Benelli Leoncino 800 Trail
The Benelli Leoncino 800 twins are equipped with adjustable Marzocchi front suspension and Brembo braking system
The middle weight retro-classic roadster segment seems to be in the vogue off late as indicated by steady inflow of new models. The Triumph Trident brought fresh energy to this segment which is currently dominated by the Ducati Scrambler family. Now, another Italian brand has joined the bandwagon with two new motorcycles.
Benelli Leoncino 800 and Trail
The Benelli Leoncino 800 and Leoncino 800 Trail roadsters have been unveiled to take advantage of the middle-weight boom. The road-focused Leoncino 800 adopts the nameplate’s traditional styling language with an exposed trellis frame, a slender fuel tank, a simple tailpiece and spoke wheels.
Benelli Leoncino 800
The oval LED headlamp with horse-shoe shaped DRL and LED blinkers attempt to bring a touch of modernity to an otherwise classic package. Of course, the front fender carries the nameplate’s quintessential lion mascot.
The Benelli Leoncino 800 Trail on the other hand has a sportier appeal with additional bodywork. The scrambler gets high-mounted twin exhaust pipes which are protected by a silver panel that extends from the tailpiece, and a compact body colored headlamp fairing. While the Leoncino 800 employs road-friendly 17-inch wheels at either end, the Trail variant adopts a larger 19-inch unit up front. Both motorcycles are shod with dual-purpose tyres.
Specifications
The middle-weight Benelli Leoncino twins are powered by a 754 cc parallel-twin, liquid-cooled motor which develops 76 hp and 68 Nm of torque. Transmission is a 6-speed unit which is connected to the motor by means of a slipper clutch.
The trellis frame is equipped with Marzocchi upside down front forks with rebound, compression and preload adjustments. The monoshock rear suspension offers preload adjustment. The Trail has a longer front suspension travel of 5.5 inches compared to the regular variant’s 5.1 inches. The Trail variant also has a slightly higher saddle height.
Braking system which comprises twin front discs and a single rear unit is from Brembo. In a nutshell, the made-in-China motorcycles which are designed in Italy, do no skimp on hardware. While detailed specifications are scarce, we expect the twins to be equipped with two-channel ABS as a standard fitment.
Benelli is yet to reveal the prices of the Leoncino 800 family. We expect it to undercut the likes of Yamaha XSR700 by a considerable margin. Market launch is expected in the first half of 2021. There is always a sizable market for a well-priced middle weight motorcycle in India, so we expect the lions to make it to our shores soon after their international debut.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
