Benelli at EICMA 2021

[Admin]

Italy and China come together with the new 750 ADV—the new Benelli TRK 800 made its initial appearance at EICMA 2021. (Benelli/)

Benelli just celebrated the 110th anniversary of its founding in 1911 by the Benelli brothers, whose vision and technical ability allowed them to create models that remain iconic classics. They are not as well known today; Benelli’s last notable success came in 1969, when they won the last 250cc GP World Championship before the two-stroke revolution with a bike ridden by Kel Carruthers.

After that, Benelli entered a flat spiral where motorcycling was concerned. The brothers’ heirs focused their attention on Benelli’s celebrated shotguns, and the bikes languished. That changed in 2005 when Chinese motorcycle group Qianjiang acquired the Pesaro-based marque. Today, Benelli once again enjoys a positive position with massive financial support from the parent company. Benelli’s R&D department is still based in Pesaro, as is a marginal amount of production, just enough to justify calling the brand Italian despite the growing number of Chinese staff. But the real technical development is still done by Italian specialists, some hired on as consultants.

The TRK 800 makes perfect sense for Benelli: the ADV design ensures a wide market potential, and the Chinese production facilities breathe new life into a brand that was all but gone. (Benelli/)

The combined work of Benelli technicians, and of course those highly specialized consultants, has finally paid off. Benelli has had a 750cc parallel twin sitting in the lineup for quite some time. The liquid-cooled unit displaces a real 754cc (88mm by 62mm) and generates a moderate 76.2 peak horsepower at 8,500 rpm, along with 49.4 pound-feet of torque at 6,500 rpm. The specific output numbers are not outstanding by today’s standards, but they seem to be in line with the Chinese “low-cost individual transportation” approach to motorcycling, though by that measure, peak power at 8,500 rpm is a little on the hot side.

The engine features chain-driven double overhead cams, four-valve induction, an 11.5:1 compression ratio, and twin 43mm throttle bodies, each featuring a single Delphi injector. The unit looks rather massive, mainly because the head is so tall in relation to the rest of the engine.

One Engine, Four Bikes

This is a general-purpose powerplant, and has in fact been installed on four Benelli models. According to today’s market preferences, the most attractive is the TRK 800, big brother to the TRK 502, the most successful model of the present Benelli range. The TRK 800′s styling and overall place in the market is patterned on the TRK 502, with the bigger bike offering some extra power and torque, along with a good amount of extra weight at 472 pounds dry.

The TRK 800 is a well-designed maxi-enduro intended for long hauls on and off-road with solid capabilities on both. The chassis is a substantial steel-tube trellis frame with additional steel plates bracing the critical areas. The bike’s suspension is generously dimensioned as well: a 50mm Marzocchi male-slider fork and a gas-charged rear shock absorber that cooperates with an aluminum swingarm.

The Leoncino is the streetbike version of the TRK 800: low-set exhaust, street tires, and a smaller fuel tank. (Benelli/)

The TRK 800 rolls on multipurpose Pirelli Scorpion radials (110/80-19 front and 150/70-17 rear); wheel travel is a generous 170mm (6.7 inches) at both ends.

With a 60.1-inch wheelbase, the TRK 800 is a big bike, certainly big enough for a passenger along with saddlebags or hard panniers. Seat height is set at a rational 32.8 inches, on the low to moderate side for an adventure bike, which helps in low-speed maneuvering. With its massive 5.8-gallon fuel tank, the TRK 800 is clearly intended as a long-haul touring enduro.

The electronic suite is limited to a 7-inch TFT instrument display and the mandatory ABS. Brembo supplies the braking components, with twin wave-style 320mm rotors and Monoblock four-piston calipers up front and a single rotor with two-piston caliper for the rear.

The Leoncino Trail is a scrambler version of the TRK 800, with high pipes and more aggressive tires. Check out the ornament on the front fender! (Benelli/)

The Leoncino and Leoncino Trail

The same engine expresses itself in two variations on the theme: The Leoncino scrambler model comes in both a road version, the Leoncino 800, and an off-road-capable bike, the Leoncino 800 Trail. The Trail is the more attractive model, with its high exhaust, 19-inch front wheel and increased ground clearance. As such, it occupies a space as an intermediate model between the TRK 800 and the standard Leoncino 800.

The engine comes in the same state of tune as the TRK 800, while the chassis describes a slightly shorter wheelbase at 58.2 inches. The Leoncino 800 Trail wears Pirelli Dragon semi-knobbies (120/70-19 front and 170/60-17 rear), while suspension is similar to the TRK 800, as is the Brembo braking system. The fuel tank has a slimmer design, and capacity is down to “just” 4 gallons.

The fourth Benelli model is a sort of leftover from 2019, when it appeared at EICMA as a prototype. Dubbed 750S, it’s an entry version of the 800 Leoncino, and as such promises to be priced attractively.

TRK 800: The Leoncino trail looks like a sound choice for gravel fire roads. The Delphi fuel injection system is simple, but proven. (Benelli/)

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[MikeHorton]

Interesting to see the pricing of these. The trk502 gets quite good reviews Nathan the postman did a good review. Looks like it's a bigger market now the tenere, tuareg, with mv Augusta and moto morini releasing similar size models too. If I didn't 2 up tour these size bikes would be perfect for me.