2018 Benelli TRK 502X review

The Italian coastal city of Pesaro and Benelli share an inexorable bond. When the Italian motorcycle maker was at the height of its powers last century, a large chunk of Pesaro’s workforce was tasked with assembling a wide variety of Benellis – including machines like the original Leoncino.

Those workers also has the satisfaction of seeing Benelli show its muscular hand on race tracks throughout Europe and the British mainland, with Aussie Kel Carruthers a huge part of that golden era when he won the 250cc world title in 1969.

In 2018, Pesaro is a very different place. Sure, there’s still an industrial grit but it’s now in harmony with a cosmopolitan city where tourists flock to en masse – which Bikesales saw first-hand when we in Italy for the launch of the TRK 502X adventure bike.

Benelli, like all Italian manufacturers since those heady days, has changed a lot over the last 50 years, but it still maintains Pesaro as its headquarters even though it’s now under the ownership of the massive Chinese Qianjiang Group.

Sentimentally, Benelli remains domiciled in the same historic building in Pesaro, too, just a few hundred metres from the Autostrada that links cities like Bologna with the east coast of Italy.

And that’s where the launch of the Benelli TRK 502X began – once we found the building after a few wrong turns starts and an unscheduled return to the Autostrada… Google Maps didn’t allow for a temporary fence across a major roundabout… That’s part of the ‘fun’ of driving in foreign countries, I suppose.

The TRK 502X is, like all Benelli products these days, built with a more pragmatic, broad-brush narrative that’s about hitting as many targets as possible – backed up by product that is really starting to talk the talk.

The 502X is based on the more road-based TRK 502 adventure bike – which we rode earlier this year at the Aussie launch. Reviewer Rod Chapman left us with the following: “Purchasers of Benelli's TRK 502 will gain a very competent, accessible and manageable adventure bike for a relatively modest asking price.”

Without hesitation, I’d adopt a similar takeaway on the $9390 rideaway TRK 502X – but for someone who enjoys adventuring off-road as much as on, the X is where it’s really at for me.

The TRK 502X has the same 20-litre fuel tank and steel trellis frame as the TRK 502, but then takes on a more rugged path with the spoked wheels (the front a 19-incher), Metzeler Tourance adventure tyres, engine guard and longer suspension travel at the rear – but only by 5mm. The exhaust is also side-mounted instead of underslung, the brakes floating calipers instead of radial, and the X also has a centrestand and wave discs.

The X’s wheelbase is also 20mm shorter (down from 1525mm to 1505mm) then the standard TRK, and its seat height is 850mm compared to 800mm.

As explained at the launch, Benelli is attempting to meet global demand smack bang in the middle with its 500cc mid-size adventure stance: emerging markets have an increasing thirst for larger capacity bikes, while many mature markets – Benelli used Europe as an example – are tracking downwards.

Mind you, that’s not going to stop Benelli adding even more oomph to the X configuration with an 800cc version, which it confirmed was on the cards. No mention of timing, yet.

The TRK 502X launch certainly hit the ground running – onto the same roads above Pesaro where Valentino Rossi plied his trade as a wild teenager! Rossi's hometown of Tavullia is just up the road.

There were plenty of twists and turns – but it wasn’t the grippiest tarmac, especially with the adventure hoops.

The learner-approved X is very much a sit-in bike, with a reach to the bars that had my arms at a fair stretch. As a result, I felt a little unconnected at the start of the ride, but it’s amazing how the mind and body improvise – by the end of the day all was good in the world again. It was never really a case of being uncomfortable, but more of finding a way to gel with the bike.

And the fact that we started traversing sinewy roads from the start was a blessing, as it wasn’t just body language we were concerned with – it was about sizing up the bike from all angles.

It has become somewhat of a standard refrain over the last year or so – thanks to other machines in the Benelli range like the Leoncino – but the 500cc parallel twin engine is an absolute ripper. On paper, with 48hp (35kW) at 8500rpm and 46Nm at 6000rpm lugging around 235kg (wet), the power- and torque-to-weight ratios don’t shout from the rooftop, but it still manages to hit the right notes: a tractable, strong feel, linear torque, soft clutch, slick gearbox and raspy exhaust note. In other words, it’s not short on personality.

It spins up with a fair degree of urge from tickover, and hits redline around the 9000rpm mark. Above 5000rpm is the natural position to ride the TRK, where you’ll get more than enough grunt to keep you entertained – but you have to keep working at it, which is exactly what you’d expect from a middleweight adventure bike with moderate specs.

And if laid-back cruising is more your thing, the non-adjustable screen is fairly wide and offers good protection.

The broad seat is good for a few hundred clicks without a stop – the TRK will go a lot further than that with its 20-litre tank and miserly fuel consumption – but it does feel like it has a mini hump in it – not annoying as such but just something I noticed. Or it may have been my expanding bum playing lumpy tricks on me…

Finally on the long-haul front, the accessories list includes Italian-made Givi panniers.

The X handles well – neutral and no surprises. Despite the 19-inch front wheel and non-adjustable 50mm upside-down forks being quite soft, it’s particularly well balanced under heavy braking on tarmac, where those floating calipers do a decent job of pulling the machine up. The TRK has a trestle steel frame, and there’s a fair amount of ground clearance (220mm) as well.

The shock absorber offers full adjustment, and preload adjustment is a relatively easy affair.

The off-road component of the launch route wasn’t, ahem, as extensive as we had anticipated, but it was enough of a tease for me to confirm that it’s undoubtedly where the soft-ish suspension brings out the best in the bike. And that’s where Benelli is pinning its hopes on the X striking a chord with Aussie buyers in light of our lust for more hardcore adventure travel.

The only caveat for the X off-road is suspension travel, only offering 5mm more on the rear than the TRK 502. Add in the fairly hefty weightnand it could pose some problems if riders want to really push the boundaries. The X does have full suspension adjustment on the rear, though, as opposed to preload only on the TRK 502.

The TRK has removable rubber peg inserts to reveal bear-trap style units for when the action gets a little bit more serious. There is also the option of switching off ABS.

Standing up on the Benelli agreed with me, as I really didn’t have to swoop down too far to get a purchase on the handlebar. One interesting conundrum did come to light, though: the instrumentation was tilted a little too far forward while seated, and the opposite when I was standing. It made reading the LCD component of the instrumentation a little difficult, especially in direct sunlight.

Clearly, a tilt-adjustable unit would be the panacea for those ills, which is something that Triumph does well. However, you can’t have everything for under 10K…

The TRK 502X, like all good adventure bikes, isn’t a one-trick pony: it can take on a variety of roles with aplomb, from commuter come scratcher to a relaxed tourer and fun-finder.

Of course, it’s not about sophistication and cutting-edge electronics on the Benelli, but a machine that opens up the boundaries of adventure in a no-fuss, compliant manner.

While the TRK 502 has opposition with models like the Honda CB500X, for the TRK 502X it’s not so clearcut – bikes like the BMW G 310 GS and the Honda CRF250L Rally enter the picture.

But with a power premium over those bikes, combined with strong build quality and sharp pricing, Benelli has a fair bit to hang its hat on. Benelli may have just kicked another goal.

ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, four-stroke, DOHC, eight-valve parallel-twin
Capacity: 500cc
Bore and stroke: 69mm x 66.8mm
Compression ratio: 11.5:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

PERFORMANCE
Maximum power: 48hp (35kW) at 8500rpm
Maximum torque: 46Nm at 6000rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Tubular-steel trellis and plates
Front suspension: Marzocchi inverted 50mm telescopic fork, non-adjustable, 145mm travel
Rear suspension: Sachs monoshock, fully adjustable, 50mm travel
Front brakes: Twin 320mm discs with radial-mount four-piston Brembo calipers, Bosch ABS
Rear brake: Single 260mm disc with single-piston Brembo caliper, Bosch ABS
Tyres: 120/70-ZR17, 160/60-ZR17

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed wet weight: 235kg
Seat height: 850mm
Wheelbase: 1505mm
Fuel capacity: 20 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $9390 ride away
Test bike supplied by: Benelli Q.J, Pesaro, Italy
Local contact: Urban Moto Imports
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres, with two years of roadside assistance