Benelli is secretly working on a new entry-level adventure bike to take on the BMW G310 GS and the upcoming KTM 390 adventure.
This adventure model is still in the early stages of development, but the Italian manufacturer is aiming to have a production model ready by next year. Benelli feels that there will be a good demand in the 200cc-400cc segment as that’s where the next cycle of growth will come from. With street naked and fully-faired motorcycles already doing the job in this displacement category, the adventure bike is what will complete that segment.
The Italian manufacturer will use the same 300cc parallel-twin motor for this adventure bike, but will be tuned differently to generate more torque in the low and mid-range. Other than the usage of this engine, everything else will be all-new. The chassis, sub-frame, suspension setup, wheels and even the instrument cluster will be new.
It is still not clear if Benelli would use the TRK moniker for its 300cc adventure bike. The company, in the meantime, is keeping a close watch on the success of the TRK 502. Depending on the market response, Benelli will accelerate the development process of this adventure bike. This motorcycle will come to India when it is ready, but we’re expecting that to happen only in 2019.
