Benelli TRK702 Leaked in Approval Documents

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The Benelli TRK702X (the adventure-style version) will feature a 693cc parallel twin and has been type-approved in China. (Benelli/)

There’s an increasingly fiendish puzzle emerging around Italian firm Benelli’s plans for future models in the hugely popular adventure bike segment, and it’s just gained another layer with the emergence of photographs and details of the new TRK702 and TRK702X.

It’s been a while since Benelli launched a new adventure bike, but the firm’s existing TRK502 model—a low-cost machine powered by a 500cc parallel twin to rival the likes of Honda’s CB500X—has become a surprise hit in Italy, topping the sales charts this year in its homeland.

For some time, the company has been developing a larger-capacity TRK model to take the fight to bigger adventure bikes like the BMW F 800 GS and Yamaha Ténéré 700, but the TRK702 that you see here isn’t it.

Related: QJMotor’s 700cc Models Hint at New Benellis to Come

The bike’s styling is lifted almost wholesale from the existing TRK502, and will appear in two versions; this is the road-oriented variant. (Benelli/)

The other Benelli middleweight that’s under development is expected to be called either TRK750 or TRK800 and uses the Benelli-developed 754cc parallel-twin engine from the Leoncino 800 retro and 752S roadster. That motor is, in effect, two cylinders from the old 1,130cc triple that powered the Tornado superbike, TNT 1130 naked bike, and TreK 1130 adventure model in the days before Benelli was swallowed by Chinese giant Qianjiang in 2005.

Meanwhile, this machine—which has been type-approved in China and is clearly ready for sale—features a completely different, 693cc parallel twin, hence the “702″ name which designates the bike’s a “700″ class machine with two cylinders. This engine, again made by Benelli, albeit at the firm’s Chinese factory, appears to be a clone of the CFMoto twin used in the CFMoto 700CL-X. That design, in turn, was inspired by the Kawasaki 650 twin-cylinder engine.

Is there really space in Benelli’s range for both a 693cc twin and a 754cc twin—both sharing the same basic layout of double overhead cams and four valves per cylinder, but with completely different design and no shared components?

There will likely also be an accessorized trim with luggage for both models, here seen on the street-oriented machine. (Benelli/)

The new TRK702′s specs show the 693cc twin makes 75 hp, just 6 hp less than the existing Benelli 754cc engine in the Leoncino 800, and despite being a new engine for Benelli, the firm appears to have shoehorned it into the existing TRK502′s steel trellis frame. The styling appears to be lifted wholesale from the 502 model, with the same tank, seat, and front fairing, but there’s a new alloy swingarm, presumably to cope with the uplift in power from the 502′s 47 hp peak.

As with the TRK502, there are two models—a road-oriented machine with 17-inch alloy wheels and a more adventure-styled “X” model with wire wheels and a larger-diameter 19-inch front combined with a 17-inch rear. Unlike the existing TRK502X, the TRK702X has modern-style wires, with wide-spaced spokes attached to the very edge of the rim.

Related: Benelli To Show New 4-Cylinder Engine

Both forms use Brembo brakes with standard ABS; the adventure version seen here specs a 19-inch front tire paired with a 17 rear. (Benelli/)

The bike’s specs show there’s no change in tire size compared to the existing TRK502, despite the additional power. The base model uses a 120/70ZR-17 front and 160/60ZR-17 rear, while the X model has a 110/80R-19 front and 150/70R-17 at the back. Surprisingly, the new TRK702 is significantly lighter than the existing TRK502, with a wet curb weight of 485 pounds compared to 518 pounds for the older, less powerful model. The bike, in both TRK702 and TRK702X forms, uses Brembo brakes, with standard ABS, and has also been approved in a second form with large alloy cases fitted, upping the weight 525 pounds but adding a significant luggage capacity in the process.

Quite how Benelli will incorporate the TRK702 into the range, and what it implies for the yet-to-be-launched TRK752 that’s been under development in Italy, remains to be seen. To add further confusion, Benelli’s parent company, Qianjiang, recently filed patents for another middleweight, twin-cylinder adventure bike—but a V-twin rather than a parallel twin. That machine, which we revealed here, uses an engine that’s similar to Suzuki’s SV650 or Hyosung’s GT650 motor, making it good for around 70 hp. It seems to make little sense to have all three bikes in the line at once, and the TRK702′s type approval in China shows it’s definitely going into production—perhaps at the expense of some of the other projects.

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[MikeHorton]

Looks a lot more beaky than the 502 but by all accounts the 502 is a good bike v interesting 

[Old-codger]

Why does it need that beak when it has a front mudguard, completely pointless.

[MikeHorton]

Its got a bigger nose than my ex, I used to say "er's got a right beak on her"