Benelli and its new partner in India, Adishwar Auto Ride, will be launching multiple products in the coming months. The implementation of the plan has already begun as Benelli has launched its new middle-weight offering, the Leoncino 500 in the country. Let’s take a look at the top five highlights of this new entrant.
Heritage-inspired design
The Leoncino 500 carries a classic scrambler design which pays tribute to Benelli’s Lion Cub models from the 50s and 60s. This is epitomised by the petite lion cub emblem sitting proudly on the front fender. Staying true to its scrambler theme, the Leoncino features a round headlamp, a straight single-piece handlebar, round mirrors, single-piece seat and a sweeping tail section. The aluminum-finished exhaust canister and chunky rear wheel accompanied by a tyre hugger complete the design of the bike.
Distinctive-looking headlamp and instrument cluster
Despite its heritage styling, the motorcycle is modern in terms of features. The Leoncino comes equipped with full-LED headlamp for illumination along with a radical-looking LED DRL. The rear also gets a distinctive eclipse-shaped LED tail lamp. Furthermore, the LCD instrument cluster sports a unique layout with a round display for speedometer and tachometer, flanked by a small display on the left side which displays other necessary information such as fuel level and clock.
Premium cycle parts
Benelli has equipped the Leoncino with a premium set of hardware. Built around a steel trellis frame, the motorcycle rides on 17-inch wheels wrapped with tubeless tyres from Pirelli. For soaking bumps, it comes with 50mm upside down forks at the front and a monoshock at the rear. Anchors are dropped using dual 320mm discs up front and a single 260mm disc at the rear while dual-channel ABS comes as standard.
Lighter than TRK siblings
The Leoncino 500 is powered by a 500cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin motor which produces 47bhp and 45Nm. This is the same engine which does duty on the TRK 502 and 502 X. However, the Leoncino benefits from the much lower kerb weight. While the TRK siblings weigh 235 kg, the new scrambler tips the scales at around 207 kg. Being 28 kg lighter, the Leoncino offers better power-to-weight ratio and should be more agile to ride.
Pricing and warranty
Benelli has pegged the Leoncino 500 impressively at Rs 4.79 lakhs (ex-showroom), pricing it Rs 33,000 lesser than the TRK 502, which is the more affordable variant of the TRK twins. What’s more, the company is also offering five-year unlimited kilometer warranty as standard which should enhance the ownership experience of the bike.
