EICMA: 2023 Benelli range

The Benelli stand was a busy place at the opening of this year’s EICMA international motorcycle show, with no less than seven new models joining the firm’s current line-up of twin- and single-cylinder machinery. And while the current line-up receives a sprinkling of minor updates and new colours for the 2023 model year, it’s the handful of new bikes – both in their own right or additions to existing Benelli model families – which drew the most attention.

It’s not exactly clear at this stage which models will make it to Australian dealerships.

Sitting between the firm’s TRK 502 and TRK 800 adventure models is a new TRK 702. Powered by a new 698cc parallel-twin engine fed by a 41mm throttle body, it’s capable of 76hp (56kW) at 8750rpm and 68Nm at 6250rpm.

Like its stablemates, it’s available in both a road-focused base model as well as an off-road biased X version.

The tubular-steel trellis fame used in both versions is based on the unit used in the Leoncino 500 and suspension is by way of an upside-down, non-adjustable, 50mm fork at the front and a monoshock at the rear. On the base model it’s adjustable for both preload and rebound, and both ends offer 168mm of wheel travel.

The X version adds compression adjustment to the rear shock and wheel travel is increased to 173mm. The standard version rolls on a pair of 17-inch cast wheels, while the X receives a 19-inch front and both units are wire-laced alloy affairs.

The base model boasts a seat height of 790mm compared to the X’s 836mm, while the X gains 20mm more ground clearance than the standard machine, at 210mm versus 190mm. Both versions have the same claimed weight of 235kg, with the 20-litre fuel tank filled and ready to go.

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Benelli has taken the 500cc parallel-twin engine used in its current TRK and Leoncino models and created a sporty naked bike in what’s a new sector for the Chinese-owned brand. With the Tornado moniker harking back to big-bore triple-cylinder naked bikes from nearly two decades ago, the new naked twin is very much a modern iteration looking to cash in on the lucrative segment.

The underslung exhaust, 50mm diameter upside-down fork and 160-section rear tyre give it the appearance of being larger than a 500cc twin, though if history is anything to go by, it won’t be long before we see larger- or even smaller-capacity versions joining the line-up.

There’s an ABS-equipped twin-disc front end, a 14-litre fuel tank, the seat height is 784mm and the whole shebang weighs in at 199kg ready to ride.

A modern-day interpretation of the Motobi range from the 1950s, the Imperiale 400 is powered by a new 374cc air-cooled single. There’s 20.4hp (15kW) and 29Nm available to propel the 205kg (claimed, wet) machine and it’s suspended on a non-adjustable 41mm conventional fork up front and a pair of non-adjustable shocks at the rear.

It rolls on a 19-inch front wheel and an 18-inch rear, employs a single-disc brake setup at both ends, and has a 780mm-high seat and a 12-litre fuel tank.

Benelli has a new single-cylinder all-roads commuter in the form of the BKX 250, available in both standard and S guises. With 25.8hp (19kW) on tap at 9250rpm, the liquid-cooled 249cc single makes more power than the air-cooled 374cc unit in the Imperiale, though falls short on torque output with 21Nm available at 8000rpm.

With upright ergonomics and dual-purpose tyres, the BKX range looks to be a practical and comfortable way to traverse the urban jungle. With the standard model featuring adventure-like styling including a 19-inch front wheel, the stripped-back S model takes on a more sporty look with 17-inch rims at both ends.

The chassis is a tubular-steel affair and the fork is a non-adjustable upside-down 41mm unit, while a monoshock looks after suspension duties at the rear. Benelli says a 125 version will join the line-up in the future.

The TRK 251 is the fourth different displacement machine in the TRK line-up and one very likely to make it to Australian dealers. Using the same liquid-cooled 249cc engine used in the BKX range, it has the same 25.8hp (19kW) and 21Nm output.

The same 41mm upside-down fork is shared across both units too, while the TRK 251 rolls on 17-inch aluminium alloy rims with a 110/70 tyre on the front and 150/60 fitted to the rear. The single-disc front-end is ABS equipped.

There’s no word at this stage of an X version, as is the case with its larger-capacity stablemates. The TRK 251 will be available in four different colours: white, black, yellow or grey.

Just as the TRK range receives a 250cc version for the 2023 model year, so does the firm’s popular Leoncino range, while adding a 125cc version into the mix for good measure.

Sharing the same chassis across the two displacements, and using the same liquid-cooled 249cc powerplant of other quarter-litre machinery in the line-up, the 250 rolls on 17-inch rims shod with 110/70-R17 and 150/60-R17 tyres front and rear.

The 125cc version is also powered by a liquid-cooled engine, this time capable of 12.8hp (9.4kW) at 9500rpm and 10Nm of torque at 8500rpm, while its 17-inch rims are shod with 110/80-R17 and 130/70-R17 tyres front and rear.

The BN 125 is a sporty-styled single-cylinder naked bike powered by the same liquid-cooled engine of the smallest Leoncino matched to a five-speed transmission. There’s a 35mm upside front fork and a single-disc front end gripped by a three-piston caliper, while Benelli claims an incredibly frugal 1.7L/100km consumption for the model, giving a very healthy range from the 13.5-litre tank.