Benelli
By Ben Purvis
The onslaught of new bikes from Benelli and its Chinese parent Qianjiang is showing no sign of slowing down , with several additional as-yet-unlaunched new machines ( seen in Chinese type-approval certifications ) likely to start reaching European showrooms at some stage this year . After slow progress following its buyout by China ' s Qianjiang , Benelli has now started to develop its offer rapidly and has topped the sales charts in Italy with the TRK 502 and had a good reaction to the Leoncino 800 . In China , Qianjiang has used the Benelli building blocks to create a whole new brand , QJMotor , that launched in 2020 with a fast-growing model range that gives strong hints at the direction of travel for future Benelli-branded models in Europe .
Benelli TNT600
The first four-cylinder Benelli since the Quattro of the 1970s , development of the TNT600 ( also sold as the BN600 ) began before Qianjiang took control in 2005 , but spent years in limbo before reaching production in 2014 . In Europe , the model was short-lived , falling foul of Euro 4 emissions limits , but it sold well in India and Asia , as well as providing a foothold in the US market . Now it appears set to return in Euro 5-approved form with this revamped design . Although based on the earlier model , the update features an LED headlight and TFT dash - both items that appeared on the 2020 model in India - but also gains restyled side panels flanking the radiator , a new seat unit and a sharper-looking tail section . There are technical updates , too . The Chinese documents confirm the bike at least meets the latest emissions rules in the country - equivalent to Euro 4 - and the presence of ABS and the use of the Benelli name suggests Europe is its eventual target market . The engine is rated at 80 hp , putting it on a par with earlier versions despite its improved emissions performance . European suspension and braking parts also feature , including Brembo calipers and forks that appear to come from Marzocchi - a brand that Qianjiang already favours for its QJMotor models . A new aluminium swingarm , shared with the TNT600 ' s Chinese-market cousin , the QJMotor SRK600 , replaces the old tubular steel design .
Benelli 302R
Another Benelli model that ' s disappeared from European markets in recent years , the 302R ( Tornado 300 in some markets ) always looks slightly overweight for a small-capacity sports bike , not helped by a wide headlight that emphasised its broad nose . The new version seen here might share the old bike ' s chassis and 35 hp parallel twin engine , but it addresses the styling problem with a new front fairing and vertically stacked headlight design .
The transformation is impressive , particularly since the side panels and fuel tank are carryovers from the previous model . A new seat unit cleans up the rear end design , and once again we get the tell-tale ABS sensor ring on the front brake to confirm that the mandatory in Europe anti-lock is now fitted . It ' s not just visually slimmer either , as the approval documents show a ' wet ' weight of 182 kg , 8 kg less than the old 302R .
QJMotor SRT600 ( 600 cc adventure bike )
Benelli ' s ' QJMotor ' sister brand is aimed at the Chinese market but offers unusually high-specification machines that are closely related to European Benelli models . Recent filings show several new machines , starting with this 600 cc four-cylinder adventure bike - likely to be called the SRT600 . Borrowing its frame and the 80 hp four-cylinder engine from the Benelli TNT600 ( also used on the QJMotor SRK600 naked bike and SRG600 sports model ), the SRT600 combines them with a completely different , adventure-inspired look . The styling is much like that of the smaller SRT500 , itself derived from Benelli ' s TRK 502 , and it suggests that it would take little more than a badge-swap for this design to become a mid-sized Benelli TRK 600 .
QJMotor SRK700
While every QJMotor model to have been officially launched so far has been closely related to an existing Benelli , this new design - the SRK700 - breaks that mould . Like the other models seen here , its existence is confirmed by a typeapproval filing in China , revealing an
unfamiliar engine and chassis , although the bike itself is clearly a production-ready machine . The engine is a 693 cc parallel twin , built by QJMotor ' s Qianjiang parent company . Both its visual appearance and its capacity are a close match to the twin used on rival CFMoto ' s upcoming 700CL-X . Performancewise , it ' s good for 75 hp and weighs in at 192 kg complete with fuel . Given the fact that QJMotor and Benelli share the same engines and frames for other models , it is quite likely that a Benelli-branded European version of this bike could be on the way in the future - especially given the use of high-end European components from the likes of Brembo .
QJMotor SRG350
Another new QJMotor that breaks with the trend of being a rebodied Benelli is this faired sports bike , likely to go under the name SRG350 . Built around a 350 cc parallel twin that ' s loosely based on the 300 cc Benelli 302S ' s engine , it features a new tubular steel frame allied to a banana swingarm , all wrapped in styling that goes a long way to dispelling lingering doubts that Chinese companies can ' t compete