2015 EICMA: Benelli Leoncino
Benelli may now be Chinese-owned but that hasn’t stopped the Italian brand from having a presence in Milan, presenting three new motorcycles at EICMA. Shown here is a new scrambler model called the Leoncino, or “lion cub”, a name that traces back to a line of lightweight Benelli models from the 1950s.
The Leoncino is powered by a new liquid-cooled 500cc parallel-Twin which also powers the adventure-style TRK 502 also shown at EICMA. Benelli claims the engine produces 46.9 hp at 8500 rpm and 33.2 lb-ft. of torque at 4500 rpm.
The engine hangs in a steel tube frame with the header pipes running along the bottom exposed (that’s right, no protective plate for this scrambler) to the rising exhaust on the right side.
The 19-inch front wheel is suspended by a 50mm upside-down fork offering 135 mm of travel. The 17-inch rear wheel is connected to a steel tube swingarm suspended by a spring preload and rebound adjustable shock, offering 145 mm of travel.
Twin 320 mm front brake rotors are paired with four-piston calipers while the rear brake consists of a two-piston caliper and 260 mm disc, with ABS as standard equipment. The wire-spoke wheels come with knobby tires, a 110/80-ZR19 up front and a 150/70-ZR17 at the rear.
Other features include a 32.1-inch seat height, 4.0-gallon fuel tank and a claimed dry weight of 375 pounds.
Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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Holy crap, I might like this even better than the Svartpilen. Hard to tell since I've only seen either bike in pictures. I so hope some of the EICMA bikes make it to Long Beach this weekend - unlikely as that may be.
Seems like a great street bike, a lot like the old Honda CB77. Probably a great bike that won't make it to the USA. Like the engine peak torque is at 4500 rpm to squirt through in town traffic without revving it out. Maybe like the CB500X motor. Hope the Benelli is real light, around 410 lbs wet weight so you can sling it around.