2016 EICMA: Benelli launches the Leoncino

Benelli Leoncino

At the 2015 EICMA motorcycle show, Benelli had pulled a rabbit out of its hat by unveiling four new motorcycles all of which were India-bound. Out of the four, the one that cought the attention of the indian consumer was the LeoncinoScrambler, which admittedly was among the prettiest motorcycles unveiled at the bike show. A year down the line, the Italian bikemaker launched the Leoncino and thankfully, it retains its original swelte form. Designed by CentroStile Benelli, the Leoncino is actually a reimagination of one of the marquee's most beloved brands albeit with a retro-modern styling. The curvy fuel tank, round headlight, stubby mudguard and floating tail section make it an attractive looking motorcycle. The design highlight has to be the Lion of Pesaro which sits atop the front mudguard. The seat hieght is 815mm while dry weight is 170kilos which is light fro a motorcycle of this segment. In fact it weighs as much as the Ducati Scrambler.

The Benellli Leoncino is powered by a new 500cc liquid-cooled, parallel-twin motor that it shares with the upcoming TRK 502 and puts out 47.5Ps at 8000rpm and 45Nm at of torque at 4500rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox.

The frame is a steel trellis unit hidden under the bodywork and the 15-litre tank. Suspension duties upfront are handled by 50mm upside down forks with a side-mounted monoshock at the rear. Braking duties are handled by twin 320mm petal discs clamped by four-piston callipers upfront and a 260mm rear disc with a two piston caliper. It may come with ABS in India. It has 19-inch front and 17-inch rear spoke aluminium wheels.

The Benelli Leoncino will be offered in two variants - standard and trail. The Leoncino Trail will have a 19-inch wheels fitted with off-road tyres for trail riding. We can expect the Benelli Leoncino to makes its way to India by mid-2017 or late next year and it will be locally assembled here.

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