant and is expected to be priced around Rs 2.3 lakh. With most of its competition priced above Rs 3 lakh currently, the TRK will be an ideal bike for people looking for an ADV but don't plan to go too far off-road.
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