Exclusive: Benelli Leoncino launching in India

Mahavir Group is at the helm of Benelli’s India operations leaving DSK Motowheels out of the picture. Let’s see what their plans for India are.

Under DSK Motowheels, Benelli had a total of 28 dealerships across the country. Out of the 28, only 19 dealerships will continue to operate under the new leadership. However, the good news for existing Benelli customers is that the Mahavir Group will continue to cater to existing Benelli customers with service and spares.

Benelli introduced a rich lineup of offerings, right from single and twin-cylinder nakeds to a middleweight twin-cylinder sportbike, when it was under the DSK Group. The company even had 4-cylinder powerhouses in the form of a street naked and an outright tourer. These included - the TNT 25, TNT 300, 302R, TNT 600i and TNT 600GT.

Thankfully, Mahavir will continue to sell most of the range under the new partnership as well. Cause if we go by the Benelli India website, the TNT 25 and the TNT 600 GT will either won't go on sale or are still undergoing homologation before they go back on sale.

The group is currently in the process of homologating the TRK 502X adventure tourer, the 500cc Leoncino scrambler and the Imperiale 400, which will take on popular motorcycles from Royal Enfield. The Leoncino is in the final stages of approval and will be the first product to be launched under the new banner next year.

The Leoncino is offered in two variants - Trail and Standard version - in global markets. However, it's highly likely that the more off-road-ready Trail version won’t be coming to India. Instead, the standard Leoncino will be launched here. This is being done to make way for the TRK 502X variant.

Benelli Leoncino

The Leoncino is powered by an in-line, 499.6cc, 2-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC motor that’s mated to a 6-speed gearbox. It produces 46.7PS of power at 8500rpm and 45Nm of peak torque at 5000rpm

It is equipped with 50mm USD forks up front and a preload/rebound adjustable rear monoshock. Braking is managed by a 320mm front disc and 260mm rear disc brake, with ABS as standard. The 17-inch alloy wheels come wrapped with 120-70 section front tyre and 160-60 section rear tyre.

Mahavir Group and Benelli are set to make an announcement of their future plans for India on 6 August, 2018. So stay tuned for more updates.

Source: ZigWheels.com