2012 Benelli Due 756

As MV Agusta joins the likes of Triumph and Ducati with a middleweight naked bike, it seems that Benelli wants in on the action as well, finally confirming the Benelli Due 756 for production in 2012.

The bike will go on sale first in China in 2012, owing to the Italian motorcycle marque's Asian owners, and will then be rolled out in Europe later in the year.

It's not yet clear whether the 754cc parallel twin will be offered in Australia, but with Benelli making a quiet comback in Oz, it's certainly not out of the question.

The Benelli Due 756 will likely be the company's most affordable motorcycle and possibly its most popular as a result of its pricing. It will be built in Italy and might appeal to Ducati 696 and BMW F800R owners.

A long time coming, the Due 756 has been variously paraded as a concept bike since 2006 (at Intermot in Cologne) its latest outing in 2009 at the EICMA event in Milan, Italy.

Instead of creating a compact version of its three-cylinder lump, Benelli came to the 754cc engine type by modifying its liquid-cooled 'Tre' engine, by removing one of the triple's cylinders and working a few engineering tricks. And the 'Due' parallel twin-cylinder engine was born.

At last count the inline twin was good for 97hp (72kW) at 10,000rpm and 64Nm at 8000rpm. The DOHC engine featured four-valves per cylinder, a 12.5:1 compression ratio, and bore and stroke of 88mm x 62mm.

Fully adjustable suspension will also be part of the package, while radially mounted Brembo brakes up front (fitted to twin 320mm discs) and a twin pot caliper at the rear (mated to a 240mm disc) round out the chassis details.

The Benelli design, though several years old, still cuts a sharp image. Its eye-catching frame and swingarm and minimal bodywork show off the Due 756's engine and the headlight design is unique.

We'll be riding a few Benellis in 2012, so stay tuned for more details on how the updated range of Italian bikes fare on Australian roads.