- Benelli India has launched its first adventure motorcycle, the TRK 502, as well as its slightly off-road biased twin, the 502X.
- The big burly Italians draw styling inspiration from the Ducati Multistrada with a sharp beak which has vents on it.
- It gives a big bike feel and even the 840mm of saddle height on the 502X is pretty high for a mid-capacity bike. Thankfully, the standard model has a more accessible 800mm seat height.
- The 502X gets an upswept exhaust in-line with its off-road riding credentials.
- Both motorcycles are built around the same tubular steel trellis frame.
- Nestled in the frame is a 500cc parallel-twin motor which makes 47.5PS and 46Nm, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Unfortunately, it misses out on rider aids like ride-by-wire, riding modes and traction control.
- Both motorcycles get the same 50mm USD forks which are not adjustable.
- The rear monoshock units have different stroke lengths on both bikes, but both get preload as well as rebound adjustability.
- Both variants get different wheel setups. On the standard, you get 17-inch alloy wheels at both ends. These wheels come shod with Pirelli Angel GTs which are known to be good touring compound rubber.
- On the 502X, you get aluminium spoke wheels with a larger 19-inch front wheel. These are wrapped in dual-purpose Metzeler Tourance tyres.
- Even the brake components are different. On paper, both get twin 320mm rotors with a four-piston caliper on each disc. But the standard one gets conventional discs with a radially mounted caliper.
- The 502X, on the other hand, gets petal discs with sliding calipers.
- Both the bikes get the same rear brake - a 260mm disc with a single-piston caliper. However, the 502X gets switchable ABS on the rear wheel.
- Benelli has launched the 502 at Rs 5 lakh, while the 502X commands a premium of Rs 40,000 over the standard one. These prices are ex-showroom India and are introductory.
- Only online bookings are open currently with the deliveries set to begin in April. Benelli is also offering a voucher worth Rs 10,000 for every online booking, which can be availed for merchandise or accessories.
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