Benelli leoncino 500

[RideWithStyles]

 

To replace the Triumph daytona 955i... I bought benelli leoncino 500 in march 2019, 500cc 2cylinder parallel twin, 46Bhp and Over 110mph top speed. yes it was a big drop down .

 

POSITIVE.

Attractive, sleek designed by Italians.

Red paint was lovely.

Headlight and back light have some nice touches.
Great grunty twin engine even with only 46hp for the road even with a distinctive firing order.

can rev to 10,000 but it has a harsh cutout but its best is from 3000-8000.

 

exhaust looks and sounds good considering its a euro 3/4, loud enough to be heard but not to be embarrassed in towns.

 

Good handling and leverage due to the chunky wide bars.

Digi clocks easy to read especially at night.

 

Not bad oe tyres for a bike of this kind, Pirelli angles st. Though if you're experienced you can make the Abs cut in wet but i found out more so in the dry. 

Big chunky cartridge forks for damping only, rear pre load with easy reach adjuster and not so much damper adjuster.

 

Relatively cheap cheap to buy.

Low service cost. Didnt burn through oil, though its a slightly unusual 10wt-50 oil.

very good on fuel, i never managed to get it below 74mpg try as i might, most i got was just over 100.

In usual fashion for Italians but not for small bike the brakes are big and very good if could be a bit overkill, two finger braking for most cases is more than enough.

 

Tyre and chain wear good.

13ltr tank gave 200miles easy.

 

seat height is very low - even 7yr old daughter could get on without help, thats why i bought it.

Just enough vibes to be interesting and fueling at high revs is actually quite good.

easyish to drive slow but see negative.

 

NEGATIVE.

Some metal parts pre prep, under paint rust  bubbles at pillion pegs, pillion bars. 
exhaust heat covers, three broke away at the welds each one within a month or so between each one but looks ugly without them as the after thought fittings dont match the look.

 

Seat looks good but could of been abit more padded.

 

Those very wide wide bars make filtering gaps and parking less convenient.

for a 500, over 210kg is far too heavy.

finding parts is more difficult outside the dealership supply and parts can be very slow to arrive as they dont have a stockpile in Europe.

 

Easily scratched clock and misting of the headlight and clocks are problems will mean you have to change the whole clock as there are no seals kits for it, apparently the later year models are better which what my replacement parts were.

 

there is a low speed jerk from the closed system when just applying the throttle at slow speeds below 5000 but when and how much it does it varies, so riding with pillion is harder work than it should be.

 

these engines are VERY tight from new and only START to loosen up after WELL AFTER 8000miles, then the bike will naturally vibrate more which for me didnt work for my medical reason.

fuel gauge works but its alittle to cautious especially about the reserve 3ltrs. It thought is was empty but still hadnt eaten into the reserve, at least it wasn't the other way around as with like Yamaha's. 
 

the shocks damper adjuster is a real pain to get and adjust. As it's reversed to nearly all others.

Without gloves you have to gently lift the corner of the panel off it poppet below the tank and squeeze you hand to find it, adjusting it can be difficult and tightens with age, scrapes and sore hands guaranteed.

The headlight looks pleasing and modern quite bright and white with a wide beam. the real down fall is that same straight strip along the middle that breaks the light to reduce dazzling to other road users due to the led. its set quite low so the beam is cut off very low to the ground (like 20 feet away in the middle) and there is no way to adjust. When cornering the beam is even closer or not there due to that very sharp line cut off...unsafe at night on unlit back roads in my opinion.

apparently if your old or have sight like a mole its either not bright enough or not enough of a difference between the brake and rear light...

Doesnt have an immobiliser to this bike, but dont even fit an aftermarket one anyway unless you fancy having to find and clean its ground contact points twice a year.

if you cant turn off the indictor lights as they go full disco, its the wiring loom thats too tight pulling on the connectors near the head stock .

 

I did over 15,000 miles in over three years on the bike.
 

Not strong residual, unless you stay with dealership, if there are any left or changed mid way through ownership. some of the dealers are ok. Trying to get other garages to work on them is hit and miss.
 

Give the Chinese another 10 years to improve themselves (if they bother) and i think it could be a winner.

Its a fun bike and fitting for whats it's designed to do. what the Italian side have done is good, just the Chinese side need to work harder.
 

I possibly could recommend one only from new with a guaranteed dealer if i thought it was for the right Person and they were happy with the potential downfalls.
You could buy it cheap second hand but id would only do if your a dab hand at crafting aftermarket parts to make it work.

 i knew there was a chance of pitfalls when I bought it but at the time with what i needed from it was just about worth it.

Edited September 3, 2023 by RideWithStyles