Benelli TRK800
By Ben Purvis
Benelli has been quietly bolstering its range over the last few years , but the company ' s new TRK800 is without doubt the most significant machine it has launched since Chinese company Qianjiang took ownership back in 2005 . There ' s been little secret that the TRK800 was under development , and it ' s not a revolutionary bike by any means . The chassis and 754 cc parallel twin engine are existing units , used by the likes of the Leonicino 800 and , in China , the QJMotor SRT750 . In fact , the QJMotor machine is extremely similar , sharing much of the TRK800 ' s styling including the lights and turn signals , and of course the bikes will all be made in Qianjiang ' s Chinese factory . The importance of the TRK800 stems largely from the fact that Benelli ' s smaller adventure bike , the TRK502 , has been the best-selling motorcycle in Italy in 2021 , outstripping all rivals including BMW ' s R1250GS . That means the TRK800 has a springboard to make a similar impact on the market , and if Benelli can expand its dealer network and brand recognition further afield , it could start rising in the charts outside Italy as well . It won ' t be making too much impact on the 2022 sales charts , since Benelli says the bike won ' t be available until the second half of the year , and as such the final specifications have yet to be
confirmed . Power is rated at 76 hp , with 49 lb-ft of torque , which means the bike will be up against the likes of Yamaha ' s Ténéré 700 and more roadoriented adventure models including the ( updated for 2022 ) Kawasaki Versys 650 . The suspension comes from Marzocchi , with full adjustment for compression , rebound and preload at the front , and rebound and preload at the back , while the brakes are from Brembo . A large , 7 " TFT dash means the TRK800 matches or beats its rivals in terms of rider amenities .
Kawasaki H2 SX joins the radar revolution
By Ben Purvis
Bosch ' s motorcycle radar technology has been one of the most notable new developments of 2021 with Ducati , KTM and BMW all adopting the system - and for 2022 Kawasaki becomes the first Japanese brand to get on board with a radar-equipped development of the Ninja H2 SX . Kawasaki might have been beaten to the radar punch by some European rivals , but the H2 SX version of the system appears to be more developed than any of the other models to adopt it . While KTM ' s 1290 Adventure S and BMW ' s R1250 RT and R1800 models can be had with front-facing radars , Kawasaki ' s system has both front and rear-facing radars , something that was previously only available as an option on Ducati ' s Multistrada V4 S . As on the other bikes with the system , the front radar enables forward collision warning - with dashboard lights to warn if you ' re getting too close to the vehicle ahead - and adaptive cruise control where the bike automatically keeps a pre-set distance from the vehicle you ' re following . The rear radar adds blind spot monitoring to the mix , with mirror-mounted blind spot warning lights . The technology itself is wellestablished - cars have used it for years , and the sensors on bikes are just the same as those on four-wheelers . However , the fact that bikes lean in corners mean the computers that interpret the radar reflections have to be smarter . Where Kawasaki ' s Ninja H2 SX takes a significant step forward over its rivals is in the integration of the radar sensors themselves . Bosch ' s radars can see through some materials , including thin plastic , but KTM , BMW and Ducati have all opted to leave the sensors fully exposed , to the detriment of their bikes ' appearance . Kawasaki , however , has cracked the problem of making radar-invisible covers to hide the sensors while still allowing them to work properly . At the front of the H2 SX , it ' s pretty clear that the radar sits below a new , smaller headlight , where
the company has added a smooth , curved plastic panel to cover the sensor . At the back it ' s less obvious , but the rear radar sensor actually hides inside the licence plate bracket , again under a cosmetic plastic cover that completely hides it from sight . Radar aside , the 2022 H2 SX benefits from a minor restyle , largely to accommodate the front sensor , and tech upgrades including a new 6.5 " TFT dashboard with smartphone connectivity and around 20 purposemade apps for functions like navigation , weather reports , media control and messaging . The engine is unchanged , keeping its 197 hp output , and as in previous years , a higher-spec ' SE ' version is also offered , with Showa ' Skyhook ' semi-active suspension .
14 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022 www . idnmag . com